Prologue: Originally I’d planned to hike in Newfoundland in August, but I found I was unmotivated and couldn’t make the plans. I knew I needed to take some time off, though, so I started looking for other options, and it didn’t take long for me to go back to Contours, the hiking trip company I worked with last year for my great trip to Wales. There was an option in Ireland that I could fit in my schedule in a part of Ireland I love: the Ring of Kerry, in the southwest. I anticipated cold, wet weather, but the scenery was guaranteed to be great. It wasn’t too expensive, and the package included transportation of my luggage from one lodging to another and taxi rides at a few points for me, as well as B&B type accommodations.
Pre-trip Concerns: I’d been having left hamstring problems since April, but I had sorted them well enough I was running up to 10 miles at a time, and I had also been doing walks around DC regularly to get tough enough. It could have been as much as 84 miles of hiking in addition to walking for meals, etc., and I had a goal of running 4-5 miles a day before the hikes. I was pretty sure I would be ok for all of that by the time I left, BUT the day before I started to get a scratchy throat and more nasal congestion. The weather reports were ominous, often calling for rain every single day, but they mellowed as the time approached.
Travel: The flights were a problem, and I ended up working only a half-day the Friday before leaving so I could get a direct flight to Dublin from Dulles. The odd part was it was cheaper to fly to Dublin and then the airport in County Kerry, about 20 minutes ride from the starting point in Killarney, than just to fly to Dublin (I saved about $70 booking it that way and avoiding the train fares – 3.5 hour train ride – but in the end the taxi rides were over $70US.) I also found a way to get to Dulles and back for less than $20. I left Friday, September 6th.
September 7, 2019, Saturday: Getting to Killarney
The flight was uneventful except for a lack of rest – the person next to me was nice, but she kept bumping me. I arrived in Dublin knowing I had a 7hour layover until the flight to Kerry. I had contacted Grace Chilombo, a dear friend from my times in Swaziland who moved to Ireland with her husband, Michael, around 2004. I stopped by there with my friend, Greg Wright, in 2015 while we were playing golf in Ireland and later took them to dinner in Dublin then. I arrived at 5:30am this time and had my stuff quickly and called her on my old cell phone, which I’d set up with a European SIM card before leaving. Unfortunately, I chose a POS company called Vodafone (one of the cell phone giants in Europe), and the phone would only allow me to call out, and I could only receive texts from Vodafone. I was able to call Grace a little after 6am and she came and got me.
I ate a bowl of cereal and had some bread there (my breakfast every day while there, though different cereals were served), and then we both ended up falling asleep on their couches watching cable news (after I’d failed to sort my phone out) and waiting for Michael to come home from a night shift at the nearby hospital and her two children to wake up. We got to have a nice long chat once everyone was there, and then Grace took me back. I left my flying toiletries bag in their bathroom, but I didn’t need it the rest of the trip.
The security at Dublin is relatively relaxed and there was an adequate waiting area for the domestic flights. I was trying to read but kept falling asleep, both in the waiting area and then on the plane, which was a small prop plane where I was jammed into a row with an overweight father whose family was sitting across the aisle. He quickly fell asleep with his head cocked back and his mouth fully agape (but not a sound out of him!). The airport at County Kerry was comically old-fashioned and small, and my bag came out quickly. I got the first taxi in the queue, and he was a nice chap who knew a lot about golf. He dropped me right at the B&B, The Abbey Lodge, and a kind woman answered my buzzing.
As we chatted, she seemed to question my sanity, both for the hiking and the plan to run prior. She did mention that morning a man who’d run the recent ultra marathon on the Kerry Way had arrived too early for his check in, so I was neither the most loony nor the most fit person there (at least with regards to trail running…). After settling in for a bit and getting my feet up, I went out for a walk around Killarney and then stopped in the bustling business district at an Italian restaurant in need of carbohydrates, especially since I’d not eaten anything other than an energy bar since breakfast. MEAL: Goat cheese with roasted veggies bruschetta and seafood risotto, followed by three scoops of ice cream (my notes mention the place, which was otherwise nice, played terrible pop music). I was again dozing off waiting for my check, so I made it a priority to get to bed early. I was in bed at 7:30 pm.
Sunday, September 8, 2019: Killarney to Kenmare (14 miles)
I took some melatonin before bedtime and slept well for me, staying in bed an incredible amount of time, just under 10 hours, much of it sleeping. It was still dark when I got up a little after 6am, knowing I had a taxi pick-up at 9:30 and wanting to run.
