The Dingle Way

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Our trip to Ireland started with a few days at West Hawk Lake watching the ice destroy our dock (May 5,6,7) We left Winnipeg on the 7th , had a short layover in Toronto, then a nice short flight to Dublin, arriving at 9.00 AM.(only 45 minutes late) I had paid for 2 aisle seats for Jan and I but my aisle seat involved sharing space with 2 Sumo wrestlers so ended up in a middle seat in another row etc...Flying to Dublin is fairly painless except for the wait in Toronto airport (flight time to Dublin is 6.25 hours)

After arriving in Dublin we got the efficient airport bus to downtown - 14 euros return-it let us off at a stop about 8 blocks from the Blooms Hotel. After a shower we went for a great Irish breakfast.(2 pieces bacon 2 sausages, egg, black pudding, beans, toast etc) Jan ordered eggs and toast-got 4 eggs... We split up and did the downtown area (Temple Bar) - very busy. There is a great fishing store (Rorys Fishing Tackle) right near our hotel.

Our group reformed at 3.00 and had a refresher in one of the bars. Everyone was starting to fade but after a bit of soul searching we decided to go to the Immigration Museum instead of the hotel- great choice and highly recommended. We are walking everywhere and unfortunately had a brief spectacular accident involving two of us on one of the sidewalks. (near concussion etc.) After limping back to the hotel, we were in bed at 9.00

The next day, there were lingering side effects from the accident but we were able to all walk from the Blooms Hotel to Connolly Station in order to catch the train to Belfast.The train was on time and we made it to the northern Ireland capital at 1145. From the station it is about a 20 minute walk to the Leonardo Hotel (nice hotel but beds a bit dodgy) We split up and did independent shopping then had a walking tour with John the guide .He gave us a great deal of insight into Belfast history including "The Troubles" Every thing in Ireland ends with beer and so we concluded our tour at a nice pub.

The next day we were booked for a long day of "usual suspect" sight seeing including Antrim Castle,Giants Causeway, and the Dark Forest ending up at the Titanic Museum. Our tour guide gave us yet more history about ""The Troubles and the Irish/Gaelic language. The best part of the day was the Titanic Museum- bus tours are akin to recreational dental surgery...

We finished the day with an excellent Irish stew at Fibber McGees Pub.

The next day was a free day so I spent an excellent 2 hours in the Linen Museum. They have a lot of history shown on posters about the pre and post peace agreement. There is also a huge section on Irish roots so I spent some time researching the Copeland family history (my mother was a Copeland)

Another great thing to do in Belfast is getting a sandwich at Sawyers which is a deli and foodies shop close to the Linen Museum.

For dinner we went to the Kellys Cellar Bar for pizza and Irish music entertainment- we are still fading at 9.00 PM

The next day (May 12th) It was time to return to Dublin on the 1035 train. Trains (at least the Dublin/Belfast version) run right on time and are not crowded. The Irish countryside is everything it was reported to be-green and scenic.

Today we got an update from Aron about the ice damage to the dock and it was good news-no more wreckage and the new dock process is underway.

For our night in Dublin we switched to the Academy Plaza Hotel where we met up with Harold. This is a pretty touristy part of town and and things are expensive (Irish stew in Belfast- 4.5 pounds -$7.50 CAD. Irish stew in Dublin near hotel 18 Euros-$26 CAD) The hotel has a lot to be modest about... Dublin is definitely off our list.

We are getting ever closer to the beginning of the walk with just one more train ride to Tralee via Mala. Because it was Saturday, the train was pretty full but rail travel is still the best way to go. However it is important to have a manageable and light weight piece of luggage. After arrival in Tralee at 1258, David and Nancy met us at the station and guided us to the hotel. Very nice hotel and we had the best sleep of the trip so far. Great to be out of the city.

This is it- day one on Sunday May 14th. Five of us (Marsha coming by taxi) were on the trail at 9.00 and we got off to a brisk start on a well marked path along a canal. The route then took us along some quiet country roads until we got to a rocky path through a sheep pasture. Beautiful day and we were virtually alone - none of us were pining for the city. This was a light day of walking with a few minor climbs (18 Km) and we arrived at the Camp House B and B at 3.00 o'clock - the official greeter is Hugo the Dog. Our luggage pick up is working in spite of Mac's Adventures not providing luggage tags-very efficient luggage transport system-they don't need no stinkin tags...

After a shower, it was off to the nearby pub for fluid restoration and the Sunday roast.There was some unrest about meat tenderness but all the plates went back empty. Camp has two licensed establishments and the second one down the street (Rail Tavern) has traditional drop in music every night. After a few tunes, it was back to the B and B with everyone in bed at 9.00...

Day two of the walk will take us from Camp to Annascaul which is 17 km. Unfortunately we have Covid in the ranks and there will be only 5 of us walking. Marsha will take a taxi again.

