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)
|