Day: |
067 |
Date: |
Monday, 30 May 2016 |
Start: |
Ederney |
Finish: |
Drumlegagh |
Daily
Kilometres: |
31 |
Total
Kilometres: |
1842 |
Weather: |
Warm, breezy and mostly sunny |
Accommodation: |
McGuire's Inn |
Nutrition: |
Breakfast: Cereal, scrambled eggs,
toast & jam Lunch: Muesli bars and Snickers Bars Dinner:
Salad, grilled chicken & vegetables, apple pie & cream |
Aches: |
Feet and bad right heel particularly sore,
probably because boots still damp inside from yesterday. |
Highlight: |
Crossing Bolaght Mountain (398m) on a warm
and brilliantly sunny day with 360° views over the Ulster
countryside. |
Lowlight: |
Damp boots leading to tender and sore feet |
Pictures: |
Here |
GPS Track: |
Here |
Journal: |
Disappointingly, the heater didn't come on
in my room overnight and my boots and socks were still quite damp in
the morning. I could have worn my dry socks (I have two pairs
of inner and outer socks and alternate between the sets) but they
would have been damp before long in the damp boots and then I would
have had two sets of damp socks.
On the plus side, the
opening of online General Entries at midnight, my time, for the
GNW100s ultra-distance trail race I race direct, went smoothly, so
that's one less thing to worry about.
I left the B&B around
9:15am and headed north for an 8km roadwalk along a minor road to
get to the Ulster Way trailhead. There wasn't too much
traffic, the undulating rural scenery was pleasant and the weather
ideal for hiking. The Ulster Way, when I reached it, followed
a forest road through a commercial pine plantation for five
kilometres or so. There were occasional views, usually
including wind-turbines, and quite large clear-felled areas.
My damp boots and socks seemed to make my feet more sensitive than
usual and when I stopped for my first break, soon after noon, I
removed my boots and socks and spread them out in the sun in the
hope they would dry a little.
It made little difference when
I continued and the rest of the day was overshadowed a bit by sore
feet. I always have trouble judging how tight to tie my right
boot so that it doesn't press too hard on my right heel, and today I
seemed to misjudge and was limping quite a lot in the latter part of
the day despite some adjustments.
Anyway, soon after the
first break, the Ulster Way emerged from the forest at Lough Lee, a
lake surrounded by wind turbines, before leaving the forestry road
and climbing steadily across rough and boggy terrain over the summit
of Bolaght Mountain (398m) with posts marking the way. It was
slow going but the weather and views were great and it certainly
made a nice change from the busy roadwalks of the past couple of
days.
On reaching a minor road on the other side of the
mountain, the trail marking was ambiguous and I ended up wasting
half an hour and a kilometre of walking until I worked it out.
From there it was a long descent on a backroad into the Fairy Water
valley with views all of the way and then a long and gradual ascent
north out of the valley to Drumlegagh. My B&B was a couple of
kilometres past the village and I reached it at 5:30pm after a good
day but very happy to get my boots off. I have suspended the
latter by an open window and hope they dry overnight.
I had
pre-arranged with the B&B to provide dinner, since there was nothing
available nearby, and ate very healthily for a change. |
|
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)
|