Day: |
081 |
Date: |
Monday, 13 June 2016 |
Start: |
Portaferry (walking from Strangford after
ferry crossing) |
Finish: |
Ballykinler |
Daily
Kilometres: |
35 |
Total
Kilometres: |
2254 |
Weather: |
Overcast and foggy with light rain until
mid-morning, then warm and mostly sunny for the rest of the day. |
Accommodation: |
Number Nine B&B, Downpatrick |
Nutrition: |
Breakfast: Cereal, scrambled eggs &
sausages, toast & jam Lunch: Egg & tomato baguette, muesli
bar, Snickers Bar and chocolate Dinner: Chicken & pasta,
salad, cheesecake |
Aches: |
Sore feet |
Highlight: |
Today, I seemed to have more people than
usual stopping to ask me what I was doing, including one guy who
parked his car and ran down the road to catch me and a priest who
greeted me at his front gate, having driven past me earlier in the
afternoon, with a glass of cold water and some fruit. |
Lowlight: |
I was suspicious that a coastal section of
the Lecale Way, which I am currently following, would not be
particularly interesting and would be slow going. There was a
tempting shortcut by road, but I decided to do the coastal section
in case I missed something. After 500m, I knew I should have
taken the shortcut. The trail was overgrown, little-used and
rough, and the scenery was unexceptional compared to earlier in the
day. I persevered for another kilometre, then spied a way to
cross a field and get to a road, and took it. |
Pictures: |
Here |
GPS Track: |
Here |
Journal: |
Ferry's leave Portaferry for Strangford at
15 and 45 minutes after each hour. My B&B host said two other
residents were catching the 7:45am ferry after breakfast at 7:15am,
so I joined them for breakfast and then walked down to catch the
8:15am ferry (it takes me 15-20 minutes to finish packing after
breakfast). It was a foggy and cool morning with some light
drizzle. The ferry carried about 20 school boys in uniform
along with a dozen cars, and I was amused at how the last schoolboys
sauntered slowly down to the ferry despite departure time already
having passed. At the other end of the 10 minute crossing they
all piled onto a bus, while another group of schoolboys, in
different uniforms, boarded the ferry for the return trip.
I
set out southwards from Strangford on a quiet rural road in what
became light rain with the Strangford Narrows often visible to my
left. The forecast was for unsettled weather so I was mentally
prepared for a wet day, but an hour or two after I started walking
it began to clear up. The Lecale Way, which I am now
following, stayed close to the coast and after the village of
Ballyhornan, joined a foot trail right on the coast and occasionally
across pebble beaches. It was very pretty, with low rocky
headlands and reefs, punctuated with little coves, and a mirror calm
sea.
I reached the historic village of Ardglass around noon
and bought a nice fresh-made baguette for lunch from the deli in a
small supermarket before adjourning to a picnic bench beside the
picturesque working harbour for lunch. It was now getting
sunny and warm. After lunch the Lecale Way followed backroads
around to the very pretty village of Killough from where it joined
another coastal foot-trail. I was tempted to take a backroads
shortcut, and soon regretted my decision not to go that way.
The foot-trail was little used and slow going, and the coastal
scenery was less interesting than earlier. I also had in the
back of my mind that I had to reach Ballykinler, my destination for
the day, before the bus to Downpatrick, where I had booked a B&B,
passed through at 5:35pm.
After a while, the trail followed
the edge of a large field across which I could see a farm gate, so I
detoured to the gate and climbed over it onto the farm road which
saved me a little time. From there it was mostly backroads to
Ballykinler, during which I took a second pleasant break on a beach
watching a kite-boarder go back and forth on the hard sand with the
beautiful Mountains of Mourne as a backdrop.
I reached the
bus stop at Ballykinler with about ten minutes to spare and duly
caught it, as the only passenger, for the 15 minute ride to
Downpatrick. My B&B was in the suburbs, 1.5km from the bus
station, and my feet were protesting the whole way. I checked
in at 6:15pm, and told Angela, the host, that I would have to leave
early in the morning to catch the bus back to Ballykinler. She
insisted that she would drive me to Ballykinler and suggested
breakfast at 8am, which I agreed. Later I walked to a nearby
small supermarket, not wanting to make the trek back into town, and
bought myself a salad for dinner. |
|
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)
|