Stage four: Kinsale to Bantry…Bed and Breakfast Man!

Breakfast was a couple of bowls of cornflakes before facing the decidedly damp outdoors. What ho! My front tyre had gone flat during the night- a phantom puncture pain in the a*rse had chosen to strike…

Cue 15 mins of faffing…

Was away into it (after stopping at a Centra to get water and a sandwich to continue fuelling) and slavishly followed the route that I’d ‘planned’ a month or so ago: no improvisation today, no bonus miles thanks all the same. I know, no sense of adventure…certainly not when the weather is grim. My sources told me that it was gonna improve. Honest!

Lads- you got to let this go!

That’s as good as it got until maybe 1000?

Mind you…this’ll do nicely!

Most agreeable. Poor sod in the boat probably disagrees, hah-hah!

Another day, another bridge. Them’s the rules!

After lunch I was left with just under 50 miles, starting at 12.30pm. Not a disasterama, given the delayed start.

Old Skool Garmin.

I didn’t eat all of it. Not until later, at least! #heft

Ballydehob’s finest: book him Danno…Murder One!

The signs were there all along. Okay, I’ll get me coat…

The hoped-for Hollywood moment for today was to reach Mizen Head, which is the most southerly point on the mainland, especially if you tilt the map. Nah, it might be a dead-heat with some also ran along the coast but MH gets my vote!

Fine place for a Saga Stop: well it is a bog, right?

Is the sky breaking un peu?

Aye aye Captain…blue skies!

Unbelievably, as I got to within fifteen miles of Mizen Head, the weather dramatically improved…sure there was a decent south-westerly breeze but this was probably as kind as it gets! It was a fantastic ride up to it, made more so because I ditched my panniers behind a wall…hoping they’d still be there in 90 mins or so. They were. Thank Gawd!

Laugh out loud beautiful. Photos will not suffice!

A decent spot for a spin…

After that, next stop is er…

I could spent longer there but there was the small matter of getting to Bantry.

Was there. Without panniers. Lightweight, hah-hah!

Basically it was then a 180 degree turn and backtrack until I retrieved my stash, and then only 15 miles north. Direction of travel is pretty key: this meant that breeze was gonna be helping push me to tonight’s acco. Who knew what delights that would entail?

Hello Bantry!

The ‘Live Laugh Love’ cobblers almost had me outta there pronto, hah-hah!

Cliché or not, who cares? It’s ace!

My hostess for tonight is Peggie: the lady was putting a wash on and had no issues with adding my minging Lycra to the mix. Result! I haven’t dared look at tomorrow’s weather forecast yet… we’ll give it a good go regardless. Like I have a choice, hah-hah!

Today’s tune gets the nod because Geoff, Stuart, Alex, Jonesy and the two Steves shared a house in Whitstable about 35 years ago. When I’d wind-up with them, invariably I’d crash on the settee hence Geoff christening me the ‘Bed and Breakfast Man’…happy with that as we all loved Two Tone. Dear me but Madness had some bangers though…

Statto, Statto!