This morning, I woke up to the delightful serenade of birds, which naturally had me dreaming of a bright, sunny sky. But alas, my first peek out the window was a reality check; the clouds were so thick they could give a mountain a run for its money in the hide-and-seek department. Not a hint of blue in sight, and yet, shockingly, the rain forecast was a solid 0%.
Breakfast was set for 7:45, and we strolled down around 7:40, only to find the door firmly locked—cue the classic waiting game.
I think what we had is self explanatory.
Those are potato waffles.
After a brief intermission in our room to gather our gear, we descended the stairs, only to be greeted by a drizzle that seemed to have perfect timing. Out came the rain gear, and off we went, ready to embrace the wet adventure!
14.3 miles
ascent 1,112.2' / descent 1,204.1' (it really wasn’t, see the stats at the end of the post)
Zigzag clover
The sky is heavy with clouds
In roughly half an hour, the clouds began to break apart, and voilà—the blue sky made a triumphant appearance!
We followed winding back roads that eventually brought us down to the sea, where the ruins of Min Aird Castle came into view.
The stark ruins of Min Aird Castle, overlooking a stone beach scattered with smooth, wave-worn rocks.
Min Aird Castle, a 16th century tower house built of cill mhuire sandstone. It was attacked by Cromwell’s army in 1650 and structurally damaged. It’s so much larger than it looks in the photos.
We walked along the stones beneath the ruins, where smooth, weathered rocks stretched out in every direction. The roughness of the landscape only made it more beautiful. Words can’t capture the overwhelming vastness and power of God’s creation, or my emotions as I stand here and gaze upon it.
We walked on up the road from the castle, it’s a steep section of rocky trail before joining the tarmac again. I would estimate that 90% of the walk today was on tarmac. It destroys the feet, hips and knees.
Rugosa rose. It was the most fragrant rose we’ve ever smelled.
And a bud
Lady’s glove or foxglove
A cow and a sheep checking us out.
Kody was full of puns today. She asked these guys if they were feeling sheepish.
Ribwort plantain
They were growing all along side the wonderful tarmac we walked on all day. If you know me, you know I don’t think there’s anything wonderful about walking on tarmac.
This church photo looks like a painting
I’m including photos of every scrap of trail that wasn’t tarmac because it was so appreciated even when going straight uphill.
Geranium
Kody said would you like a cup of tree?
She tried to make friends with this horse but he wasn’t having it. I’m pretty sure he was hungry from the looks of his pen.
Another narrow bridge over crystal clear water
Part of the trail passed through people’s fields—actual working farmland. We followed narrow tracks lined with stone walls, and whenever we came to one, there’d be a turnstile or a set of steps built into the stones so we could climb over. Most of the stiles were at the end of the walk, when our feet and legs were weary. The stone stile below was much easier on the feet than the steep. narrow steps of the metal ones above.
An opening in the stone wall for moving sheep from one pasture to another.
Bright yellow gorse spilled over the tops of the walls, wild and cheerful, as if it had been growing there forever. It's really pretty from a distance, (prickly as a porcupine up close) and terribly invasive.
Walking up the final hill before descending into Dingle.
Rapeseed (Brassica napus) is a bright yellow, four-petaled flower in the mustard family, widely grown for oilseed and commonly found growing wild along roadsides. It blooms from late April through summer, featuring bluish-green leaves that clasp the stem and long, slender seed pods.
Entering Dingle
Our third day’s hike ended in Dingle—the biggest village on the peninsula. The town has an easygoing, lively feel, with pubs on almost every corner, each with its own personality. But Dingle’s not all pubs. It’s also home to great restaurants, an aquarium, lots of little shops to explore, and a harbor where you can hop on a boat for whale watching or head out to the Blasket Islands. There were many people in this photo so I used my trusty eraser to remove them. I left a few in for you.
The town area has been occupied since ancient times when the Celts built a fort here. Under the Anglo-Normans it developed as a walled town. Strong trading links were made with France and with Spain. In the late 16th century the English took control and excise officers were appointed to try to extract taxes from illegal wine importers.
