Fueled up @beanindingle before heading out of town and as usual, the scenery today did not disappoint. A short distance out of town I found a 16th century castle (Minard) right on the coast. Further down the road was the 5km long Inch Beach, and a pretty good tailwind.  The coast along this section kind of reminds me of sections of HWY 1 in California.

Turning the corner and heading back west, I visited Kilcolman Abbey (13th century).  Beautiful structure but a bit creepy as it was also a cemetery! 

After another refueling (@puckcountrystore), I headed towards Lough Caragh and hugged the shores for a few miles.  It started to rain and continued for the rest of the ride, but it was a light rain and I only had about 8 miles left so it wasn’t too bad.  

With 3 miles remaining, I entered the Birdia Valley and was surrounded by mountains… it was stunning and I couldn’t have asked for a better reception at the fantastic little Stepping Stone bed and breakfast, a three room stone cottage run by Sandy and John who restored the quaint property some 30 years ago.