Cycling across islands while enjoying the beautiful sea and the flesh sea breeze
On your bike seat, get ready to encounter amaizing scenery you will never experience in a car seat.
Now we're headed for Inland Sea Resort Fespa where we're planning to have lunch.
At the top of the steep uphill located south of Houougahara Beach is a resort lodge called Fespa. It has a restaurant and a spa, and you can visit those facilities without checking in. We came here only for lunch this time. As the lodge is located on a hill facing the ocean, it has a magnificent view! Please note that we didn't eat all the dishes displayed on the website!
Now, we're heading back to Sashima Island by crossing over Yuge Ohashi Bridge. It's a shame that we're only passing through this lovely island. Without wasting time, though, we cross Ikina Hashi Bridge to get to Ikinajima Island! After getting off Ikina Hashi Bridge, we go under the bridge and take the route clockwise to cycle around Ikinajima Island.
The roads here are easy to ride, with few ups and downs. At the north tip of the island is Sound Hamada, a beach campground neatly equipped with facilities. Of course, you can swim at the beach right in front!
Now Innoshima Island comes into our view. Tateishi-ko Port is almost around the corner! Ikinajima Island is much smaller than I expected and its circumference is only about 9 kilometers. Active riders would finish the course in less than 30 minutes, but I recommend you ride at a slower pace while enjoying its scenery.
Near Tateishi-ko Port, we find a gigantic tall standing stone which makes me sort of blush. It's so huge! How and from where did they move this here? Or was it originally created here? The garden which has this stone is called Sanshu-en built by Ito Aso, a successful businesswoman famous for being in men's attire. She was also portrayed in many literary works.
Now we are leaving for Iwagijima. First, though, we'll have to take a ferry at Tateishi-ko Port in Ikinajima Island to Habu-ko Port at Innnoshima Island, and then, from there, take a ferry to Nagae-ko Port in Iwagijima Island. Upon Iwagihashi Bridge's completion, we would be able to get to Iwagijima Island directly from Ikinajima Island, but we'll have to wait a little while.
A little over 10-minute ferry ride will take us to Iwagijima Island. You can use the "Kamijima Cycle Free Ticket" to make your bicycle freight free.
Finally, we've landed on Iwagijima Island! We'll be taking a coastal route clockwise to get to Okogi-ko Port at the opposite side of the island.
Near Iwagi-ko Port, the historic building of Miuratei which functioned as Matsuyama Clan's island army headquarters, or Shimahonjin, still remains. Now it's open to the public as a local museum, and you can take a look inside.
Riding across the seemingly center of the island, we arrived at Iwagi-ko Port where rapid ferries to Imabari departs. After the completion of the Shimanami Kaido, it's become more convenient to come from Ikuchijima Island to Iwagijima Island. But before the Shimanami Kaido's opening, Iwagi-ko Port used to be the official entrance to the island.
See the ferry timetable here
Right in front of Iwagi-ko Port is LIMONE Plaza. There, you can purchase Iwagijima specialty foods like fried sweet potatoes, lemons and other lemon products. Iwagijima is famous for Imogashi, or fried sweet potatoes. It's so addictive that you can't stop eating!
The lemon cake which I assume was made at the annex cafe is also great. It's a must-buy souvenir item.
Leaving from Iwagi-ko Port, we head for Okogi-ko Port where ferries to Ikuchijima Island arrive. Since the sky is getting cloudy, we ride really fast. I wish we could enjoy the ride at a slower pace. Now we are at Okogi-ko Port. Our trip is almost over. From here, we'll take a ferry to Sunoe-ko Port at Ikuchijima Island. The ferry ride will be only for a couple of minutes.
Timetable is here
We've landed on Ikuchijima Island. I know that Ikuchijima is still an island, but I feel like we are back on an inland area! From here, we'll ride to Habu-ko Port in Innnoshima Island where we parked our car.
On this trip along the Yumeshima Kaido, it was certainly a pain in the neck to take ferries, but looking back, that gave us a real feeling of cycling between islands. Also, the fact that the route of cycling through all the islands was short enough to complete in a day is a big plus. And since the bridges are small and built low, the ride is truly enjoyable with the fresh sea breeze. Although we couldn't stop by at Sashima Island, cyclists with a road bike can easily make a trip there. Sashima Island has a Blue Line (pictured) with a U turn which has become a spot to see. I heard that it has a few ups and downs but it should be fun to go up there.
On this trip, we had to rush through Iwagijima Island. But if we have a chance to ride there with more free time, we would love to climb Mt. Sekizen-san. Since the mountain is 369.8 meters high, the uphill is rather steep. I think it's worth trying, though. During springtime, the mountain is covered with 3,000 blooming cherry blossom trees. Along with Mt. Hirakiyama in Hakatajima Island, it is one of the best sakura viewing spots in this area.
