The best place to stay when it rains….
We were all excited with the prospect of a Sprint Triathlon in Valentia Island in deepest South Kerry on the Ring of Kerry last weekend. Previous years had been warm and sunny. This year was to prove different! As we heard the forecast we decided against a BBQ in the garden of our rented holiday home and opted for a “Four-Alarm” Chilli with the best of Rib-eye beef minced from Roger’s Butchers in Kenmare.
We rented three self-catering houses. One house supplied main courses, another desserts and another wine and beer.
Inside we were warm and cosy but outside the winds were whipping in from Waterville direction so much so, that early on Saturday morning, the swim from the Mainland at Renard Point to Knightstown looked in doubt. Finally at 12 noon the location of the swim was changed and we returned back to the warm comfort of our houses to while away a few hours by watching TV and snacking. Despite the harsh weather we donned our gear and headed off to the safety briefing. The rest of the afternoon went by in a blur 250 swimmers followed by another 250 swimmers, then 500 cyclists speeding around Valentia in gale force winds and finally the third leg was a run of 5k in driving rain – 2.5k up and then a pleasant 2.5k down….it was over! Despite the severe weather we had survived – drenched and cold but relieved!
It was then that the beauty of staying in the holiday homes came into its own. The heating was on, a load of wet damp clothes were put onto wash and we all had piping hot showers – bliss. One of the gang was so shattered they had to lie down to recover while the rest of us drank tea and discussed the weather and settled in to watch Leinster give a stunning performance…in the second half!
Dinner that night in our kitchen cum dining area was electric and the “craic” was super. It was so relaxing not to be rushed and pushed around the place and was very easy on the pocket.
Next morning after cooking a hearty breakfast some cycled off to Killarney, others packed up the nicely washed and dried sports gear, we recycled our empties and agreed that self-catering accommodation is the only way to go….
Click here for details on all of the holiday homes that Dream Ireland has available to rent in Kerry
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