RUN: The last time I traveled to Ireland, in 2015, I ran pretty much every day, before or after playing golf, and LOVED it, especially in Killarney, which borders a large national park along lakes, scattered with both paved and unpaved trails with lovely views. This morning I felt a little stiff at the start, but I got in a good groove and ran down to Ross castle, a mostly intact stone building on a peninsula in the lake. The trails were great, and no one was around. It was also sunny, with a brisk wind, and in the mid 50s. I was in ecstasy. On the way back, while starting onto a relatively less used trail, a red deer leapt across the trail just in front of me and crashed into the brush on the other side. 5.25 miles!
I thought I had plenty of time, but while stuffing myself with muesli and yogurt I realized it was 9am. I got everything ready quickly and still had a little wait for the taxi, but I felt like I maybe hadn’t done all the business I would need to before I left. I was comforted by knowing I would be starting at the Muckross House, and going by the Torc Waterfall, both of which would have toilets. The taxi was on time and I was glad I took it – it was much farther to the Muckross House than I remembered.
HIKE:
I got all my gear in place and stared a long time at the map of the grounds trying to find the best way to proceed. I was wearing two layers of merino wool under a lightweight merino wool jacket, and as I set out, I could tell it was too much. The sun was shining and the breeze was lighter. I made a slightly wrong turn trying to avoid guys attempting to woo customers into their horse-driven jaunty cars, and still ended up having to turn a few down, but I found the main path south and enjoyed the lightly rolling terrain and lake views. I crossed under the main road and went up to the Torc Waterfall parking lot. The Kerry Way signs I’d seen at Muckross were nowhere. I found the toilets, went to the bathroom, took a layer off, and reviewed the directions I had. They were quite vague, but I did the best I could, getting to the waterfall, which is pretty small as waterfalls go, then heading up the steps.
Along the way I was to turn off to the left onto the Kerry Way trail, but there were no signs. I wandered up and down the hill looking for the trail, then finally pressed on, finding a sign that seemed to say it was to the right, and then I started down a steep, long hill. I grew concerned as I could hear traffic again; I was supposed to be heading far away from the road at that point. I stopped an older man coming up the hill who looked like he wouldn’t mind a break, and, though he didn’t know the area well, he thought I needed to walk back to the top of the hill. Time was wasting; the rains were to come later in the afternoon, and I was trying to avoid them. A bit of adrenaline kicked in as I was a bit steamed, and I raced up the hill. I took the only path off the trail I’d seen and saw a group of confused-looking young people standing at a junction of three trails, including the one I was on. They asked me if I knew where the trail to the Torc Waterfall was, and before I could tell them I was also lost, a short young woman came running down one of the other trails and we asked her where each of us was to go. Barely slowing down as she passed she told us to take the third trail, which was the farthest to the left. I joked to them that it was the universal trail for lost hikers, but they didn’t laugh.
I passed them as they were clearly lollygaggers and tried to put some distance between us so I wouldn’t have to listen to their chatter any longer than I had to. I quickly came to the Kerry Way signs and terrain described on my instructions. I was tempted to follow it back a ways to see where I had missed things, but then I would have had to pass those others again.
I left this relatively forested area and was on a country path, the old Kenmare Road, and it had nice views, though I could see it was clouding up. I kept the pace brisk and soon the others were out of sight (I could see back a way). There were a few hikers coming the other way, and then a bigger group with a guide. Right after them, the trail suddenly narrowed to a barely perceptible track through high bushes and grass. I was a little unsure, but eventually went ahead and finally, after 5 minutes or so, found a marker. There was a nice spot with a waterfall I could have stopped for a snack at, but now I was in a hurry, so I limited my stops only to photos. It started to spritz rain around 12:30 and the wind picked up, but I wasn’t getting too wet. The terrain was more mountainous, ups and downs, and within an hour it was raining harder. I stopped to pee and suddenly people appeared behind me. I had no idea anyone was even close, so I picked up the pace through a flat section where I had to cross two streams, both flowing fast, on stones. The second was quite frightening: the stones were on the edge of a drop off in the water, and there was a very slack rope I could hold onto. I got to the middle and the next stone was about 4 feet away, about 2 feet below the one I was on, and very narrow. If I slipped, I would likely get hurt and very wet. I summoned my courage and went for it and made it. Phew. I took a photo of it, and the people behind came into view. I pressed the pace from then on – they were not going to catch me!
