Dave Byrnes' Adventures

Round Ireland - 2016
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Day: 044
Date: Saturday, 7 May 2016
Start: Sixmilebridge
Finish: Ennis
Daily Kilometres: 23
Total Kilometres: 1210
Weather: Overcast with light rain all day
Accommodation: Railway View House B&B
Nutrition: Breakfast:  Full Irish Breakfast
Lunch:  Tuna & sweetcorn roll and cornchips
Dinner:  Fish & chips, rice pudding
Aches: None really
Highlight: Finding the B&B owner, Kathleen, welcoming on my arrival at 2:30pm on a dreary wet and cold day, after having said I would not be there until 6:00pm when booking some days ago.  I was able to have a shower, warm-up, put on some dry clothes and watch the Connacht vs Glasgow Pro-12 rugby union game (commentary in Gaelic) while eating a late lunch.
Lowlight: Wet and cold day
Pictures: Here
GPS Track: Here
Journal: It was spitting slightly with rain when I left Sixmilebridge soon after 9:00am, but the intensity gradually increased to light rain, and it stayed that way for the whole of my walk.

I had chosen a route using mostly backroads to Ennis, my destination for the day, but the first 7km was along a busy regional road and I had to keep a sharp eye out for oncoming traffic on the many blind bends, always ready to jump into the hedgerow if necessary.  The rain, and consequent poorer visibility, added to the degree of risk, but I finally made it safely to the minor roads and relaxed a little.  The undulating countryside was a mix of working farms, mainly cattle, and some expensive-looking houses on large blocks of land.

Occasionally, overhead or in the distance, I could hear the roar of jet engines from planes taking off and landing at Shannon airport.  I can remember flying into Shannon a couple of times in the late 1980s to visit a company in a nearby business park.  Who'da thought I would be hiking through here 27 years later.

After a couple of hours of walking, I began keeping an eye out for somewhere dry to have a break, but the quest was hopeless.  If it was a long day, I would have improvised some shelter using my small tarpaulin, but since it was a relatively short day's hiking, I just kept walking.  I was starting to get damp and quite cold (wearing shorts for the day wasn't a wise choice), and my exhaled breath was condensing in the cold air, so stopping may not have been a good idea anyway.  Quite a change from yesterday.

Shortly before 2:00pm I entered the outskirts of Ennis, and with a kilometre to go passed a supermarket.  Dripping wet and with my pack on my back, I went in and ordered a fresh roll from their deli and got a drink and some corn chips and put them in my pack.  Twenty minutes later, I arrived at the B&B, looking very bedraggled, and was welcomed by Kathleen who showed me to my room, despite my early arrival.

A shower and some dry clothes warmed me up, and the fresh-made crusty half-baguette filled roll was delicious as I watched a major league rugby union game on TV.

Later I walked to a nearby fish and chip shop to buy some dinner and returned to the B&B to eat and watch TV while working on my laptop.

I have booked in here for two nights, with the goal of using the day off to finalise my itinerary for the remainder of the hike and booking a return flight to Australia.  I have now also resolved my email software problems and have some correspondence and chores to catch up on as well.

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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