After an excellent salmon and egg breakfast we said farewell to Hugo and started our walk at 8.45. The first part of the walk today involved a steady climb on paths and country roads. The trail is very easy to follow and we have lots of company most of whom are young(er) people from Germany. There appears to be some surprise among other hikers at the age of our team (our average age is 75) Today's plan did not include a packed lunch as we hoped to stop at Inch Beach at one of the bars. However the bar(s) were closed so we made do with convenience store food. David and Harold checked out ocean water temperatures. The last 6 kms into Annascaul were quite pleasant and we made it to O'Connors Guest house at 3.00.

Our routine after checking in typically includes showers, beer and food. The restaurant of note here is the South Pole Inn which is famous as one of Shackleton's Antarctica crew members (Thomas Creem) was from here. There is a full size replica of a boat used on the expedition in the hotel. After an excellent meal,I don't think any of us saw 9.00 o'clock. Tomorrow will be our longest day yet (23 Km) and rain is predicted.

After an excellent breakfast (as usual) our hike started at 9.00 through road construction and then turned left on to a country road. We had a bit of an initial climb and then a flat walk to the ancient Minard Castle. We picked up sandwiches today at Katies sandwich place (apparently the half way point) and then continued on to a nice road side field where we had lunch. No rain so far and the last part of trip was on country roads. A highlight today was walking aside a pasture occupied by a Huge Charolais Bull - well over 2000 pounds in my opinion. After 23 kms (32000 steps) we arrived at the An Capall Dubh guesthouse in Dingle for 3 nights. This was a long day with no rain - after beer and a fish dinner we turned in at 9.00 o'clock- Jan is not feeling well -hopefully just a cold.

The 17th is our free day in Dingle. From the test kit it appears Jan has Covid but symptoms are of a cold. she is self isolating and resting- I am fine so went out and explored Dingle including a haircut ,an aquarium visit and some shopping. There were 4 of us for dinner and then we went to a traditional music concert at a nearby church. Reviews were mixed and Harold and I did an exit stage left at intermission. Big day coming up and Jan is determined to walk the entire 25 kms.

It is May 18th and we have 6 people walking today- Jan and I stayed apart from the team and set out at a brisk pace at about 9.00. Our Dingle guest house is basically right on the trail so our exit from Dingle was pretty straight forward. We are walking to Dunquin where there is no accommodation so we have to shuttle back to Dingle. In view of the state of health, Jan and I plan to mask up on a public bus for our return to Dingle.

We arrived at about the half way point at Ventry Harbour and had a nice beach walk before the rain started - I very cleverly put on my new rain jacket but did not don my rain kilt. As a result pants and legs got very wet- As it turned out there were no more rain events on the last few hike days so I never got another chance to check out the kilt- the other team members did not seem to be in a hurry to purchase one of these excellent pieces of kit???

After Ventry Beach the trail got more difficult and the rain more intense.The next part of the trail was supposed to be quite scenic-wild and rocky beaches, crashing waves etc but we did it in a rainy and misty fog so couldn't see 50 feet in any direction. This is what we expected Ireland to be - we were way out in front of the team at this point and kept up a fast pace as we were wet and cold.After coming down off the mountain on to the road, there was a feeling that the day's hike was nearly over. This was incorrect.

We finally arrived at the Kruger Pub at 3.15 (25 Kms) -excellent tough day. After a refreshing beer and some peanuts we caught the highly efficient local bus right outside the pub door back to Dingle. Hot shower, dry clothes and a huge roast beef dinner restored us back to near normal.

The next day we had to take the bus again arriving back at the Kruger Pub about 9.30. This will be another long day (26 Km) with much of it on asphalt and there will be a long beach walk. We started off climbing and then turned on to a nice path which led us downhill to a small beach.The party was soon over as we spent the next hour on asphalt. That is the one failing of the Dingle Way-too much road walking.At 1130 we arrived at the beginning of a long beach walk leading up to Murreagh. We met up with our group at the Tigh PT Pub - lots of walkers there.

The next part of the walk took us along high cliffs overlooking the ocean with a wild flower covered path. This was the most spectacular part of the trip. We made it to the An Botha Pub/B and B and not a moment too soon- sore feet and shins. However the good news is that Jan did a Covid retest and it was negative!!! We now can rejoin the team which we did for beers and a nice meal. Tomorrow will be the big challenge as we have to climb up to about 2900 feet.

Today is May 20th and it is Jan's birthday. She celebrated by applying K-tape to my sore shins. I also tossed the Voltaren and loaded my socks with raw wool. We left the B and B at 8.45 and almost immediately started climbing. On the way up the mountain J and I were moving at a good pace but a German couple we had seen before on the trip went by us like we were standing still.

