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)
|