I started a long climb and passed a woman who was walking incredibly slow. I asked her if she was ok, seriously, and she cheerfully ignored me and asked how I was. “I am doing fine. I will be happy to be done, though.”
The rain came down steadier and steadier with an increase in the wind, and I finally reached the high ground. Visibility was poor, and it seemed like I was in a cloud. I could see the dark shape of a man about 200m ahead, and he didn’t move the whole time I approached. He was in good spirits, and he even complained about the weather, which surprised me a bit since he seemed to be a local from Kenmare. He said the rain was a “Demon mist” which made me laugh. He told me I had about 20 minutes to get back out of the clouds and then the rain will be less. Then I had another 2.5 miles to get to Kenmare. That was music to my ears, but it still seemed to take forever for me to get off the rocky downhill trail to the paved roads that would take me to town. A pretty young woman and old man passed me from behind; they were not the other hikers, and the woman was jogging while the old man walked very briskly. I let them go – it was downhill and I didn’t want to overdo that on the first day. It was raining harder as I got to Kenmare. It was hard to tell where I was on the maps I had, so I stopped in an supermarket entrance and got everything settled in the dry there before walking the rest of the way through town.
Every B&B I stayed in (except in Waterville) was far on the other side of the town as I arrived, usually requiring ½ to ¾ of a mile additional walking. I got to the B&B just after 3pm, making great time considering how much I’d been off the paths lost and having the extra distance to the B&B. It was at least 15.5 miles, and it could have been much more, but I am not sure how long it took me while I was lost. I was pretty wet, and the owner suggested I take my wet stuff to his boiler room to dry it out, but once I got to my room, I just wanted to relax and rest my feet. I thought the merino wool would dry out fine (it did not).
My routine post-hike was established that day: get out of the wet stuff, shower, stretch/lie down for a bit (no nap), and then get do my instagram posts and check emails and the news on the wifi. I usually went to dinner around 6pm, and this evening I walked back to town and looked for a place called The Mews, which was highly rated. I couldn’t find it (it was in an alley), but ate instead at the Coachmens.
MEAL: delicious seafood chowder (recommended by my server), then goat cheese and fig tarts, and finished with an old New Zealand favorite, Banoffi Pie (it wasn’t as good as I remembered). A man came in and sang songs, pretty terrible ones, and I noticed almost every restaurant or pub advertised live music daily. Kenmare must be a good place to be a musician. It rained again on the way back, but I felt good and ready for the next day.
Monday, September 9, 2019: Kenmare to Sneem, 13 miles
This B&B was nice enough, the Kenmare House, but something was off there. I did sleep ok.
RUN: I was up early again and ran out the road from town to a left turn that looped back to town and was nice. From town I went across the river bridge and went out a few of the roads before coming back. I got it up to 5 miles, finishing up where the Kerry Way exited the town, right by my B&B. This was the second worst run.
Breakfast was ok. They offered a special home made fruit and nut bread, but something from it made me nauseated. I did not eat as much as I usually would. I got my stuff together quickly. It would have been a perfect day for the light merino jacket, but that was too wet still. I wore a running vest with pockets and a long sleeved merino t shirt.
HIKE:
Because the first part was on the boring side, on back roads, they had me ride with the taxi taking my bag to Sneem for a little way. There was another couple riding with me to do a different hike, and we chatted a bunch about where we’d been before. We made each other jealous.
The female driver dropped me at a church parking lot, and I had about a quarter of a mile of dicey walking on the main road to the place where the trail crossed it. It was an old stagecoach road and very nice to hike on for a few miles, but then transitioned to a single track that went along the coast of the river/bay to the south of Kenmare. It was pretty, but then it started to rain off and on, and I stopped to put on and take off my raincoat a few times on the way.
There were few hills and the farm tracks were muddy. On a poorly marked stretch I came to a gate with 7 cows on my side. I had to shoo them away – two were quite reluctant – and then climb a stile. The hike dragged through a lot of uninteresting terrain, though it was much nicer out.
