Sat 16/07/10
Left our hotel at 10am to arrive at the visitor centre in Mizen Head (see photo). There were 6 cyclists including our guide Donal O'Donovan. He is an experienced mountain guide and is excellent at reading maps. He puts a lot of effort into making the event enjoyable and pleasing everybody. Donal selected the coast road into Bantry. This had luxurious scenes of yachts in the harbours along with well kept gardens displaying beautiful fauna and flowers. Many wealthy retired people set up home in this part of the country for its beautiful scenery and stress free living.
There were some hills as we skirted Mount Gabriel through Goleen but the cycle was mainly flat along the coast road.
After lunch in Bantry we cycled to Ballylickey and into the mountains. The rain started as light drizzle but as we cycled past Gougane Barra Forest Park it was coming down in torrents. The route which Donal had mapped out into Kilgarvan was mainly unknown to most locals because in our 50 kilometre cycle we met about 5 cars. There was a ruggedness about this scenery even in this unpleasant weather which was inspiring and beautiful.
On the downhills I braked going into the corners and cycled coming out of them - similar to driving a car- so I arrived about twenty minutes at the Bed & Breakfast where we were staying. Our landlord and Lady were so concerned about our mission and well being that it made one feel important. We received a most warm welcome. After a warm shower and new clothes I looked out the window and saw the rest of the group arriving. We had an excellent meal that night of Bacon and Cabbage prepared by the lady of the house and we then were driven over to Jackie Healy Rae's pub (the famous Irish politician). It was a great night and we has more than enough alcohol to drink.
The accommodation did not have the finesse of the four star hotel but the cleanliness, welcome and friendliness of the house masters made up for the lack of capital investment that could be enjoyed in more luxurious surroundings. I would give our Saturday night accommodation a rating of 8/10