Saturday July 11
"Four strong winds that blow lonely..."  Well, I don't know how lonely they could be when all four of them were on the Sauce Creek trail blowing together.  If not for my hiking poles, I may have been blown a few miles away.

Today's walk was in part an endurance test.  Because of inclement weather, Christopher resorted to Plan B and chose a trail that would be safer given the conditions.  We drove over the Connor Pass, getting occasional glimpses of spectacular views when there was a break in the fog.  This drive is not for the faint of heart.  It's a corkscrew ride, sheer dropoffs on one side, one lane traffic on many sections with lay-bys for oncoming cars to pull into.

Within 20 minutes of starting out on the hike, my boots and socks were wet.  It wasn't cold, however, so this was not a big hardship and since it is sadly our final day of walking, I wasn't worried about having dry boots for the morrow.

The wind was terrific and wearing glasses in driving rain is not convenient, to put it mildly!

At some point in the walk, we had a "family meeting" as our team confabs were called.  Four of us opted to turn back and the rest pressed on for another kilometer to reach a higher trailmarker.  The mist cleared long enough for them to be rewarded with a view.  As for Shirley, Kate, Deirdre and myself, we feasted our eyes on this view on the way back down.  With what was mostly a tail wind (and sometimes a side wind!) and the rain less constant, I was able to actually look around me and enjoy the sights.

If I recall correctly (no guarantees on that!), one of the first things Katherine Hepburn's character says in "The Philadelphia Story" film is: The calla lilies are in bloom.  There's a riot of them growing in this front yard on the way back to the van's parking spot, along with multi-coloured hydrangeas.  Stick it in the ground in Ireland and it grows, with a vengeance!!  Beautiful.

Back at Murphy's B&B, we dried out and got ready for our final dinner together.  We went to Lord Baker's and Christopher surprised three of the group with a birthday cake.  Betsy, Laura and Jane have been friends since high school and planned this trip to celebrate their 50th birthday year.

Here's the whole gang with Christopher on the left and the "three amigas" next to him.  The team also included mother-daughter duo Tracy and Kate from Acton, Ontario; David and Shirley from Toronto (wow, half the team came from within an hour's drive of us!), Sixta and Paulina from Argentina; and William from Iowa.  What a great group of people.  No whining about the weather, just good nature and good humour all around.  So here's to another wonderful trip with Footfalls in beautiful Ireland!  Slainte!

Friday July 10
Killarney to Inch Beach

Another misty day but the sun was winning the battle, although just barely, at Inch Beach.

Here's Deirdre enjoying a few rays.

Inch Beach is a haven for surfing schools.  There were several located right on the beach and the water was alive with surfing students.  Wetsuits are required if you want to avoid hypothermia.

This little beauty, about an inch and a half across, looks like a jeweled pincushion.  I would have liked to bring this home with me, but I wasn't sure if its inhabitant was deceased or not.  And whether or not that was the case, the smell was quite unpleasant so it seemed better to photograph the fellow and go on my way.

True to her Labrador heritage, Little Lucy stood ready to spring into lifesaving action should the occasion arise.

Lots of fellow canines were frolicking on the beach and this was the day I really missed the real, live Lucy.  How she would love Inch Beach!  I can just see her dashing in and out of the water and plowing her face through the sand.

Rain set in shortly after our departure from Inch.  For this reason, Deirdre and I opted out of the short walk Christopher had on offer once we reached the town of Dingle.  We didn't want to start the next day's hike with wet socks and boots.  Sadly we missed a sighting of Fungie the dolphin, a convivial creature who has adopted the Dingle area over the last 25 years.

Dingle is a charming town, smaller than Killarney, but just as touristy in its own way.  Here's Strand Street, where our B&B is located.  We're in Murphy's B&B, not to be confused with Murphy's Pub B&B right next door.  It was almost 10pm when I took this shot!

I feel I've come home in Dingle.  It is the land of the Sheehys.  Here's one old family business:

...which supplies another family business, Sheehy's Anchor Down Restaurant.  I imagine way back sometime we are related in some way or other.  It still startles me to see my name around here.  It's not all that common back in Canada and the US.