Again, it seemed to take much longer than I thought to get to town, and once I did, I arrived in an area with lots of tour buses and people. I meandered through them and the small business district of Sneem and got on the main road out of town. The B&B (Coomassig View) was on a side road along the main road and I walked on the much less traveled side road to come to the back entrance. There was a nice but wet dog there and I was petting him when Maureen, the very nice host, welcomed me inside. She gave me newspaper for my boots to help me dry them out, and my room was right off the main foyer. I followed my routine, except I was really hungry (on the trail each day I ate a Clif bar, a Larabar, and another granola bar), so I ate some trail mix in the lounge since I was not allowed to eat in the room. I then showered and cleaned up after doing some push ups and stretching.
It was about a half mile back to town for dinner. Since I felt like I’d not had as much energy as I wanted during this hike, and it took me longer than I thought it should, I wanted to eat a lot. MEAL: 3 pieces of whole grain bread, a big bowl of vegetable soup (good), and a huge plate of spinach tortellini and a side of sweet potato fries. Dessert was a big piece of sticky toffee pudding, another old favorite. I was over full and needed that walk back to let things settle. I was again able to go to bed early.
Tuesday, September 10, 2019: Sneem to Caherdaniel, about 15 miles with side trip.
RUN: I’d looked at the maps the night before and plotted a course, but the internet was down when I got up. Still, I found where I wanted to go: a nice road along the waterways south of town. It was marshy to the left as I headed down it, with nice views of the surrounding mountains farther on and to the west. On the way back I went on the town’s nature trail (I passed a house cat out for a jog coming the other way) and then through a few neighborhoods before heading back and taking the side road past the B&B far enough to hit 5 miles.
Maureen made a great and filling breakfast, with good muesli, fresh yogurt and freshly cut fruit, with some bread. It was supposed to be good weather initially and then cloudy, but then I got a call from the tour group telling me it would be cloudy and not as nice right before I left. The Kerry Way was right out the back door so I got to leave when I wanted to.
It was initially just a narrow back road, then a grassy trail, then very muddy farmland as I climbed into the mountains. I reached a very scenic high point and then went down, then climbed another, and it was enjoyable other than the mud.
I reached a paved road and took it north to the Staighe Fort, which is probably just a secure house they estimate predates the arrival of Christianity in Ireland. It was an impressive structure, but a 4km walk out of the way up and down a valley that had a few cars on it and also some menacing dogs. I did climb up on the walls and walk around a bit, but that took less than 5 minutes. On the way back a guy in a delivery truck stopped to chat and told me the walk in my direction was much prettier and I had about 3.5 miles left.
After a bunch of trails through farms and homesteads, I thought I was near the end, but then it went up and up into the clouds, up three very steep and long hills, and it started to rain heavily with a lot of wind, too. I could see another hiker ahead of me in a bright yellow jacket, but I didn’t catch her until the end. It was probably the nicest trail on the hike: grassy, wide, less mud, and very pleasing to the eye how it curved around on the mountains. But by the time I started down to the town, it was really unpleasant to the soul. It was also very slippery, so slow going. After an interminable slog, I was suddenly through a gate and into what amounts to the town of Caherdaniel. My map was wet (after all the missteps the first day, I had taken to carrying it in my hand in its protective jacket), but as best I could tell, I had to walk from that point at least a half mile in the harsh rain and wind to the B&B along the busy main road. I was not happy – I thought I was staying right in the town – and then was even less pleased to find the sidewalk ended after only about 100m. I was crossing back and forth from the shoulders to try to avoid cars and hoping the B&B would be around the next corner. It was really about ¾ miles and by the time I was there I was drenched. It was the Old Forge B&B.
The place was very nice, though, and an elderly lady was super helpful getting me sorted. She gave me a basket for my wet clothes and hung them in a drying room and gave me newspaper for my shoes. There were more people at this place all getting settled after getting soaked. They were all upset about the walk along the main road. After I went through the usual routine, I went down to talk to her about getting to town, and she volunteered to drop me off there. It was such a huge favor. The Blind Piper is a well-known area restaurant, so I went there. MEAL: I walked in and there were a bunch of crusty old men in the bar and it was quite noisy. I asked where I should sit and the bartender said I could sit anywhere in there or go into the restaurant, which was otherwise not obvious. I passed through its narrow entrance into peace and quiet: only two people were in there eating. I ordered a Caprese salad to start and it was delicious, but as I was eating more people came in and sat at a table behind me. They were soon talking very loudly and one of them was laughing over and over so loud a comedian would have told them to keep it down while he was doing stand up. I think I otherwise had a pan-seared salmon with some vegetables and a pear and celery mousse that was delicious. Dessert was a trio of sweets with a scoop of vanilla ice cream: brownie, cheese cake, and cream puff. I was really getting tired of the noise, and it took a long time to get the check. They quieted down once they got their food, but I was glad to get out of there. Of course it was drizzling when I went outside, but I was determined to walk back on the road without getting a ride. It was still light, but it started to rain hard again as soon as I got to the main road, but I made it back and it wasn’t so bad. The old lady gave me my stuff already dry, which was huge, and I went up to my room and to be early.
