UK 9 Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Coast
Friday, 5 October 2018 5:20 pm
This morning another strenuous mountain climb to the top of Slieve League. Around 7kms return.
Cold, Windy and Raining .
We get to the top and can only see 20m in front of us, no Atlantic Ocean 600 metres below !
Todays drive is to just outside of Sligo
Camp E35: Knocknarea Trail Car Park west of Sligo.
Cost: Nil - Wild Camp
Altitude: 99 metres
Today : 125 Kms.
UK Total : 5,717 Kms
Friday 5th October 2018:
Yet another walk to the top of Maeve’s Cairn at the top of the 327m high Knocknarea mountain.
This is an un-excavated Passage Tomb dating back 3,400BC. Made up of millions of single rocks laid over a tomb, even today people are encouraged to bring a rock to add to the tomb. Currently it is 10m high and 55m in diameter.
In the same area is Carrowmore another tomb complex dating back to 3,700BC. More than 30 such tombs survive in this locality.
Here Knocknarea mountain can be seen in the distance with the Cairn on the top.
The Polish mechanic can only look tomorrow so we stay in the area .
An artist impression of Knocknarea mountain
Camp E36: Calleenamore Beach Car Park west of Sligo.
Cost: Nil - Wild Camp
Altitude: 10 metres
Today : 49 Kms.
UK Total : 5,766 Kms
Saturday 6th October 2018:
Further south to the Kylemore Abbey.
It was not a planned stop but a coffee stop was called !
Built in 1920 by a wealthy London Doctor, Mitchell Henry. eventually changing hands a number of times it now belongs to the Benedictine Community.
Michell Henry was good for the local community employing many during the Irish famine to build this structure and the adjoining walled gardens. He discovered that almost all of his workers houses on the estate had no windows. This was because at that time there was a high tax on glass and many families simply could not afford windows. He then insisted, and paid for the workers cottages to have windows to allow air and light into their homes.
INTERESTING POINT:
DID YOU KNOW, the term ‘daylight robbery” comes from this tax on window glass in the late 1800’s !
All along the road we see Peat Bog, and places where peat is cut for fire place use.
About a weeks work will supply an average home for a year. It is dried over the summer and carried back to the house. Peat is still used today in some houses.
It grows at the rate of 50mm per year
Camp E37: Roundstone Peat Bog Camp.
Cost: Nil - Wild Camp
Altitude: 36 metres
Today : 234 Kms.
UK Total : 6,001 Kms
Sunday 7th October 2018:
South of Galway are numerous Neolithic Sites dating back to 4200BC.
This is Parknabinnia Wedge Tomb or Dolmen. It is the burial site for around 30 individuals.
Most Dolmen consist 2 or 4 portal stones that support a large cap stone.
One of the most popular tourist attractions in Ireland are the 200m Cliffs of Moher.
Not as impressive as the 600m Slieve League cliffs but they still draw over 1 million visitors a year.
The price gouging of Euro12/person (A$20) for parking and access to the tourist shops is a bit over the top.
We find out later it is better to park up the road a bit for free.
The rain and wind is back with us so rather than camp near the coast we head inland to the forests.
Camp E38: End of track Forest Camp surrounded by ripe Blackberries.
Cost: Nil - Wild Camp
Altitude: 132 metres
Today : 227 Kms.
UK Total : 6,228 Kms
Monday 8th October 2018:
Continuing on the Loop Peninsula more rugged coastlines.
Jumped on yet another ferry from Killimer to Tarbert then a evening drive to Tralee. Camp sites are none and we settle on a parking yard in a remote church.
Dinner is at the Tankard Pub - Great meal then he offered us his ocean front yard to camp, sounds OK, particularly after a couple of Ciders.
We move the there BUT the wind is howling, the rain consistent so we sleep with the roof down.
Camp E39: Tankard Pub Front yard
Cost: Nil - Wild Camp
Altitude: 10 metres
Today : 214 Kms.
UK Total : 6,442 Kms
Tuesday 9th October 2018:
Today I am looking forward some mountain drives BUT we are thwarted not once but twice by signs.
The first on Connor pass - load limit 2 Tonnes we are legally 4.5 T actually 5.0...
Then the Dunloe Pass - Only local vehicles, Horses and Ponies !
BUGGER !
We drive the back roads to Killarney.
The road side is covered with Christmas Holly - it is a wild tree growing everywhere.
Killarney National Park is quite beautiful particularly the grounds around Muckross Abbey.
Though the park the Red Dear are often seen
This bull moans well into the night, and we hear him from our camp
Camp E40: Killarney National Park
Cost: Nil - Wild Camp
Altitude: 130 metres
Today : 182 Kms.
UK Total : 6,624 Kms
Wednesday 10th October 2018:
Venison steak VERY VERY rare...
Young and tender !
Did a loop around the Beara Peninsula.
This is Healy Pass built is 1847, a great drive.
The town of Allihies has some rather picturesque houses and pubs.
It is also an old Copper mining town so we head up into the hills to explore more.
Copper was discovered in 1813 and the copper veins were hand dug and the ore hand carried to the surface, here the women and children broke up the ore and extracted the raw copper.
Eventually in 1862 this engine house was built to provide power to move men and ore to the surface.
The mine closed in 1882 when the depth was at 424m.
That was well below the water table and some 280m below sea level.
Not our camp site but just one of the many typical houses in Ireland
Camp E41: Glengarriff Forest Park
Cost: Nil - Wild Camp
Altitude: 26 metres
Today : 161 Kms.
UK Total : 6,786 Kms
Thursday 11th October 2018:
Priest’s Leap
“Don’t even think about it if you have vertigo” was the Lonely Planets warning...just enough to make sure it was on my list.
400m up in less than 4kms.
In 1601 Father James Archer was resisting English troops and lead them up this pass. They gave chase until he and his horse leapt from the top of the pass into the next county.
Irish met issues warning:
“Orange wind warnings as Storm Callum is about to wreak havoc with winds up to 130kph, torrential rain, high seas and flooding”
So we are seeking refuse in a hidden valleys and away from big exposed trees.
Our hold out position.
The storm will hit 11pm this evening till 9am tomorrow.
In a valley, well above the river, in a depression and only young trees around..All Good
Camp E42: State Forest Park
Cost: Nil - Wild Camp
Altitude: 286 metres
Today : 107 Kms.
UK Total : 6,895 Kms
Friday 12th October 2018:
All good we survived. Not as bad as they projected, although we do see fallen trees on the road and in some villages.
Well done to Lyn also.
Dating back to 1210 this old Blarney Castle contained the ‘Stone of Eloquence’ or the Blarney Stone. So caused because Queen Elizabeth I is said to have invented the term ‘To talk blarney’ because Lord Blarney had the ability to talk forever and never actually agree to any of her demands.
Kissing the stone imparts to you the “ The gift of the Gab”
Rather than our usual Tesco or Aldi in was into the centre of Cork and their 1800’s English markets.
Camp E43: State Forest Park outside Cork
Cost: Nil - Wild Camp
Altitude: 190 metres
Today : 138 Kms.
UK Total : 7031 Kms
Saturday 13 October 2018:
The squirrels are stocking up for Winter,
....and the leaves are falling so we should start to turn towards home.
Tomorrow we catch the ferry from Ireland ( Rosslare ) to Wales ( Fishguard )
Thus we have some time to explore Wales.
Camp E44: Just outside Rosslare Harbour
Cost: Nil - Wild Camp
Altitude: 6 metres
Today : 236 Kms.
UK Total : 7268 Kms
TOMORROW WALES...