So this was an unusual day for us, spent partly in and out of shops rather than on the trail.  Dinner at Paudie's Pub where I enjoyed a pint of the local brew, Crean's Irish Lager.  Delicious!!  After dinner a few of us went to Murphy's Ice Cream, a Dingle original.  I enjoyed Dingle Sea Salt ice cream along with a scoop of Kerry Cream Vanilla.  That's my ice cream quota for the summer!

Thursday July 9

Today we hiked the Gap of Dunloe near Killarney.

Whenever we ask Christopher for a weather outlook, he replies, "Sunshine and showers."  So far this has proved 100%  accurate.

The advantage to hiking in cloudy weather is the relative coolness.  Photos can also be more dramatic.  We had no obscuring fog today, so a few showers were no big deal, except for the fact that my boots did not prove as impervious to water as I had hoped.  Ah well, I stuffed them with newspaper back at the B&B, replacing the wads a few times.  That will hopefully do the trick!



Jaunting carts are a popular way to traverse the Gap of Dunloe.  The drivers are known as jarveys.  We encountered at least 20, each carrying two to four tourists over the Gap and down the Black Valley to Lord Brandon's cafe, about an 8 mile trip.  From there, many of the tourists board a boat to cross the lake to Killarney.  Not us!  We walked the entire way to our rendezvous point on the N71 road with a taxi van arranged by Christopher.  This was not a loop hike, so involving another driver to drop us off and pick us up was the plan.

Most of the hike was on a paved road over the Gap shared by cars and jaunting carts and cyclists.  After our lunch break, we were walking on a forest track.  This is leprechaun country.  Mossy rocks look like soft cushions in amidst the trees.

This kind of holiday has it all: beautiful country, good exercise, a happily aching body, great company, and the prospect of a hot shower, a delicious meal and a comfortable bed at trail's end.  Perfection!

 So what if we're a bunch of soggy walkers?  It still doesn't get any better than this.

And so we squish on, reveling in the beauty around us and talking of the Murphy's ice cream we plan to enjoy later in the day.

Raise a pint of Killarney lager to Footfalls and dauntless leader Christopher!  Slainte!

Wednesday July 8

We bade farewell to Castletownbere, the Island View B&B, and Bruno the Labrador this morning.

Bruno is wondering whom he will get to play keepaway with now that a vanload of playmates is departing.  Poor Bruno!  We wish you many more compliant guests to join you in your fun and games.



Today was a more relaxed day as we headed off to County Kerry.  Our route took us over the breathtaking Healy Pass.  St. Patrick may have banished snakes from Ireland, but perhaps he petrified one last snake and left it lying across the boundary between County Cork and County Kerry.

The road over the pass was a public works project  in 1847 to bring relief during the great famine.  What an undertaking!

We stopped in Kenmare, a lovely little town at the eastern tip of Kenmare Bay, just above where the Beara Peninsula begins to jut out into the Atlantic.  From there, we motored through part of Killarney National Park and stopped at Muckross House and Gardens.  Deirdre and I decided not to tour the mansion, preferring to walk outside.  Fearless leader Christopher recommended that we see the ruins of the Muckross Abbey.  Good tip!  Ireland abounds with stunning ancient ruins such as this.  Since my camera battery ran out of juice, I took no photos, but you can check it out here: http://www.killarneynationalpark.ie/Muckross%20Abbey/Muckross%20Abbey.htm

 Off to Killarney, a large town in County Kerry.  We had an excellent meal at The Flesk - odd name, but they dish up a fantastic platterful of smoked salmon.

Here's me on the Healy Pass road with the lakes of Killarney in the background.

And now for a good night's rest at Robeen House.  See you in the morning! 

Tuesday July 7

Having learned my lesson on Monday morning that Island View B&B omelets are the size of Montana, I opted for the bountiful continental, which included delicious cheeses, one of which is Wallace and Grommet's favourite, Wensleydale.  The weather couldn't make up its mind, but the sunny side of its disposition was smiling on Bere Island, our destination, so this boded well.

These wonderful signposts seen on the national trails in Ireland pointed the way, at least at the more civilized parts of the walk.  Once we climbed higher, the track was marked with yellow arrows painted on rocks.

Bere Island is a study in contrasts.  Lower down, we passed houses and fields of cows.  Higher up, a beautiful rocky wilderness.

On this trail, as with so many others in Ireland, you get high with sheep.  That is to say, you share the higher altitudes with them.



