Dave Byrnes' Adventures

Round Ireland - 2016
Overview     Planned Schedule     Map     Diary     Pictures
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)

(Previous Page)

(Next Page)

You can email Dave directly at dave@davebyrnes.com.au or subscribe to his Adventure Blogs here.

You can see Dave's Running Blog here.