Dave Byrnes

Round Ireland - 2016

Overview Planned Schedule Map Diary Pictures

Day:	048
Date:	Wednesday, 11 May 2016
Start:	Doolin
Finish:	Fanore
Daily Kilometres:	21
Total Kilometres:	1288
Weather:	Heavy overcast and haze all day, with mild temperatures and a cool breeze at altitude.
Accommodation:	Annaly House B&B
Nutrition:	Breakfast: Cereal, scrambled eggs & bacon, toast & jam Lunch: Ice-cream Dinner: Hamburger, chips & salad, ice-cream
Aches:	None really
Highlight:	Crossing the limestone karst plateau known as The Burren, a landscape that supports grass, but not much else, criss-crossed with old stone fences and clefts in the limestone.
Lowlight:	Feeling unwell for much of the day.
Pictures:	Here
GPS Track:	Here
Journal:	I felt a headache coming on when I went to bed last night and woke with a bad headache and nausea. I suspect something with last night's bangers and mash at the pub didn't agree with me, but who knows. Fortunately, because of the limited accommodation options for the next few days, I only had about 20km to Fanore scheduled for the day, which seemed doable in my impaired state. I had a late breakfast, and although I didn't feel at all like it, forced myself to eat most of it, knowing that I would need the energy. I took my time leaving and didn't start walking until 10:30am, heading for Lisdoonvarna where I hoped to find a shop to replenish my muesli bar supplies. It was mild enough to walk in a T-shirt, though again with a heavy overcast sky and thick haze. The road was quiet and gradually climbed through rural grazing country, but I wasn't paying much attention. After an hour and a half, I reached the large touristy village of Lisdoonvarna, famous for its match-making history and annual September match-making festival. I found a small supermarket, but no muesli bars. Instead, I bought myself a bottle of Diet Coke, one of my trusted remedies for indigestion, and an ice-cream which I consumed sitting on a bench in the village square watching the world go by. There was no rush, so I took my time. On the way out of the village, I found another little supermarket and some muesli bars, so with my mission accomplished left town. I rejoined the Burren Way on minor back roads which gradually climbed up onto the limestone (karst) plateau. The views were limited by the heavy haze, but were still impressive. Limestone cliffs marked the edge of the plateau in places, and on the plateau there was plenty of grass and quite a few fat-looking cattle, but no trees. The land was criss-crossed by old stone fences, with white limestone outcrops and slabs visible here and there. In the distance I could just make out the Atlantic Ocean over the edge of the plateau. For one long section, the Burren Way followed an old farm path, and with nobody around, gave a great sense of isolation. As the day wore on, I felt better, though still unwell, and began to believe that whatever was ailing me would be gone by tomorrow. The long road descent from the plateau was hard on my feet, and I felt more tired than usual, but still reached Fanore at 3:30pm for an earlyish day. The village's very small shop was inexplicably closed and the pub across the road also showed no sign of activity. A ghost village? I walked a couple of hundred metres to the B&B I had booked and was greeted by a girl who explained that the owners had had a death in the family and were away at the funeral and wouldn't be back until sometime tomorrow, and that she worked on farm-related business in a small office round the back of the house. I could not have a room in the house, but could stay in a small adjacent apartment, which was fine by me. The owners of the shop are part of the same family, so were presumably also at the funeral. The girl said there would be no breakfast tomorrow, but offered to do some shopping for me in another town and drop it back later. I asked her for a couple of filled rolls and she returned with them later. I walked down to the pub around 6:00pm to find it more active than earlier and ordered from the (over-priced) bar menu. After dinner, I returned to the apartment, feeling much better than this morning, and intent on getting an early start tomorrow for what could be a long day.