On the Kerry Way
It's now Wednesday, and we have a “rest day” after three full days of walking on the Kerry Way. The Kerry Way is a 135 mile circular walking route around “Ring of Kerry” in southwest Ireland. We'll walk some 50 miles of the route during our week. The walk is very front-end loaded, and we’ve racked up over 36 miles in our first three days.
The countryside in this part of Ireland is absolutely beautiful with quite a bit of variety. After leaving the motorcycle-sounds of Killarney behind, we walked along the shores of a peaceful lake, past the ruins of a 15th century friary, and then through the landscaped grounds of the 19th century Muckross House. We are surprised by the subtropical climate. We hadn't expected to find palm trees in Ireland! Rhododendrons are also abundant in the countryside.
After a steep ascent by the Torc waterfall, we found ourselves away from tourists and in much more desolate countryside surrounded by mountains. Twelve miles later we ended a long first day at the Hillcrest Farmhouse at the edge of the Black Valley. We had a wonderful homecooked meal of hot soup, roast chicken, and apple pie at the farmhouse.
Looking back at the Black Valley
The second day of our walk was very demanding, about 15 miles through very beautiful but sparsely-populated countryside. We continued through the Black Valley, which was formed by glacier action in the Ice Age. At the end of the valley we climbed up a steep mountainside of boulders, then crossed through a saddle to make our way down through more rocks and boulders into another valley, greener and more pastoral. We saw lots of sheep and a few cows, but no apparent crops.
The day was a struggle for all three of us, especially a five-mile slog on a small boring road in the hot sun. We had to remind ourselves several times that our focus is the experience-- not just getting to the end! Kelly’s boots seem a bit too small for her, Charley ankles are bothering him, and I have blisters on two of my toes. Kelly and I have also both been attacked by insects of some sort, and we're both covered with bites, which of course we have scratched. As usual, we wish we had been in better shape before beginning a walk like this. The good news is that the weather has been very pleasant—no rain, which we had expected in Ireland.
We finally reached the Blackstones House near Glencar at 6 pm; 10-1/2 hours of walking. We enjoyed long, hot showers and then another homecooked meal from the farmhouse kitchen. A British couple from the Cotswolds—Tim and Linda—are following our same walking schedule, and we’ve enjoyed mealtime conversation with them. At the Blackstones House we also met up with a very nice couple from Louisville, Kentucky. In one of the odd “small world” coincidences, we found out that the woman’s father was from the same small town in Tennessee as Charley!
Yesterday’s walk was an easy one—about eight miles. We climbed half-way up Seefin Hill, then traversed around it, enjoying beautiful views of the Caragh Lake and River and the McGillycuddy Reeks (the highest mountains in Ireland), and finally circling around the mountain to look down on Dingle Bay, the Dingle Peninsula, and in the distance even the Atlantic Ocean.
We're now enjoying two nights in the village of Glenbeigh on Dingle Bay, staying in a small hotel with free laundry and internet facilities. This morning—despite it being a “rest day”—we walked about five miles round trip to Rossbeigh Beach, a four mile stretch of white beach. It turned out to be quite cool and windy once we got to the beach; last night the waitress at the pub told us that "summer" doesn't start here until mid July! But we were glad we had made the trek as the views of the ocean, beach, and green mountains was quite spectacular. And now we will enjoy the rest of our rest day!
At Rossbeigh Beach near Glenbeigh