Traditionally a fishing and market town, tourism is now Dingle's main source of income, enhanced by the shooting of the film Ryan's Daughter in 1969. Fungie, an agile and sociable dolphin, arrived in 1983 and boosted tourism further with boat trips that guaranteed sightings. I’m pretty sure he hasn’t been spotted for years. The tourists come in by the bus loads.
After 5 hours of hard hiking, we were starving and decided that Harrington’s fish and chips were just the ticket.
Which had to be followed up with Murphy’s homemade ice cream. I had two flavors:
Irish Brown Bread - Arán Donn
The brown bread is supplied by McCambridge. The bread goes into the oven with muscovado sugar for 8 hours to caramelise, only then is it ready for the ice cream.
Chocolate Whiskey - Fuisce Seacláide
This flavor is made using Teeling Whiskey and Valrhona Chocolate. The earthy flavor and alcoholic tang of a strong whiskey add a great deal to chocolate, whether it be in truffles, in a sauce or in ice cream.
It was very windy and at one point blew my spoon right out of my cup. I was not happy about that.
Kodys two flavors:
Dingle Sea Salt - Salann
Their best selling Sea Salt ice cream comes straight from the Atlantic Ocean. They make their own salt for this flavor, from Dingle sea water they collect at Bín Bán beach. It is filtered and boiled down to become ready for the ice cream.
Irish Cream Liqueur - Bó Bhán
(white cow) in Irish, the ice cream features a rich, creamy taste and is made with Irish cream liqueur from Salthill based Micil Distillery.
Now it’s back to the B&B for showers and rest.
We’re staying at Brosnan’s B&B. a new family run B&B situated in a quiet cul- de sac two minutes stroll from the town center where traditional pubs and restaurants are in abundance. The B&B is in a idealyic location as it’s built along one of Dingle's famous walkways, "The Cooleen Way".
Today's Stats:
Miles - 14.8
Steps - 34,994
Ascent - 2,218’
Time - 5 hrs 5 min
The next phrase in the song: “Let the fiery, cloudy pillar
Lead me all my journey through”
The hymn describes the experience of God’s people in their travel through the wilderness from the escape from slavery in Egypt, Exodus 12-14, being guided by a cloud by day and a fire by night, Exodus 13:17-22 to their final arrival forty years later in the land of Canaan, Joshua 3. During this time their needs were supplied by God, including the daily supply of manna, Exodus 16. The hymn text forms an allegory for the journey of a Christian throughout their life on earth requiring our Redeemer’s guidance.
It emphasizes that even at the times when we find life at its most difficult, our powerful God is here to guide and support us. We don’t need a pillar of fire or cloud to show us the way because we have the Holy Spirit in us to guide and direct our lives.
“It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” Deuteronomy 31:8
“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’”
Isaiah 30:21
“The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.”
John 10:3-4
I can’t think of anything more comforting than to know of God’s providence in our lives and to know that He goes before us and knows us by name.
I know how you dread and dislike tarmac walking. Ugh!! That was a lot of it. I’m so glad you posted all the trail photos. I’m constantly struck by the beauty and memories. The first two you posted, with the heavy clouds, were breathtaking. The church photo did indeed look like a painting. I’ve never cared for roses, but that rugosa rose was beautiful. I could almost feel the smoothness of the stones beneath the ruins, and smell the weathered rocks stretching out. The fish and chips at Harringtons 😁 I’m pretty sure there is a picture almost identical to the one of the marina in the blog from our time there. Yummy looking and described ice cream. Did you get recipes? 😂 Love, J
ReplyDeleteI actually do have recipes for almost all their flavors. Of course we won’t have Belgian cows for cream and milk or be making our own Atlantic sea salt, or have Teeling whiskey, but I bet we can get close. 😁
DeletePlease let me know when you make those delicious ice creams, oh my goodness! The church is beautiful - will you paint it or maybe the stone stile? Thanking God with you for His providence and guidance. - CJ
ReplyDelete