By Ways and Detours

According to the weather forecast, today is supposed to be the most beautiful day of the week, sunny and rain-free. We no longer believe in the Irish weather app. We just trust what our eyes can see. This morning, four eyes see pretty much nothing - thick fog hangs outside the window. We have specifically set the alarm for seven. If it's going to be the most beautiful day, we certainly don't want to miss it. But we are reluctant to believe it fully. We leave around 9 AM. Our destination is the Cliffs of Moher. Most beautiful day - most beautiful sight, logically. The wind blows cold from the fog, but it's not raining.
The EuroVelo route is nice for riding, but somewhere near the village of QUILTY (what a name), we miss a road and drift quite a bit off our route. But turning back is not an option. Somehow we will find our way back, and that is indeed what happens. Near Milltown, we are back on the right path to the Atlantic. The fog has lifted to higher regions but is still present. As we descend towards Lahinch, a couple of drops of rain do fall on us on the most beautiful day of the week. Peter starts to pedal faster. We actually escape the rain clouds and arrive at Lahinch Beach, a major surf hotspot. With a warm coffee, we watch countless surfers waiting tirelessly for the perfect wave in 15-degree water temperature. Anja has been waiting for the perfect rhubarb crumble, which finally arrives in the form of an apple pie at a deli shop. You can't always have everything in Ireland, at least not when the cravings are strongest. The pie is wonderful, and the cappuccino is too; the sun is also visible, so everything is rhubarb-good. During the break, Peter discovers a path along the Atlantic with a viewpoint. We've already made detours today, so it doesn't matter much anymore. However, the detour turns out to be a calm, flowery, and small road leading us to the Clahane Shore Area, a great spot with cliffs, rocks, and some locals swimming. We watch people jumping into the sea from the rocks, from ages 7 to 70, simply everyone, and they all have huge joy. After half an hour, we also stand on the rocks. 1. Dive Anja, 2. Dive Peter. 15 degrees, but so cool! Let's do it again! The air temperature is around 18 degrees, but it's windy. We take a warm shower at the accommodation and drive the 2 kilometers to the Cliffs of Moher, arguably the most famous and most photographed cliffs in Ireland. The entrance fee is 8 euros per person. They plunge steeply into the Atlantic at over 200 meters. Very impressive, and sadly, the sun has mostly disappeared again, and it is slightly misty. However, we stay there for almost 2 hours, hiking along the cliffs. The visitor center has various exhibits on geology and especially on the birds nesting in the cliffs. The sun sets at 9:45 PM, but the gates close at 9 PM. So we drive back to the bed and breakfast 'The Atlantic View,' get tea and plenty of chocolate bars, chat with the house lady, enjoy the misty Atlantic view, and reflect on the paths and detours of our day and in life....

Route: Doonbeg/White Strand Beach - Cliffs of Moher
Kilometers: 55 ....with detours
Elevation: 580 ....with detours