Dave Byrnes' Adventures

Round Ireland - 2016
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Day: 054
Date: Tuesday, 17 May 2016
Start: Maum
Finish: Leenaun
Daily Kilometres: 31
Total Kilometres: 1464
Weather: Light rain, windy and overcast before mid-morning and in the afternoon.  Dry and mostly overcast in between.
Accommodation: Leenane Hotel
Nutrition: Breakfast:  Porridge, scrambled eggs & bacon, toast & jam
Lunch:  Muesli bars and chocolate
Dinner:  Chicken Kiev & vegetables, apple and berry crumle & ice-cream
Aches: None really
Highlight: Having the company of friends, Neil, Jeanine and Marcella for most of today's walk after eight weeks of solo hiking.
Lowlight: Miserable hiking conditions for the last hour of the day, which also marred what should have been spectacular views.
Pictures: Here
GPS Track: Here
Journal: Australian friends, Neil, Jeanine and Marcella arrived at my B&B at 9:00am as scheduled to join me for my hike today. Neil, a fellow runner from Terrigal Trotters, and I started walking while Jeanine and Marcella left to spend the morning elsewhere, intending to join us at 12:30pm, for the last half of the day's hike.

The first part of our walk involved a back road in occasional light drizzle while ahead, through the mist and rain, we could just discern the pass we were headed for, Mam Ean, barely below the heavy grey clouds.  However, as we began climbing steadily on an old farm road, the rain slowly abated and although the clouds remained low, visibility steadily improved.  Soon we were in a high valley with no habitation, surrounded on two sides by grass and gorse covered mountains with some sheer rocky faces, and of course, the obligatory old stone fences and wandering sheep.  It was spectacular.

By the time we reached the pass, the weather had improved significantly and we had good views all around.  There was a well-maintained small chapel built into the rock face with other religious shrines and artifacts nearby.  Apparently it has been a pilgrimage site dating back to the 5th Century and is associated with St Patrick who reputedly visited the location.

On our descent from the pass we encountered several walkers, some of whom did not look like regular hikers, and I suspect they were making their own pilgrimages.  Near the car park at the bottom, there was a priest going through some kind of blessing on the trail as we passed by.

From there, we roadwalked 5km along a very quiet road with the valley of the Owentoby River and several lakes beneath us to the left, and behind them tall mountains with cloud-shrouded peaks.  We met some trout fishermen getting ready for an afternoon down at the lake and then shortly afterwards met Jeanine and Marcella at the appointed spot.  We were just ten minutes late.

While we had a snack, we could see rain further up the valley in the direction we were travelling and before long, just as we started walking again along the exposed trail, the drizzle began, accompanied by some gusty winds.  Both continued with varying intensity for the rest of the afternoon.

My hiking partners were travelling a little faster than my usual pace, but the convivial company kept me distracted from the extra effort, and I was pleased that an earlier finish was likely as the weather deteriorated.  The afternoon's walking included some boggy stretches as well as forestry roads through a commercial pine plantation.  With about 6km to go, Neil left us to run back to where the car had been left, while Jeanine, Marcella and I continued on to Leenaun.  The last section was on an old farm road with what should have been great views over Killary Harbour, but the weather was bad enough to almost totally obscure those views until the last kilometre or so.  By this time the rain was steady and the wind quite strong and we were all soaked through and ready to finish.

We reached Leenane Hotel, where I had a booking, around 4:30pm, and I checked in and went up to my room for a quick shower and change of clothes while the girls tried to get warm in the bar with some hot soup whilst trying to avoid dripping everywhere.  I felt guilty returning to the bar snug in my dry clothes while they were still wet and cold.  Fortunately, Neil arrived before too much longer with some dry clothes and they quickly changed before heading off to their rented cottage about an hour away.  I had enjoyed the interesting company for the day and it will seem quiet tomorrow.

Later, I had dinner in the hotel rather than walk the kilometre into Leenaun village in light drizzle to see if there were some better options than the pricey hotel menu.

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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You can email Dave directly at dave@davebyrnes.com.au or subscribe to his Adventure Blogs here.

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