Left Annascaul at about 9am after having my traditional Irish breakfast – 2 sausages, 2 “rashers” (strips of bacon), an egg, tomato, mushrooms, 3 slices of toast, and tea – and walked the 22 km to Dingle in about 6 hours. It was a beautiful day and the muck never went into my boots – you can’t ask for more than that.
This dog appeared out on the moor. He would run up ahead of me, drop a stick on the ground, back up and lay down until I threw the stick, then he would fetch it and repeat. He continued this for about a mile, then disappeared. I think he was supposed to be working herding sheep but decided to take a break and play.
I walked through 3 miles of this.
But with scenery like this it wasn’t so bad.
Dingle is a lively little fishing village known for its pubs with “trad sessions” (traditional Irish music). I stayed two nights as it rained heavily on Sunday.
Today (Monday) I left at 9:30am and walked 20km to Dun Quin in about six hours.
The trail was very mucky after yesterday’s rain, and overgrown with briars (blackberries) which shredded my clothes.
But walking over Slea Head the view is magnificent, one of the finest I’ve ever seen.
Everything out here is closed or closing for the season. Tonight I’m one of two people at the youth hostel, the only accommodation still open (it’s closing on Wednesday). I had a cup of noodles for dinner because all of the restaurants are closed.