This post recounts the fourth day of my Mizen Head to Malin Head cycle tour in Ireland with Peak Tours in June 2024. Read Day 3: Tralee to Spanish Point

Today was a magical day’s cycling. The weather improved, we were following the stunning coastline towards Galway – and I was reliving half-century old family memories.

I was at the back of the pack as we left Spanish Point towards Lahinch. My bike was making troublesome noises, and it took a couple of roadside tweaks to get everything running sweetly. I’d been looking forward to seeing Lahinch since booking the tour, having such a vivid memory of stopping there in 1974 with Mum and Dad as we travelled on to our next stop, Galway. My image of Lahinch was of a seaside promenade, where I bought an Irish bar of chocolate, whose brand I’ve forgotten but had never heard of in 1974. (Hardly surprising as it wasn’t Cadbury, Fry’s or Rowntree.) As I cycled through, I found that that childhood memory was erratic. Lahinch had no promenade: all the shops and other buildings were away from the shore, and under leaden skies the place seemed rather bleak. Disappointed, I took a few photos and moved quickly on. Happily, the rest of the day was a delight.

We had an enjoyable interlude at the stunning Cliffs of Moher, which we reached after a climb from sea level at Lahinch. There was a very smart visitor centre, which certainly wouldn’t have been there in 1974!

There followed one of my favourite sections of the entire tour. We turned off the main road onto a lane that gave breathtaking views along the coast and out to the Aran islands. (You can see Inisheer in the background of the photo above.) It was fast cycling too, except when I felt obliged to stop to take a photo of the latest sights – including 16th century Doonagore castle, below. A Spanish Armada ship was wrecked below the castle in 1588 and the 170 survivors executed here. The building is now a holiday home.

The morning brew stop was in the Burren, an extraordinary limestone landscape dotted with wild flowers against the backdrop of coast and cliffs. The rock was formed as sediments in a tropical sea some 350 million years ago. It was a pleasure to enjoy a mug of tea here especially as the grey skies had finally lifted, giving way to a lovely sunny day.

I loved the ride from here to lunch at Kinvara. I overtook these pannier-laden Dutch cyclists on the fast coast road towards lovely Ballyvaughan, where Julia passed me, commenting ”here comes the slow coach!’ as she went by.

Soon after Ballyvaughan, we turned off the main coast road, which was a mixed blessing. It was quieter, for sure, but not as fast, and hillier. Lunch at Kinvara was good, but the service was very slow. But I didn’t mind – it was a lovely day and we had just 19 miles to go to Galway.

After lunch, we were back on quiet, rural lanes, with wooded sections that contrasted with this morning’s coastal scenery.

As we got closer to Galway, we spotted a group of people at the side of the road with a bonfire. At first we thought it was a demonstration, but after we saw another group with a fire we discovered they were celebrating a local under 15 hurling team’s victory. By the time we passed a third group we’d convinced ourselves they were cheering us on!

After such a scenic day, the final approach to Galway was very nondescript. We were staying in a corporate hotel, the Connacht, tonight, in an industrial area a mile or so out of town. So Julia, Lucy and I got a cab into the city for drinks and dinner. Galway was buzzing for a Sunday night, and we were pleased to get a table at a tapas restaurant after having the statutory Guinness at a bar round the corner first.

Postscript: return to my 1974 hotel!

Back in 1974, Mum, Dad and I stayed at the Ryan Hotel in Galway. (It was the Ryan group that later created Ryanair.) I’d wondered where in Galway the hotel was, and Googled the answer a month after the tour. To my amazement it was the very hotel we stayed in – it was renamed the Connacht in 2013. It looks nothing like a 1960s motel today, so it’s no surprise that I didn’t recognise it, especially as I thought it was on the coast!

Read Day 5: Galway to Clifden

The day’s stats

68.26 miles, 3,258 feet climbing, 4 hours 57 mins cycling, average speed 13.7 mph.

The day’s highlights video