Wednesday, September 11, 2019: Caherdaniel to Waterville: 9 miles hiking
RUN: I thought it would be a noisy night, but it was not. It was still rainy and windy for the run, but not too bad with either. I looked carefully at the map and there was no good place to run, but the best place to try was a road to the beach just a short way down the main road. I ran back and forth on that several times with different variations, one time running on the small but pleasant beach, and kept telling myself “keep going” and eventually my GPS watch clicked over 5 miles and I was very pleased with myself.
HIKE: It was still gloomy as I set out on the main road back to town. There wasn’t much traffic, and I followed the trail down to the beach, which was nice. I decided to stay up on the dunes to walk, and was able to use the public restrooms there as well.
After passing a few quays, I got on a “Mass Trail,” which would have been the way people snuck around to go to Mass back when Catholicism was outlawed in Ireland. It was pretty, and at one point I got to a cove where the trail was not marked. I eventually discovered some steps carved into a cliffside and climbed that to find the trail. The day was now beautiful, with a light breeze. From there I ascended about 800 vertical feet in a short distance to the pass over the mountains to Waterville.
I again had to get by cows by a gate, but this time was easier. It was very pretty seaside scenery and one of the best spots on the Ring of Kerry. I could see the road and all the tour buses and cars on it.
I eventually got on a road that passed by the new golf course there and negotiated a stretch of the main road without sidewalks to the town of Waterville. I mentioned before this was the only place I stayed at a convenient place, and the walk was very short, so I was up for more. My luggage had not made it yet (the driver claimed he got a puncture), but the lodging, Mick O’Dwyer’s Pub, with the B&B called La Villa, got me to my room. From there I went for a stroll out to the Waterville golf links, the clubhouse of which is about 1.25 miles from town along a nice road. I went through the whole pro shop several times before choosing a dark brown golf shirt and a black hat, and walked back. It remained sunny and warm. When I got back, there was still no luggage, but someone brought it up shortly after and I was able to take a shower and change. It was a small, quirky room, dedicated to the sport of Gaelic Football and various area championship teams. It did not have good internet, but it did have dedicated USB ports in the wall to charge things.
MEAL: the restaurant was just up the street and called “5 Spice.” It was Asian food, and it was really good. I was also the only person there, though some people came for take out. I got some vegan things. Then I walked a short distance to a grocery store and bought a Magnum ice cream for old times sake. When I got back the internet was useless so I went to bed early after reading some.
Thursday, September 12, 2019: Waterville to Cahirsiveen, probably around 14 miles
Run: I’d been to Waterville four times prior, but each time I’d always driven down from Killarney on the Ring of Kerry and still had a day of sight seeing on the road to get in before getting back to Killarney, so I’d never spent much time there. Still, I had a thing for it; the area is stunning, it seemed like a nice town, and at one point I was even trying to get an Irish medical registration to work in Waterville. So, I was excited to try a run around there if only to see what it had to offer should I come to stay for a longer time, say, my retirement. It wasn’t nice anymore, and a high wind was blowing off the ocean carrying some misty rain. I set out on a road heading north in the general direction of my hike with plans to make a loop if possible, but the road was pretty and not well traveled, so I went out and turned around and came back into the wind for 5 miles. I felt good and was moving well by the end.
HIKE: This was potentially the longest and hardest hike, but the plan from the touring company had the driver dropping me about 6 miles into it, saving me that much walking along the various back roads and farms on the way. The weather looked like it might get terrible, too. I was ready to go early, but the B&B did not serve breakfast early, and they did not even unlock the door until 9am. I went up and down the stairs several times trying to see if there was another way in – nope. Finally, after all that waiting and pacing, I got the opportunity to eat the worst breakfast of the trip. They only had two cereal options, and they were two of the worst three (according to me): Corn flakes and Weetabix (the worst cereal, for cereal purposes, is Rice Krispies). I will never understand why these cereals are nearly universally available. They totally suck and also have almost no nutritional value. There was no yogurt or fruit, either. I took some Weetabix and added milk, sugar and jam and was able to choke it down. I ate a few slices of whole grain bread with jam and then dashed back to be ready for my pick up at 9:30. The driver was sitting at the bar when I got down the stairs and we were off.
