Dave Byrnes' Adventures

Round Ireland - 2016
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Day: 18
Date: Monday, 11 April 2016
Start: Glengarriff
Finish: Adrigole
Daily Kilometres: 17
Total Kilometres: 542
Weather: Mostly mild and sunny, with some cool wind and clouds in the afternoon
Accommodation: Beachmount B&B
Nutrition: Breakfast:  Full Irish Breakfast
Lunch:  Muesli bar, chocolate biscuits and jam tarts
Dinner:  Soup, roast beef and vegeatables, peaches and ice-cream
Aches: None really
Highlight: Spectacular coastal mountain scenery
Lowlight: Falling into a bog
Pictures: Here
GPS Track: Here
Journal: It was sunny when I woke and I took a walk down to the village shop to get some supplies before the 9:00am breakfast at my B&B.  The village seems full of tourist hotels, but the village shop itself was very small with a limited range of goods.  After the late breakfast, I hit the trail at 10:00am for what I thought should be a short day.  Last night, I had called ahead to book a B&B in Adrigole and the host, Jane, had said she would pick me up from the trail.  Knowing it was a short day, I said I might be there in the early afternoon, but she said it would take me until about 4:30pm, which surprised me a little.  Maybe she knew they do late breakfasts in Glengarriff, or maybe the trail is tougher than I expected.

Initially, the Beara Way followed a minor road out of Glengarriff through almost lush forests alongside the Coomackanee River.  There were rhododendron groves in abundance, but none in bloom yet, and where the sun shone through it was warm.  What a contrast to yesterday.  The road utlimately reached a small valley surrounded by mountains, and then the Beara Way turned to follow a very steep stony farm track up towards a saddle in the far distance.  It was the toughest climb of the trip so far, but I just plodded upwards steadily, glad I had stripped to my T-shirt and shorts before the climb, as sweat dripped from my brow.  The beauty of steep climbs is that you generally get great views, and I stopped briefly a number of times to admire the scenery going all the way back to the Glengarriff harbour.

Soon after reaching the saddle at 1:00pm, I found a spot in the sun and out of the cool breeze and had a snack admiring the vista before me which stretched to Bere Island in the far distance with my target, Adrigole, and its harbour in the foreground.  It was a magnificent scene and made up for the trials of yesterday.  Not long after I resumed hiking, I was caught by a younger hiker, John (?), who I later met in Adrigole.  He was hiking the Beara Way and was on the first day of a week-long trip.  He was travelling faster than me and soon became a small figure occasionally seen in the distance.

Yesterday's rain had made the almost cross-country descent very boggy and slippery and it required great care.  A number of times a foot slipped and I nearly fell, and it seemed just a question of time before I did fall. Despite my caution, a big slip had me on my side in a bog and covered in mud down one side of my body.  I got up and continued on until I found a large pool of rainwater and washed myself off as best I could.  When I did meet up with John in Adrigole we swapped tales of our descent and he said he had also fallen and I noticed the bottom of his pack was covered in mud.

During the descent the sky clouded over, a cool wind sprang up, and rain seemed imminent, but it didn't happen and I reached a store in Adrigole having had a rain-free day.  I called Jane, the B&B owner, and bought a few snacks and drinks and chatted with John, who I may see on the trail tomorrow, while I waited to be picked up.

The B&B was 5-10 minute drive from the store and I arrived there at 4:00pm, giving me plenty of time to wash out my muddy shorts and socks under the shower before a dinner, cooked by Jane, and an early night.

ADVENTURE LIST

 

Round Ireland
(2016)

Hume & Hovell Walking Track
(2013)

Via Alpina
(2012)

Australian Alps Walking Track
(2011)

Land's End to John O'Groats
(2010)

Round Oz Bike Record Attempt
(2009)

Round Oz Bike Record Attempt
(2008)

Round Oz Bike Record Attempt
(2007)

Australia Tip to Top MTB
(2006)

Adelaide to Darwin MTB
(2005)

Sydney to Melbourne MTB
(2004)

Three Peaks Race
(2004)

Appalachian Trail
(1986)

Alpine Track
(1983)

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