There was an intense debate (argument) between Jan and I about todays distance as Jan was going by the itinerary which said distance was 25 Kms. However a number of us calculated it at 18 Kms due to accommodation locations. More on this later...

Jan was about a kilometre ahead by the time we got to the top. We then had a long series of stone steps to get down the other side. The descent is tougher than the ascent and my knees usually give me an advantage going down. After getting down the far side of Mount Brandon, we stopped for lunch. The next part involved another ascent and asphalt before arriving at Cloghane and O'Conners Bar/Bnb. The actual watch recorded distance was 18 Kms which took us about 6 hours. All six of us made it up and down the mountain.

Today was the first day we had luggage problems and we had to wait about 1.5 hours-luckily there was beer. Rooms here were not the best of the trip but dinner (roast lamb) was superb. Bed time was even earlier than usual. We think it rained all night.

Gear is fairly important of a trip of this nature. It becomes even more critical in poor weather. However we have been very fortunate with only one day of rain.

The first critical item is foot wear and three of us are in high cut boots and three are wearing low cuts. Jan and I are both wearing Vasque Breeze boots with Sole insoles. I have smart wool socks and thin liners on and use an anti-chafe stick. At the first sign of chafing/burning I apply a layer of raw wool directly to the area under my liner sock. I try to have a dry pair of socks to put on each day and one occasion changed socks at mid day.

For clothing it is good to dress in layers. A tolerance for smelly clothes is important in order to allow repeat use of long sleeved dri-wear as a base top. Stretchy hiking pants seemed popular among the group. Everyone had rain gear tops with 5 people having rain pants. As noted enlightenment comes with a rain kilt.

Hiking poles are helpful on this walk but not a necessity depending on the state of your knees. I found having one pole was good for downhills especially on the back side of Brandon. Also good for encounters with itinerant dogs. (none on this trip)

Water consumption is quite important. The choice is between one or two refillable bottles or a water bladder in the pack- I chose the latter and would probably do so again.

My pack of choice was a 2.11 tactical with side pouches and added cell phone and Ipod cases on the shoulder straps. This pack is water resistant but not water proof and was pretty damp on the rain day. This pack is also fairly heavy on its own. It is very comfortable but in retrospect I might go with a different pack on subsequent trips.

Having smartphones has become helpful/essential on trips like this. On our previous trips we were still using paper maps with cell phone apps as a supplement. The Mac's Adventure tour company had a few failings but the trail app was not one of them. It was very helpful and easy to follow on our phones. Another good thing is to have cell phones to communicate with each other when travelling in a group. Three of us had pre-bought UK based sim cards, two people bought sim cards in Ireland and one person stuck with the Canada sim card and left the phone in airplane mode.We all used Whatsapp for messages which worked well. The best choice seemed to be to buy a sim card in Ireland.

The next day will be our last long day of walking. We have to walk to Castlegory and then get a shuttle from there back to the Country Shores Bed and Breakfast which is about 8 kms from Cloghane (17 kms from trails end)



After a great breakfast all 6 of us hit the trail (road) at 915. One early highlight was crossing a classic old bridge over a very scenic private water trout stream. The road was a bit busy and after about 6 Kms, we cut through a field and on to a beach. Excellent walking surface and we stopped for lunch at about Km 12 ( just past a very dead whale) The beach then curved around to go out to a peninsula/point. An interesting highlight was the presence of a number of sand buggy sail racers who were flying at great speed along the hard packed sand.

My left foot was getting sore so I decided to not do the whole trail around the point. ( cut off about 2 km) Beach walk continued an far side here and it turned from hard sand to round stones - then on to a busy road for last stretch into Castlegory and Mcintyres Bar. Four other team members (David, Nancy, Jan and Harold) arrived a bit later. Marsha gat a taxi back from the B and B and we all enjoyed dinner and beer. The locals were all watching a Hurling match between Limerick and Tiperary on the bar tv (very enthusiastic viewing audience)

We then caught the shuttle to the exquisitely appointed Country Shores Bed and Breakfast. Tomorrow will be the last walk of the trip with a a short 10 km hike to Camp Junction to see our pal Hugo (and John)

Once again breakfast was superb-smoked salmon really does go with eggs.We were then shuttled in two cabs back to Castlegory, where we started out on the road. After a bit of obligatory asphalt, we switched to a gravel path before going back on to a beach. All six of us were walking more or less together today and after leaving the beach we did some church yard exploration.Lots of elaborate headstones...

