Dingle to Ballybunion June 6, 2016

It was the Sunday night of a bank holiday last night which meant that nobody had to work today. So the revelers were out in full force last night.  The bar across the street played music until 2:00 Am.  I think that the bar its self closed at 3:00 am and there were partiers there until 4:00 am.  My second story, single pane window across the narrow street did little to keep the noise out.  The thin curtains did little to keep the morning sun out so we were awake around 6:45Am. Not that we could have slept much later anyway as breakfast was at 8:00 am and rolling down the road at 9:00 am. 

The very first thing we faced this morning was the Connor Pass. The hotel was right at the base of the hill and we crossed the road took a picture under the sign and started the climb.  From where we started it was 7.0 kms  to the summit and 430 meters of climb or 6.1% grade.  There were a few flatter spots and the steepest I noted on the Garmin was 11%.  It was a very formidable climb but very doable especially as it was on fresh legs.   All along the way the views of the Dingle harbour  were stunning.  The higher you got the more the mountain became more rocky and vegetation got sparcer. At the summit was a view point were you could see both sides of the Dingle Pennisula.  It was very impressive.  The road down on the north side was much steeper and narrower.  The south side was all two lane but the north side had a lot of single lane and was either dug into the cliff face or hanging out on stone retaining walls.

After we were off the pass it was rolling hills.  We had 75 kms to get into Ballybunion and it was a fairly easy ride so we just cruised along.   For lunch we stopped and got deli sandwiches which we ate in a park along the way.  The heavy clouds had been chasing us most of the morning so we kept moving.  We had though that once we passed Tralee traffic would lighten up and the overtaking traffic did to some extent but the oncoming traffic was still pretty heavy.   It never did rain on us though it sure felt like it was going to as the humidity was way up. 

The riders beat the drivers to the B&B today which has not been the case.  We were just in the process of checking in when Agnes and Sally showed up.  It is a fabulous house overlooking the valley.  The rooms are excellent.

I know absolutely nothing about golf however the course here are supposedly ranked top courses in the world (here is a link: http://www.ballybuniongolfclub.com/ )  They sure looked pretty riding into Ballybunion.  The Tides B&B where we are staying caters to the golfers who come to play the course. The owner must be quite a golfer himself as he has two huge cases of trophies, hole in one certificates, and other paraphernalia attesting to his skill.  If a person were a golfer this would certainly make a great golf holiday. 

Tomorrow on to the Cliffs of Mohr.

Terry