It was rainy steadily but not super hard at that point, and the driver, who was nice enough, offered to take me all the way to the next town, or even to another part of the route that would skip the worst and hardest parts, but I had nothing else to do and had all my waterproof gear on, so I had him drop me off at the usual point. We seemed to be driving forever; I thought it was only a few miles to the drop off point. I asked him, “Is it this far to the church?” He replied, with a chuckle, “I guess it is since I haven’t dropped you off yet.” The first section was on narrow roads, but then I turned off into a farm and started to climb. The farther up I went the harder the wind and rain blew, and the muddier the terrain. It was slow going; I could not walk fast enough, even on the steeper grades, to make me breathe hard. Visibility got worse, and I could only see about 70m in each direction. The route was one hill after another; I could only see the top of the next rise and was always disappointed when yet another big hill was revealed as I got near the top of the current rise. This went on for an hour. It was not that high a peak (362 m, about 1170 feet), and I could not understand how it kept going up that long, but finally I reached the very top, and that coincided with a slight break in the rain.
I pulled my hood back and started to pick my way down the other side, which turned out to be very similar: almost nothing but mud to walk on, a tortuous path through it, and relatively steep pitches to snake down. I had made it down three of these pitches when I spotted two people coming up the other direction not far off, maybe 60 feet away. Almost immediately my right foot went out from under me on a very slippery spot and I went crashing backwards on my right side and back in deep mud. I made enough noise doing it to get their attention, and they called out to see if I was all right. I took inventory and was just fine. I got up laughing and told them I did it only for their entertainment. They were very nice Americans, and they were happy to know they were near the top and didn’t have far to go back down. They were the only two hikers I saw all day.
Not long after they moved on, the rain and wind got to be the worst they had been. It was hard to tell where to go, and I just kept picking my way down. I noticed there weren’t many tracks in the mud at one point and some steps had clearly been moved, leaving huge holes in the ground. I took a good look around to try to figure where I was supposed to go and was surprised to see one of the trail marking posts on the other side of a nearby barbed wire fence. At some point the trail had crossed the fence and I had not noticed! I definitely did not want to head back up the mud to try to find where that had occurred, so I sized up the situation, and it turned out my inseam was long enough I could just climb over the fence without damaging my pants and their contents. That side was not as muddy, but still really muddy, and I kept going along. It crossed back over eventually and then there were a few really steep pitches I was very cautious on.
At the bottom of one I noticed the wind had dropped, and there was no longer the noise of rain hitting me. I pulled back my hood again and walked a bit farther before turning to my left and noting something I’d almost forgot existed: sunshine! The valley to my left had a big patch of sunlight falling on it! It had all happened so fast. I took a bunch of photos there. I had again been walking in the clouds, and now I was below them. I was also at the next phase of the hike.
I did not have far to walk to a stile that was next to a road. That road offered a short cut to Cahirsiveen and would only be a bit over two miles of walking, all on pavement. Or I could climb three consecutive mountains going straight and then walk to town after that. I chose the second option; I didn’t go to Ireland to take short cuts on roads.
I had been so focused on getting up and down the mountains in the terrible weather I had hardly had anything to drink and nothing to eat. As I climbed the stile on the other side of the road to start my ascent, I grabbed a Clif bar from my coat and, while distracted, immediately stepped in a giant pile of cow dung, half a basketball deep and even wider. The rest of that trail was so wet and muddy I am sure not even a molecule of that cow dung made it to Cahirsiveen.
The hills were not that steep and offered nice views, but what I didn’t know is they also added a lot of distance to the walk, as I was now moving away from Cahirsiveen. As I got to the bottom of the last one, I got on paved narrow roads again. I thought I was nearly done, but even with walking briskly, it took me over 2 hours to get to Cahirsiveen, and I was very tired of hiking by then. The trails and roads had not been scenic at all.