Of course the weather was in a fickle mood and we were blessed with intermittent showers, but no fog!  The wind was making a big statement today as well.  We climbed to the ruins of a Martello tower, one of many that the British built in 1804 as defense against an expected invasion by Napoleon.  The little general never came calling, so the 150+ towers built in Ireland and England were never put to military use.

  


The west coast of Ireland is ruggedly beautiful.  At every turn in the trail, we were amazed by yet another mind-boggling view.

 About midway on the hike, we got another glimpse of civilization.  That's Castletownbere on the mainland.  At this point in the walk, wimps (did I say that out loud?) can opt to head down a track back to the ferry landing and The Lookout cafe.  Our bunch included no wimps, so we all pressed onward and upward to complete the loop as planned.

Little Lucy is great friends with himself, a.k.a. Christopher, our fearless leader.  There she is perched on his shoulder at the lunch break.  Labradors always come out when there's food about.

Several hours and about 14 kilometers later, we were back at water's edge, enjoying our chosen libations at The Lookout.  Everything is aching, but who cares!  A good time was had by all on Bere Island.

Monday July 6

Foggy and misty - not the greatest weather if you're interested in actually seeing the view!  But that didn't stop our intrepid band.  Off we went to board Ireland's only cable car.  Apparently livestock takes priority so we were happy to see no cows or sheep queuing up to board. 

Only 6 people can travel at a time.



Deirdre has no fear standing in the swaying cable car before take off.  William is in the background.

But for those who are a bit nervous about slowly dangling their way high across Dursey Sound, provision has been made.  Located at the rear of the car, next to a thumbtacked piece of paper with the words of Psalm 91 imprinted thereon, is a plastic bottle of holy water.

Despite the solid fog that completely obliterated the view of the rocky seacliffs, we had a grand time.  Everyone was in good spirits.  We did cut the trek a bit short, as there was no point in adding on a more demanding section with no vistas to reward us.  Hallelujah, the fog had begun to lift as we made the return trip.  The lower we got, the brighter it got and we were able to see what we had been missing.  If you're interested in seeing more of what we missed, as well as catching a great view of the cable car in mid-air, visit this link: http://www.durseyisland.ie/visitor-photos.html

There are few cars on Dursey Island.  They are brought over on some kind of barge and then they stay there.  Bad mufflers seem to be a requirement.  Only a few people live on the island and the only place to drive is from your house to the cable car "station".  So I have to assume this sign refers to wind speed.

Here's Deirdre and myself enjoying the elusive sunshine on Dursey Island.  Now I'm back at the B&B in Castletownbere and it's raining again.  But soon we'll walk down the hill to Murphy's pub for dinner and a pint.  Life is good on the Beara Peninsula despite the clouds!

Sunday July 5

I THINK it's Sunday!  Haven't slept for many hours having left Toronto at around 8:15pm Saturday night, arrived in Dublin 7am local time.  Fitful dozing on board, zombie-like semi-consciousness at the Dublin airport as we waited for 5 hours to rendezvous with Christopher of Footfalls tours and the rest of the gang.  Amazingly, one of the group this year was part of our tour in 2013!  William, a teacher from Iowa, was standing at the meeting spot when Deirdre and I showed up.  What are the odds?

Little Lucy came along again this year as a stand-in for her real life counterpart.  Here she is admiring the passport stamp.

The group consists of 6 Canadians, 4 Americans, and 2 Argentinians, although 3 of the 6 Canadians are originally Americans so I guess the Americans win.  Ten women and two guys, plus Christopher our intrepid leader.  The age range is 16 (one high school girl along with her mother from Toronto) to, I'm guessing, mid to late 60s.  Seems like a congenial group.

We headed west from Dublin and stopped at Cashel for about an hour.  Some of the folks toured Cashel Rock, a partially ruined fortress built hundreds of years ago for a king.  Ireland is full of piles like this, all impressive.

Once we got off the controlled access highways and started wending our way on secondary roads, we really felt that we were in Ireland.  Especially when we reached the Beara Peninsula, our location for the next 3 days.

Stunning just from the road and I can't wait to go off tomorrow on our first foray, despite the forecast for rain.  We had a great dinner at the Olde Bakery in Castletownbere.  Then we headed home to the Island View B&B, where resident Lab Bruno made me feel right at home!

Tomorrow it's off to Dursey Island!  Now for some overdue Zzzzz's....