Dave Byrnes

Round Ireland - 2016

Overview Planned Schedule Map Diary Pictures

Day:	010
Date:	Sunday, 3 April 2016
Start:	Carrick-on-Suir
Finish:	Clonmel
Daily Kilometres:	28
Total Kilometres:	298
Weather:	Cool and cloudy all day with some showers in the afternoon and brief glimpses of the sun.
Accommodation:	McCarthy's B&B
Nutrition:	Breakfast: Cereal, toast and scrambled eggs Lunch: Muesli bars and chocolate Dinner: Fish and chips, and jam tarts.
Aches:	Nothing new
Highlight:	Seeing the River Suir running fast and close to flood.
Lowlight:	The moment I sensed water flowing over the top of my boots while negotiating an almost knee-depth section of flooded river path. My boots, socks and feet were wet for the rest of the day.
Pictures:	Here
GPS Track:	Here
Journal:	I left the B&B soon after 9:00am, happy that it wasn't raining, though it looked like it could at any moment. I passed through the quiet Carrick-on-Suir and made my way down to the riverbank where I intended to pick up the Munster Way. I was impressed with the power of the swollen river through the town as I followed the riverside walk, but less impressed with the diligence of the local dog owners. Cleaning up after your pet doesn't seem to have reached provincial Ireland yet and I had to watch every step. Out of town, it was a pleasant walk along the river with a treed escarpment on the south side adding some grandeur to the scene. There was obviously a plan to have a paved walking/biking trail between the two major towns of Carrick-on-Suir and Clonmel, my target for the day, but it was still a work in progress. The river was virtually in flood and the further I went the more instances of flooding and damage to the new path I encountered. Initially, the depth of the flooded portions was below the top of my boots and I kept my feet dry, though it took effort. To the right of the path was usually a bramble-covered stone fence or hedgerow which I didn't want to get close to for fear of being caught or having my pack cover ripped (it has already sustained some bramble tears). I was often balancing as close to the hedge as possible with my feet, but leaning out from it with my weight on my trekking poles which were well under water. The chances of a slip were high, and I wasn't enjoying it. In fact, it occurred to me a few times during the morning that I needed to take care. Often I was right on the earthen edge of the river which was very fast-flowing and in places parts of the bank had tumbled into the river. I was pretty sure that if I slipped in wearing my pack, getting out would be problematic. Eventually, as I feared, a long flooded section of the path was deeper than I hoped and the water was soon nearly up to my knees and my boots filled with water. From there it was a very squelchy few hours of walking by the river. I wanted to stop and empty my boots and wring out my socks, but it didn't seem worth it until I knew there would be no more deep flooded sections. At the town of Kilsheelan, the Munster Way was to cross the river and I was looking forward to reaching it. However, with it almost in sight, I encountered a hiker coming the other way who told me it was too flooded to get through all the way. He said he often walked along the river and had never seen it this high. I continued on and reached the flooded section, with the town and bridge tantalisingly within sight, but decided I didn't want to try my luck with the depth and climbed over a fence into a cow paddock. After one false start, I found my way to the paddock gate and road, just as the farmer arrived to feed his cows. Fortunately, he was a good-natured fellow and had no problems with me escaping the river across his land. I crossed the river on the old bridge and after a few kilometres along a picturesque country lane, began climbing the escarpment on forest roads. At this point I made an executive decision to take a short-cut that saved me a few kilometres. I don't mind walking in the pine plantations, but saw no point in doing more of it than necessary. At the top of the escarpment, where I rejoined the official route, there were some fine views, though somewhat impacted by the cloud and occasional drizzle. Almost immediately I joined a road which descended all the way back down to the river. The descent seemed never-ending and I was surprised by how much I must have climbed through the forest. Back at the river I crossed on another old bridge and then followed the river bank path again all the way into Clonmel. I found my B&B soon after 4:00pm, showered and spread everything out to dry. Later, I went out to find a supermarket, but being Sunday evening, had trouble. What was meant to be a small walk ended up taking an hour and I still didn't find one open. I gave up and bought a few supplies at a small food store that should see me through tomorrow and then bought some fish and chips on my way back to my room. That was an hour's wandering I could have done without, but it gave me a good look at the old walled town.