In the morning we headed off up the valley and took a road which wound back and forth up the northern slope. Ahead was an unbroken line of high craggy tops.
After a while we noticed a narrow gap or opening in the steep ridge ahead and the road took us through it. It turns out that it was not a ridge we were approaching but a mountain range with a steep sided valley which passed right through it. Somehow a road had been built through here and we were on it. This is the "World famous Gap of Dunloe"
I'd been wondering what the 'World famous' bit was all about, now I could see. The road crossed from one side of the
valley to the other passing pools and streams. Stone arch top bridges are everywhere and the air was still and quiet.
As we gradually descended we came across increasing numbers of small carts pulled by
ponies. The sort of thing you normally see on postcards.
For some reason they were all carrying American people up the valley, sight seeing I presume.
We took lots of photos here and at the bottom we stopped for a pint at 'Kate Kearney's Cottage'.
The whole experience was quite magical and one I would very much recommend. It was blazing hot by this time so we stayed longer than perhaps we ought.
We pressed on through undulating farmland and stopped for lunch outside a chip shop in Milltown. Soon after reaching the Dingle Peninsular the wind sprang up. To try and make up some time we rode in close formation and managed about 18mph for most of the time. We stopped to look at the fantastic beach (known locally as a 'strand') at Inch and eventually reached Ballintaggart House Hostel near Dingle.