Day: |
009 |
Date: |
Saturday, 2 April 2016 |
Start: |
Mullinavat |
Finish: |
Carrick-on-Suir |
Daily
Kilometres: |
23 |
Total
Kilometres: |
270 |
Weather: |
Cool to cold with steady rain all day |
Accommodation: |
Ash Park House Guesthouse |
Nutrition: |
Breakfast: Full Irish Breakfast
Lunch: Muesli bars and chocolate Dinner: Pizza and
chocolate chip cookies |
Aches: |
Nothing new |
Highlight: |
The offer by Nancy, the guesthouse
proprietor, for me to use her own washer and dryer to do my weekly
wash, saving me a walk in the rain into town and a laundromat. |
Lowlight: |
The constant rain all day....it never
paused for an instant. |
Pictures: |
Here |
GPS Track: |
Here |
Journal: |
Although the Rising Sun Guesthouse staff
were nice, the whole place had a bit of a rundown feel. The
rooms looked tired and the bed was lumpy. Then the cook didn't
turn up for the advertised breakfast time of 8:30am, so it was just
before 10:00am, later than I hoped, before I started walking.
My destination for the day was the town of Carrick-on-Suir,
which was large enough to have a laundromat, and I hoped to arrive
early enough to do a load of washing. When I phoned to book a
room for the night, explaining that I planned to arrive early in the
afternoon so I could do some washing in town, the guesthouse owner
hinted that I may be able to use her machines instead, but I wasn't
counting on it.
It was going to be a short-distance day
(20-25km), so I decided to only have one break to save time. I
could tell from the map that I was going to be walking on roads all
day, and although that didn't appeal much, it would be faster.
The wind had died overnight, meaning it didn't feel quite as
cold, but the rain had continued steadily and everything was very
wet. Several people I have met along the way have told me
Ireland had a very wet winter, meaning the ground is water-logged
anyway, so additional rain is tending to run off and create minor
flooding.
When planning the trip, I had visualised days that
involved walking on busy roads all day in pouring rain, to mentally
prepare myself for the "down" times, and it looked like today was
going to be the first test. And it was miserable, though I
made a point of looking around and appreciating the countryside as
best I could. It seemed a wealthier part of Ireland, with many
substantial family homes, some old and some new, on acreages,
interspersed with working farms that boasted large sheds and modern
equipment. There was some agriculture, but it seemed mostly
cattle/dairy-based and the smell of wet farmyards dominated my
olfactory senses.
Some of the houses, particularly the older
ones, had beautifully-tended gardens with lots of spring flowers
along their roadside fences. Daffodils were everywhere, though
even they looked a bit bedraggled in the rain.
There was a
fair bit of traffic, and I was glad of the bright orange pack
raincover I bought to enhance my visibility from behind. I
walked on the extreme right-hand side of the road, facing the
oncoming traffic and frequently stepped off the narrow roads, as
much as I could, for approaching cars. The puddles on the road
added an extra hazard and I was occasionally splashed, but nothing
bad.
I reached Carrick-on-Suir soon after 2:30pm and was
quickly shown my room and the location of the laundry by the
friendly owner, Nancy. After a shower, I washed everything
that was dirty and sat around in my room in minimal clothing while
it finished. Nancy suggested I call a local pizza shop for a
home delivery pizza dinner, given that it was still raining, and I
took her advice.
It seemed appropriate that I enjoyed the
pizza while watching a live broadcast of the rugby match between the
provinces of Leinster and Munster from Dublin. In the last few
kilometres of today I passed from Leinster into Munster (and from
Kilkenny County into Tipperary County) and I have now completed the
South Leinster Way and will start on the East
Munster Way tomorrow. It was a close
hard-fought match with Leinster just prevailing. |
|
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)
|