Dave Byrnes' Adventures

Round Ireland - 2016
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Day: 034
Date: Wednesday, 27 April 2016
Start: Shanacill
Finish: Cloghane
Daily Kilometres: 21
Total Kilometres: 948
Weather: Cool, mostly sunny with a couple of light showers and strong winds at altitude
Accommodation: Mt Brandon Hostel
Nutrition: Breakfast:  Cereal, scrambled eggs & sausage, toast and jam
Lunch:  Muesli bars, chocolate and scones
Dinner:  Chicken curry & rice, apple pie & ice-cream
Aches: Still some twinges from strained muscle/tendon behind left knee.
Highlight: Passing the Ogham Stone (inscribed upright stones dating from the 5th and 6th Centuries AD) in the windswept saddle on the north shoulder of Mount Brandon, evoking thoughts of those who had erected it in this remote spot all those centuries ago.
Lowlight: None really
Pictures: Here
GPS Track: Here
Journal: I left the B&B around 9:30am for what I knew would be a short-distance day that would incorporate a big climb and significant cross-country walking, making it difficult to estimate how long it would take.

After a few kilometres on quiet country lanes in cool sunny weather, the Dingle Way left the road and proceeded cross-country in a direct line, marked by posts, towards a saddle on the northern shoulder of Mt Brandon.  It was mostly dry and grassy underfoot, but the eroded land meant constantly seeking out the best walking line which made for slow travel.  The gradient, however, was gradual, so not very tiring, and I was pleased that the strain behind my left knee was not a problem on the climb, despite giving the occasional reminder twinge.

Eventually, the Dingle Way reached a remote and windswept saddle at 600m on Mt Brandon overlooking spectacular views east and west, with an Ogham stone, dating from the 5th/6th Century AD, providing an evocative sense of ancient times.  Fantastic!

The descent was at first technical and a little boggy, with a cold wind making me think about adding a layer.  Although due for a break, I decided to keep descending and along the way, met a very rugged-up farmer on his quad bike rounding up sheep with the aid of two dogs.  Around 12:30pm I found a nice protected spot in the sun at a much lower altitude and enjoyed my snack with a rural and coastal vista spread out before me.

Further on, the Dingle Way took a few, possibly unnecessary, detours but since I had plenty of time I decided to take them just in case I missed anything worthwhile.  Just before the first junction where a choice had to be made, I rounded a corner and saw Lainie and her father, Mike, a few hundred metres ahead.  They took the short-cut, so I didn't catch them, but thought I might see them later anyway.

As it turned out, the detours didn't add much to the encountered scenery, but did use quieter roads which is always a plus.  After an hour or so of coastal rural scenery on back roads and some farm paths, I reached Cloghane and my hostel soon after 3:30pm and checked in with Mary, the very welcoming owner.  Later, Gina, the German girl from last night's B&B, arrived as well as a some other European girls.

There wasn't anything that I could easily cook myself available in the tiny local store, so I adjourned to the nearby pub for dinner at 7:00pm.  When I arrived there, I was greeted by Lainie and Mike, who were staying there, and we had an enjoyable conversation over dinner.  Later, an English group of walkers who I had seen a couple of times came in.  It turned out they were from Suffolk, near where I had lived in the late 1980s, and we also had an enjoyable chat.  The highlight of the evening came, however, when the pub landlord called for our attention, then told us all the story of four planes that had crashed into Mt Brandon during the Second World War, three of them within a five-month span.  The first was Luftwaffe, once was civilian (BOAC), and two were RAF.  In all but one case there were survivors, and in the case of the German crew, two ended up marrying Irish girls after they were interned for the duration of the war (Ireland was neutral).  He had pieces of the various planes in the pub and a treasure trove of documents, newspaper clippings and photos for us to peruse.  Very interesting.

Afterwards, I returned to the hostel and watched another UEFA Cup semi-final match on the TV in the lounge.

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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