Day 21: Kinsale to Ballymaloe

Mark and I were glad to see the rain clear for our first day of bike riding. We had a lovely breakfast at Annie May’s before we hit the road for an hour’s drive to Kinsale, still in county Cork. Angela, who cooked us our breakfast was gruff at first but then warmed nicely to us. I misunderstood what she offered for breakfast and so when I asked her for no meat with my breakfast she scoffed, “Sure there’s no meat in a scrambled egg.” By the time we were leaving, Angela was trying to stage our exit so we didn’t get wet from rain. We arrived to Kinsale’s parking lot, where we were told our rented bikes would be locked and waiting for us. Wild Atlantic Way Bikes, the company we rented bikes from, is not opened on a Monday, so they dropped off our bikes in a parking lot. We took one look at them; they were rusted, old, deflated and neglected. When we turned around there was another set of bikes in much better condition and thankfully those were ours. Mark was ready to dismiss those rusty bikes and insist they were a hazard to ride. We adjusted our seats, packed our snacks and waters, and buckled our helmets. The mountain bikes served us well and were a very comfy ride. We climbed the road out of Kinsale and changed our bike route to safer roads, following Euro Velo 1, instead of the most direct route as it wasn’t the safest. Cars drive quickly and often there isn’t a shoulder on the road. We found the cars to be very responsible and respectful, but don’t mind taking the extra precaution. Euro Velo is a system of routes that is throughout most of the EU - highly recommend!

The route was so beautiful! Rolling hills, narrow roads, beautiful views of the Atlantic, old stone walls and well kept homes. We passed 14 barking doggies, stopped for two horses in a pasture, and saw 9,823 cows.

We cycled for just under 5 hours and took a quick ferry across Passage West. The ferry comes every seven minutes (yes, the route is roughly 3 minutes across).

And then at half three we arrived to Ballymaloe. Ballymaloe, for those of you who don’t know it follow them on Instagram to always be hungry, is Ireland’s premier cookery school which also hosts a fine dining restaurant and 20 room inn.

We were greeted with a fresh slice of orange cake. Mark thought the cake was too dry (I didn’t) but we both agreed the cream was fresh and beautifully tasting.

We then saw Mom lounging by the pool and Dad loading our bags from the car - life is good! We had a drink on Mom and Dad’s patio, surrounded by beautiful hydrangeas.

We sat in the Conservatory Room (a big green house) and discussed the recent Supreme Court rulings. At half 6, we were escorted into the dining room for our dinner. First course was a chicken broth, a tsasiki sauce or a savory sorbet accompanied by homemade sourdough and soda bread.

Second course I chose a vegetarian bhaji that was so tasty and the others had fish.

Our main course was either gnocchi, fish or lamb.

Then came a beautiful board of cheeses. Finally, the dessert trolly came around. The waiter explains each dessert to you, and you are encouraged to ask for a taste of each. Mark did that :). I had a beautiful homemade almond biscotti. We had fun cocktails, rose wine, and red wine.

This three hour dinner was such a treat. The dining room is a room in this old manor, the interior design is largely older comfort, but the walls have modern art. It’s a nice balance. After dinner, Mark and I walked the gardens and grounds, passed the beehives and climbed some trees. We were hungry and tired after our afternoon of biking. We were well fed and the beds and rooms were very comfy.