DW Day 6 - Dunquin to Ballydavid/Feohanagh

 A few more pics of the ‘sleeping giant’ as we leave the B&B  

The grass is always greener on the other side. 

Here’s a pic of Dunquin House where we lazed around for a day. 

We both opted for the plain croissant today with our poached eggs, fruit and yogurt parfaits, and toast. 

12 miles (notice our B&B is well before the end of the walk today)

ascent 567' / descent 666'

Today was a great bracing walk along the coastal paths, with stunning views of the wild Atlantic Ocean and secluded beaches. 

Blue ginger

First view of Three Sisters

It’s been misty/rainy all morning. 

Ruins

A renowned Irish potter, Louis Mulcahy, located at Clothar, offers coffee and cake in the cafe, or you can even try your hand at making pottery.

standing figures made of pottery

Marigold

Wonderful grassy path 

Ferriter's Cove is a small cove historically significant for archaeological discoveries, including evidence of Neolithic farming, featuring shell deposits and mudstone axes.

They could easily have left off the top two steps on this stile. 

We passed by Ferriters Cove and the iconic Three Sisters, (An Triúr Deirféar): These are three rocky peaks along the coastline, with the most northerly, Binn Diarmada, historically noted as the first part of Europe seen by Charles Lindbergh on his 1927 transatlantic flight. Jo Anne, maybe in the new earth, you and Kathy and I will be standing here looking at these peaks together. 

Beautiful yellow iris growing wild 

Duck Kody!

More three cornered leek 

Calla lilies

We checked and the bin was empty 

Jo Anne, these two, above and below, are for you

The trail swung east and took us along the sandy beaches of Smerwick Harbour.

These look like lava rock 

But it is spongy and breaks apart like compressed mud 

Eurasian whimbrel

Inland waters cutting through the sand to the sea

Kody spotted this heart shaped stone 

This is Grainne (pronounced grah nya) 

She took our photo and we took hers. We had an amazing visit with her all about the history of the area. She was very knowledgeable, and told us about the Spanish wine trade, the massacre by the English and the oghom standing stones. 

She took about 8 pics

There were several of these sauna huts. People go for a swim in the sea and then warm up in the sauna. 

The harbor is infamous for the 1580 Siege of Smerwick at Dún an Óir (Fort of Gold), where English forces massacred hundreds of Spanish, Italian, and Irish troops.

Another sauna hut

We left the beach for a short, impassable area, where the rocks and sea met. 

The cliffs were dotted with more pink Armeria Maritima (thrift), adding vibrant pops of color to the rocky landscape. The farm fields were beautiful in every imaginable shade of green, stretched out like a patchwork quilt.

The trail along the cliff

More wild mustard along the trail

Standing ogham stones. 

Ogham is an Early Medieval alphabet used primarily to write the early Irish language (in the "orthodox" inscriptions, 4th to 6th centuries AD), and later the Old Irish language (scholastic ogham, 6th to 9th centuries). There are roughly 400 surviving orthodox inscriptions on stone monuments throughout Ireland and western Britain, with 60% of them in Southern Ireland. 

The plaque on the bottom says:

In honor of a famous pony and its trainer Tommy Houlihan, who emigrated from this place to America only to return in 1939 and raise his family here. Tommy had a great skill raising ponies and earned the nickname “The Golden Whip”. His most renowned ponies were “Honest Girl” and “Ballinrannig Boy”. Legend has it that Tommy’s golden whip is hidden within these walls and gifts happiness to all who pass here. 

Ballinrannig Boy may you gallop forever on the shores of west Kerry under a boundless sky with a gentle breeze flowing through your mane. 

Wine Strand beach is the place where casks of wine were washed ashore after the Spanish Armada was shipwrecked in 1588.

Our B&B is in that group of houses 

At first these looked like little pebbles washed ashore 

As we got closer we could see they were little piles from something

Turns out, what you’re spotting during low tide is none other than lugworm droppings! These little underground architects dig U-shaped burrows in the sand, munching on sand and water at one end and, well, excreting it at the other. Talk about a sandy recycling program! While they’re a testament to a thriving ecosystem, let’s be honest: the worms are not winning any beauty contests anytime soon.

We walked along Muiríoch Beach, feeling the breeze on our faces, listening to the waves crashing, and breathing in the salty air. How to take it all in.

Water flowing across the sand 

This is Eavha (Ava and her 26 yr old Connemara horse)

Our lodging tonight is Imeall Na Mara, a highly rated 4-star B&B, perfectly located on the water's edge, overlooking the harbor. However, our room is at the back overlooking the backyard and parking area. The plus is that it’s on the ground floor and we don’t have to carry our bags up or down the stairs.

Another sauna

We rolled into our B&B at 12:30, only to find it as empty as our stomachs. So, we strolled off in search of a cozy refuge from the biting wind, a bite to eat, and a way to bide our time until check-in at 3. The pub was a bit of a tease, opening at 1 with only soup on the menu until 2, when they finally decided to unleash their full culinary arsenal. We remembered another bar we had passed, so we gave it a shot, only to discover it was as foodless as a diet plan. The owner, a lovely woman around my age, welcomed us, and we settled in for a sparkling water and some delightful conversation. Turns out, a little chat over fizzy water can be the best appetizer of all!

 The menu was a bit of a letdown, so we dove right into another plate of fish and chips. Oops! I got so caught up in the moment that I forgot to snap a pic first!

It was an easy day of walking today and not too much rain. Very enjoyable with the cliffs and sea. 

Today's Stats:

Miles - 11.6

Steps - 26,802

Ascent - 860’

Time - 4 hrs 13 min

Back to our song, the “death of death in Hell's destruction” means I’ll be safe on Canaan's side. There's a lot of biblical imagery here, like in Revelation 20, where death and Hades get tossed into the Lake of Fire. It's the end of death and Hell's destruction that John talks about. After that, no one will die again, and only the faithful in Christ will remain. Williams is basically saying he wants to be on the right side, on Canaan's side, the side of life when death is finally defeated. 

Israel had to cross the river Jordon to enter Canaan. If you remember yesterday’s comments, they were on the “verge of Jordan” and were anxious. Why? Because ‘Canaan’s side’ is associated with “Death of death and hell’s Destruction”. Clearly the ultimate ‘promised land’ of heaven is in view. In the same way that God guided his Old Testament people safely to Canaan, even though they were often sinful, forgetful, unthankful and rebellious, we can be sure Christ will safely bring us to the new creation.

“I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.” John 10:28-29

For those of us who believe in Christ, we have a solid assurance that when all this happens, we'll be on God's side—the safe side—in our Father’s hand.