Cahirsiveen (sometimes called Cahirciveen) was a pleasant little town on an inland waterway with some old stone churches and a castle across the waterway. It looked very nice, but my stroll all the way across and through town to my hotel revealed most of the storefronts were vacant. I was very happy to finally see the hotel and dreaded the walk back into town for food, but one thing at a time.
I was filthy when I walked in, but they said nothing. I got my bag and had the room farthest from check in on the second floor, up a twisting set of stairs. When I took off my boots mud fell all over the carpet. Fortunately they had a great drying rack in the bathroom so I hung things up after washing them off. It was a pretty afternoon at that point and I would have loved to have a nice stroll around except I didn’t feel like walking at all.
MEAL: There was nothing close, so I had to walk a half mile to get to an Indian restaurant. The host and server was Polish and slow moving, but the food was really good. I got all vegetarian things again and my carbs for this meal were a huge Naan. They had some ice cream for dessert (I ordered 2 scoops of chocolate and one of strawberry, which were the only flavors. She checked again in a few minutes about the number of scoops, and I repeated it. I got one scoop of chocolate and 2 scoops of strawberry when she brought it out) so I got that instead of going to another convenience store on the way back.
Friday, September 13th, 2019: Cahirsiveen to Glenbeigh: about 12 miles.
RUN: I had to unlock the front door of the hotel to get out at 7am. Crossed the one lane bridge to the other side of the waterway and ran down a narrow road almost to the castle. It was really nice and relaxing. 5 miles.
HIKE: After breakfast, I went to get my stuff and mud again fell off my boots on the carpet, and then my back up water bottle (I hike with a 100+ ounce Camelbak back pack) opened and spilled on the floor. I finally left just as the phone rang. I kept going and by the time I got to the lobby I got another phone call from the tour group checking in. The cabbie was there and I made a mess in the foyer putting on my boots.
I was dropped at another rural church and again was on back roads until moving off into farmland. It was beautiful out, perfect weather for hiking. After about an hour, people started coming the other way. All of them were friendly and some chatted with me. The path was muddy at times down low but then got more solid as the elevation increased. I passed some old ruins called “The Kells” and had another set of cows to traverse, including a huge one right by the stile that didn’t want to move while she was scratching her neck and head on the tree branches and barbed wire there. Finally I was in the hills on a trail that stayed on the waterside of the hills with nice views, and at one point a class of maybe 50-70 teens came by the other way. I had a hard time believing they’d hike all the way through.
On the way down the views were even better as Rossbeigh, a beach/strand came into view and the marshlands near it. The trail at one point, for about .25 miles, was right on the edge of a steep drop off and the guide had said stay to the right if you were afraid of heights. I did stay to the right.
After getting through some farms, I then was on a road along the coast that was a long down hill, and from there did a steep climb up behind a housing project, and then finally came out on a portion of trail with small houses and doll houses on it called the Fairy Forest (or something like that), and then I was by a stream and done with the trail!
I walked a brief stretch of narrow road to another one lane bridge and then was in Glenbeigh. The hotel was another ¾ miles up a slight hill and on narrow parts of the main road. It was a cute little town with a very small business district. I kept slogging on and finally got to the hotel, the Old Glenbeigh Hotel. It had a nice pub/restaurant and was family run, so one of the servers checked me in and, surprise! I didn’t have to carry my bag up as they had.
It was an old fashioned hotel with creaky floors and old furniture but I like it the best. I cleaned up as much as I could and then put it to dry all over. The internet was better for a bit so I was able to catch up, and then I did push-ups and used a resistance band for a quick workout before showering. I’d asked about the local restaurants checking in and they said the restaurant there was the best. I went down and had a delicious meal of vegetable soup, then huge plate of smoked salmon and pasta with a creamy sauce, and finished with a nasty rhubarb and raspberry crumble (no more rhubarb!!!). It was nice to not have to get ready to hike the next day, but I still had to get ready to leave town.
Saturday, September 14, 2019: travel day to Killarney from Glenbeigh
RUN: I had a good sleep without melatonin and got up before the sun. I was ready for anything, and thought I might do a longer run and explore a bit. I started out on the main road and then turned toward the marshy lands and beaches north of town. There was a road that looked like it looped around. I took my camera and snapped some shots en route. The beach there had a trail that connected to the other road and I followed than to the main road, then turned right and went all the way to Rossbeigh Strand, then crossed the road to the other side of the one lane bridge and found another nice trail. I would have gone on that longer but there were men with dogs unleashed ahead and I didn’t want to pass them twice. It was just over 7 miles.