It was then a short walk up the hill to the highway, a left turn and a few hundred meters to the pub- we had yet another round of beers before continuing the climb up to the Camp House. After showers it was back down to the Junction Bar for dinner. I got a rousing chorus of happy birthday even though the actual day is tomorrow. (77)

The next day we went our separate ways (all via Tralee) Marsha , Jan and I then caught the bus to Galway via Limerick. The bus was pretty crowded with lots of sneezers and coughers and we got to Galway at 2.00. The bus station was about 2.5 kms from the Bay View B/B. After dinner, we took a taxi to the entertainment venue for the the Trad on the Prom Irish entertainment night.This turned out to be one of the best events of the trip with amazing Irish dancers and excellent music. We had arranged for the taxi to return for us but he pulled a no show-one of the show staff saw our dilemma and gave us a ride right to the hotel. ( we like Galway)



Our hotel is not doing breakfast so we had to find a nearby restaurant and we were directed to a great spot within a short walk (Frends) Navigating rush hour streets has its challenges , especially at traffic circle intersections but we survived without any catastrophes.The pickup point for todays tour is at a youth hostel near the town centre so we had a 3 km walk to get there. The bus driver did some open mike cursing about late comers-quite entertaining. The bus left Galway right on time and we had a great ride through the country side along the coast to Doolin and the nearby Aran Islands ferry terminal.



We are ferry experts given our place of residence. This ferry is passenger only and 98% tourist and is a short ride of about 40 minutes. Upon arrival people are set upon in a nice way by various local entrepreneurs who are offering bike rentals, horse cart rides an/or guided walks. There is a pub and a few shops and It is important to keep an eye out for ferry return times. We hiked up the hill to a castle ruins site, then back down to a pub for lunch.Our last act before lining up for the ferry was purchasing a package of locally made fudge.



The return included a tour along the rough shores of the cliffs of Mohr, which was very impressive. Getting to the cliffs involved a bit of wave action. This shore is the location of one the famous Martello towers of the Napoleonic wars. It was part was an early 19th century coastal signal system built by the British to guard against a French invasion. Apparently several were built in Canada....



After the shore cruise we returned to port and caught the bus to the shore park version of the Cliffs of Mohr. The interpretive centre had similarities to the Giants Causeway centre-same design team? These tourist sites must have cost millions to construct. We returned to Galway after the visit- my vow to avoid all future bus tours has been strengthened. We had dinner at the Kings Head Pub (last Irish stew) and then walked home.

For our last day in Ireland we caught the 930 train to Dublin- very crowded and full of tourists from our neighbour to the south. We arrived at Hueston station at noon and walked to the Blooms Hotel.

I got rid of a few Euros in Rory's fishing store and then verified our bus pickup location for tomorrow. Via SMS,Air Canada is already letting us know that it has plans to make the trip home as bad as possible. We had booked the flight originally to arrive in Toronto so we could catch the connecting flight that arrived in YWG at 340 pm. However AC has indicated this is not on, and has rebooked us on a late flight to Winnipeg.It looks like a 7 hour layover in Toronto is coming up.

The next day we were 3.5 hours leaving Dublin which does apparently make us eligible for a claim for late airline performance- Apparently 600 euros for each of us?? We finally arrived in Toronto about 340, spent a few painful hours waiting and arrived in Winnipeg at 10.00 (only 6.5 hours late-arrival at West Hawk Lake was about 1.00 AM)



However it was a fabulous trip-my 10 best things in order:

1) The Dingle Way Walk - 153 kms with a great group of people.

2) Galway Trad on the Prom

3) Belfast downtown, Linen Museum, Sawyers Deli

4) Titanic Museum-Belfast

5) Immigration Museum in Dublin

6) Train rides (Dublin to Belfast return, Dublin to Tralee)

7) Rory's Fishing Store-Dublin

8) Pubs - especially rural ones...

9) "Discover Outdoors Store" in Belfast -I think Simon -a bloke in the woods shops there

10) Learning a lot of Irish history.

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Photos

Temple Bar
In the heart of downtown Dublin

Iris whiskey labels
A lot more brands than I ever knew

Train station
The only way to travel..

Dinner music
We spent a few nights in places like this

Ready to head out for the day
Lunch, water, rain gear, extra socks, phone and IPOD

South Pole Inn
Famous ancestor- Thomas Creem

Dingle Way animal series continued
Donkey in a door way....

A very common roadside shrub
In Canada we get these as hanging plants

Day 2 stepping stone bridge
One of the trail beauty spots

Day one lunch stop
There are five of us....Dave is taking the picture

Castle Antrim
One of many castles on the route

Dingle way animal series
Harold managed to get one of these to come for an apple

Greeter at Camp House B/B
Hugo

A VERY LARGE ONLOOKER
He was mainly interested in the cows in the next field

Flowers on the right ocean on the left
Most scenic part of the trail

Along side Mount Brandon
A challenging day

French drain-Irish version
I think you need a backhoe to build these...

Bridge over trout stream
I think this was private water

End of day refresher
I think this was our second last day

Dingle Way crest
Symbol on many signposts

First night in Galway
Trad on the Prom