Day: |
025 |
Date: |
Monday, 18 April 2016 |
Start: |
Waterville |
Finish: |
Derrymore |
Daily
Kilometres: |
19 |
Total
Kilometres: |
724 |
Weather: |
Cool and overcast with a few light showers |
Accommodation: |
Failte Farmhouse B&B |
Nutrition: |
Breakfast: Full Irish Breakfast
Lunch: Muesli bars and chocolate Dinner: Steak, salad
and roast vegetables, and chocolate |
Aches: |
None really |
Highlight: |
The morning walk along the ridge of Knag
mountain with excellent views in all directions, and it wasn't even
that boggy. |
Lowlight: |
None really |
Pictures: |
Here |
GPS Track: |
Here |
Journal: |
I woke with a headache, after staying up
late to watch movie on TV that wasn't worth staying up for, and
eating too much chocolate. I've resolved to cut back on the
chocolate consumption....a little bit. Knowing that I had a
short day today, I opted for a 9:00am breakfast, and didn't start
walking until 10:15am, and then had a brief stop at the store in
Waterville to buy some AA batteries for my GPS. I go through
two AA batteries in the GPS every two days, which seems a lot,
especially since I haven't needed it to help with navigation yet.
However, it's nice to have it in reserve, and it is good to have it
to track each day's progress, instead of using my smartphone, whose
battery I want to save for emergencies.
So, it was after
10:30am before I actually left Waterville and began the gentle climb
up the spine of Knag mountain across rough moorland. It was
drier underfoot, though still boggy in parts, which made for easier
going, but it was still slow on the rough track. I was in no
hurry, so just ambled along, frequently stopping to look at the
views which extended in every direction. There was a low cloud
cover, and I could see showers of rain here and there in the
distance, but despite this the views were excellent. In
particular, I had helicopter-like views down either side of the
ridge to the farms and roads below.
Around 1:00pm I stopped
in a sheltered spot just off the ridge to have a break, and while
eating a young (compared to me) German woman taking ten days to hike
the Kerry Way came from the other direction. She stopped for a
while and we had a good chat. She wants to do the Pacific
Crest Trail, which was the subject of the recent movie/book "Wild"
and is also on my list, but is not sure whether she could carry the
necessary weights. I tried to be encouraging.
After the
break I descended from the Knag into the River Inny valley and some
road walking before climbing steadily, and steeply in parts, to the
top of Knockavahaun mountain (371m). The trail was very rough
and quite boggy near the top of the mountain, and it rained for a
while, but again the views were great. Not far past the peak,
I reached the side trail that led 2km down off the ridge to the
Failte Farmhouse B&B, my destination for the night where I arrived
about 4:30pm. Catherine, the owner, must have seen me coming
and was waiting in the yard of the working sheep farm for me to
arrive. A welcoming cup of tea and some biscuits quickly
appeared in the living room which had a fire burning in the hearth.
With no town or village nearby, I had requested an evening meal
as well, which was very tasty, and with no TV either, had 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)
|