Once I got to Killarney and saw how beautiful the weather was there I wanted to go out for a walk/run to get over 40 miles for the 7 days of running. Even though my stomach was still full from a big lunch, I started out walking until I got to some trails, then managed to slog around for a bit over 3 miles, stopping just short of the Ross castle, taking some photos of that. Then I walked back. It was probably more than 5 miles overall. On the way back I was desperate to find a place to do pull ups. I saw there was supposed to be a playground on the grounds of the gardens where the trails were, but I couldn’t find it. I had given up when I noticed the sign for the bike shop near the B&B had a triangle shape. I did 5 quick pull ups, right along the main road, on the bar of the sign that was only about 4 mm across and very hard on my hands. That got me all excited.
Transit: I had to check out of the hotel at 11 am, and did so, but the bus to Killarney didn’t leave until 12:15. I walked down there anyway and read on a series of benches in the shade or sun depending on how warm it was. It was a cloudless, sunny day, glorious. Two older ladies came and stood nearby, and I asked them if they were going to Killarney. They said they were going to Killorglin on the way there by the same bus. They had eaten at the Tower Hotel the night before and said it was packed with great music. So, I missed that. The bus was only 12 euros and arrived on time about a 10 minute walk from the B&B.
I left the luggage in my room and went out for lunch, eating outside at the Parc Café and getting a big bowl of soup and then vegan avocado toast. I then went souvenir shopping and found something everyone liked.
There was the national final of gaelic football that evening and County Kerry’s team was in it, so the city was basically shut down except for the pubs. I went to another Asian restaurant and had a delicious green curry and spicy potatoes. They had an Elderflower soda that was the nectar of the Gods. I stopped for ice cream on the way back – it seemed like Kerry had lost by then – and thought the honey comb caramel was wonderful. Set up a taxi pick up for 7:30 the next morning and would not have time to run or eat breakfast at the B&B.
Sunday, September 15, 2019: Flying back to the USA
I was worried about the taxi coming, but they were right on time and we had a great chat. The airport doesn’t even open up for check in until 45 minutes before boarding. I got checked in, then through security and only a brief wait to get on the plane. My bag was checked through (no fees!!) and I had only to find the US processing site in Dublin, got through passport control and customs (took an hour!), and then wait briefly at the gate. I ate a few more bars, and they had a meal and a snack on the flight (I was able to get the vegetarian meal this time). I dozed a bit, but finished a book. I had no problem getting the bus to the Metro and back, but was pretty beat by then and didn’t manage to do anything other than load my photos on my laptop and eat before heading to bed (I got up at 3:15 the next morning and ended up going for a run and getting groceries before going to work).
Reflections on the trip:
I ran 40.3 miles in the 7 days I was there.
The hike was about 80 miles if you include my walk to the golf course in Waterville. That includes the extra distance to the lodging once I got to town. So, about 13 miles a day.
OBSERVATIONS: Overall it was a fantastic trip. Once I was in the rhythm, I could have done this for weeks, assuming I could do some laundry. There were 3/6 days where the weather was rough for extended periods, but my attitude was always good, and my internal reverie was either entertaining or shut down. I did have lots of weird songs (for me) popping into my head that would play in loops and be hard to stop. I did not lose any weight, but I do feel tougher and fitter than when I left. I would like to upgrade my walking pants to something more water resistant, but currently not much is available. I did just buy a lighter weight goretex jacket on sale from REI. This was meant to be an entertaining challenge, and it was that, but I made it seem pretty easy, which is always my goal and the reason I tend to over prepare.
Things the Irish are good at:
1. Stacking rocks – all those walls and old houses!
2. Music
3. Driving on narrow roads
4. Saying amusing things
I was disappointed to see so many smoking, and while this can be said about all humans, the Irish tend especially to make bad choices based on short term comfort that cause lots of problems over the long term, maybe even evil problems. That would include SMOKING, DRINKING (both beer and whiskey), and CATHOLICISM.
Important links:
my instagram account, that has exclusive photos and comments:
https://www.instagram.com/drterryo64/
The youtube video of the trip, with all the photos and videos and a pleasant soundtrack by Andrew O’Rourke":
https://youtu.be/mman9ZYwdN4