This post recounts the second day of my Mizen Head to Malin Head cycle tour in Ireland with Peak Tours in June 2024. Read Day 1: Mizen Head to Glengariff

The forecast for today had been grim for over a week. Any hope that it might be wrong was dashed when I opened the hotel curtains and saw the rain bouncing off the flat room below. I’d be getting wet.

We had a five mile climb to start the day, at a comfortable gradient. Even better, it was through woodland and the canopy of trees shielded us from the worst of the weather. Through the mist and rain I could see how beautiful the countryside would be on a fine day like yesterday.

We’d been told to bring lights as today’s ride included a few tunnels. These were in much more exposed country and we got much wetter as a result. The road was also busier by now, which was a tad annoying as I had to choose my moment to video the approach to the tunnels! The rain was unrelenting as we crossed from County Cork to County Kerry.

A feature of Peak Tours cycling holidays is the brew stop. Twice a day, the guides set up a table of treats: tea, coffee and snacks to keep cyclists fuelled and contented. These are invariably in the open – and today’s morning stop outside Kenmare was no exception. I shivered in the cold and wet, envying one of the party who was sheltering in the van. We cycled on, as much for warmth as progress.

After Kenmare, we had a section of narrow, gravel road, and I was glad of my gravel bike. A Kerry County Council worker explained that they were repairing the road ahead, and we’d need to stop for five minutes. He was so friendly and helpful, even offering us plastic bags from the council van to keep us dry under our helmets. I reflected how unlikely it would be that a council in Britain would repair such a minor lane.

This morning hadn’t been overflowing with joy, because of the weather, but the next few miles were blissful. We turned sharply off the N70 main road to enter Black Valley and an exhilarating, switchback descent that twisted round boulders, swept over stone river bridges, and generally added to the sum of human happiness.

We could see the mountains around Killarney in the distance, and I reflected on memories of my first visit to Ireland 50 years ago last month. We travelled from Wales in Dad’s latest, and most surprising, car: a tiny, lilac-coloured Hillman Imp. I can only assume that the rocketing petrol prices caused by the energy crisis of 1973 prompted his decision to go for such a small car – and take it to Ireland and Scotland in the same year. Back in 1974, after a first night in Wexford we stayed in Ryan motels in Killarney, Limerick and Galway. The Ryan group later created Ryanair.

The next big climb was to the iconic Gap of Dunloe. It was such a shame the weather was so poor, although the rain had eased by now. At the morning briefing about the ride, the guide had told us that the steepest section of the ascent came after a church, Our Lady of the Valley. I was wondering when we’d see the church – and spotted it way below us in the valley, as seen in the photo above. It was a nice moment.

After we reached the summit, we were slowed by several ponies pulling traps taking tourists for a ride through the mountains. If we were feeling wet and cold, I can’t imagine how miserable the sedentary passengers were! I imagine there would have been far more on a fine day.

I enjoyed the descent from the Gap to lunch at Kate Kearney’s Cottage. I was shivering as I got off the bike and gathered my things. It would be fun to have an evening here, but lunch was suitably filling. I got a pot of tea from the bar to warm me (shades of lunch after a similar soaking on day 7 of Land’s End to John O’Groats in 2019) but was envious of those in parts of the building that had the heating on! I wished that I’d put my down jacket in my saddle bag – I learned my lesson for later in the tour.

I was a bedraggled figure as I got back on the bike, hoping the exertion of cycling would warm me up. It did, but something magical happened: the sun came out. It even dried my cycling clothes by the time we got to Tralee 19 miles later. I enjoyed my afternoon, apart from one climb. Lucy told me it was just 4.5 per cent so my mind and body weren’t expecting the 9 per cent recorded on my Garmin! I was glad I’d taken my jacket off.

The final miles to Tralee were on pleasant wooded lanes, and I liked Tralee as soon as we entered handsome Denny Street and drew up by the Grand Hotel. I felt I’d earned this elegant stay after the morning’s weather. I grabbed a huge cup of tea from Costa opposite and went back to edit the day’s highlights video, which you will find at the end of this post.

We were lucky get a table for dinner at an Italian restaurant – we’d forgotten it was Friday night! Later, we got lost finding our way back to the hotel, so had a decent tour of Tralee before a Guinness in the hotel bar listing to live jazz. A nice end to an eventful day.

Read Day 3: Tralee to Spanish Point

The day’s stats

59 miles, 4,649 feet climbing, 5 hours 3 mins cycling, average speed 11.3 mph.

The day’s highlights video