Feohanagh to Cloghane 9/26/26

 What a fabulous day. No misty wetness like yesterday.

Today was advertised as strenuous, with an exclamation point. It lived up to that description and more. I might have added another exclamation point. And it was iver 16 nukes,

There it is, clouded in mystery, the mountain we must climb over to reach our night’s lodging. Today’s walk rated up there with some of the legendary Alps hikes. It might have been the steepest walk of all of my journeys.  No switchbacks, just straight up.  It is very hard to train for extreme uphill climbing in Louisville, Kentucky. Anyone who has trained on weight machines knows that the idea is to totally fatigue the muscle. Well, it was so severe that I exhausted my thigh muscles about halfway up, making the other half a challenge. 

That is a curious cow peeping over the stone wall at me.  Probably laughing.

A beautiful look back at the previous days.

Deep, sticky mud to slog through.The start of the “long up.”  Doesn’t look too bad from here.  Au contraire!  It was two hours of the most grueling steep incline that I have ever faced. 

Looking back at a fellow hiker..

And another one trying to catch her breath.

OMG!  Please let this be the top. It wasn’t! When I made a right turn, there was almost another mountain to climb.

The view from the top was absolutely stunning.  I will admit that I wasn’t so fond of that uphill, kill-my-thighs climb, but once I caught my breath, I wanted to plant a USA flag. I made it! Whoohoo!  It is amazing how much more fun a big climb is in hindsight.

The ewe is looking up at a Raven on the post.

The first part of the descent was just as straight down as the climb was up.  I actually had to get out my sticks, so I didn’t tumble on the wet rocks.  Then, hallelujah, there came a section that was more of a wide trail headed downward.

The scenery continued to be stunning.

Although these hydrangeas look fuchsia on my computer, they were red.  

On every walk, wild fuchsia lined the trails.  Oftentimes, they were mixed in with the continuous blackberry brambles. And I have eaten at least two sweet bucketfuls over the past week.

I had to walk across a field to get back to the trail.

Thank heavens, the last two miles were reasonably straightforward.  There was, however, about a 40 mph headwind.  But I was like a horse to the barn - I could smell the hay.

Look at those colors.

My humble B&B, O’Connors Guest House, is the purple one towards the end. It looked like paradise to me.

I ate at the restaurant pub, and it turned out to be surprisingly good. I had House Special Chicken Curry, which was a " fragrant, slow- simmered homemade special curry sauce, loaded with roasted seasonal

vegetables. Served with steamed basmati rice and a poppadom.”  

The longest walk this week is tomorrow, seventeen and a half miles, but not rated as strenuous and has no exclamation point.

I bid you Good Night and God Bless..

Dunquin to Feehanagh 9/24/26

 

What a glorious day!  It looked like rain all day, but it didn’t even mist until the last 20 minutes of my 14-mile journey.

Once again, the scenery was fabulous. It was 360-degree stunning.

The peninsula's magnitude left me breathless.  There were spectacular views of Ceann Sibéal to the west and, on the right, the peaks of the Three Sisters: Bin Diarmada, Binn

Meánach agus and Binn Hanar

My favorite art gallery on the walk.

Always good to know where you are.

Another horse for Janet.  Can you see how hard the wind is blowing?  This horse had enough gerth that it didn’t knock him off his feet.

The green against the rocks, against the ocean, with the mountain in the background.

"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 in training 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 brings happiness to all who pass here." 

I loved the quote at the bottom of the plaque, "Ballianing Boy may you gallop forever on the shores of West Kerry under a boundless sky with a gentle breeze flowing, through your mane.” Don’t we wish this for every horse we have loved.

How did I miss Wine Strand?  I read that Ireland doesn’t produce any wine.

I had to wade through a bunch of washed-up seaweed.

Siúloid na Faille follows a cliff-top path as it brings the walker along the beautiful

coastline from Baile na nGall to An Ghlaise Bheag. 

Coill an Ros, my easy-to-spot B&B for the night.

Our B & B host drove us to a nearby pub because the B & B doesn't serve dinner.

We had some excellent Irish entertainment. Note the accordion - Dennis!

My dining companions, Joan and Janet from Vermont. They weren’t staying at the same B&B, but I met them on the trail earlier.  They were such good company. Both had husbands who didn’t particularly want to hike long distances.

So tomorrow is my strenuous day with an exclamation point. Say some prayers!

Good night and God bless!

Dingle to Dunquin 9/24/26

Good morning to you all. Sorry I didn't post yesterday, but my hard drive is dying.  I couldn't get it to work, no matter how hard I tried. Thankfully, it's working today.  Just know that at some point during this trip, it may die for good.

I left Dingle today and walked along the docks.  Twice, because I left something at the hotel and had to go back. It added almost three miles to my walk.

Dingle's shores were lined with art.  I especially liked this boat sculpture.

I had every type of trail imaginable.I stared with some very steep up.

Then, I walked about two miles on the soft sand, which was hard on my legs. 

Walking along the water’s edge with the mountains in the background was so peaceful.  I have always loved the sound of the shore.

There were numerous bridges to cross.

My guide information said, “Your journey west continues into some of the wilder and more spectacular reaches of the Dingle Peninsula.” It was a stunning trek.

The minute I left the shore.  I had some brutal uphill, and it just kept going.

I didn’t turn the camera at an angle.  This is how steep it was.

The cove of Ventry was the site of a great mythological battle that lasted a year and a day. Fionn Mac Cumhaill and the Fianna were defending Ireland against a coalition of kings from across the known world, with Diarmuid Ua Duibhne performing the most extraordinary individual feats of the battle.

 The battle turned when Fionn’s allies from the Otherworld and from Ireland’s supernatural powers added their strength to the Fianna. Dáire Donn himself was killed in single combat—some versions have Fionn kill him; others give the honor to Diarmuid or another champion. With the king of the invaders dead, the coalition dissolved and the survivors fled to their ships. Ireland was defended. Ventry Beach was allegedly covered in the dead of half the world.

Breathtaking scenery.

I staggered into my B&B after 17.5 tough,  mountain miles.  I swear, I didn’t think I could take another step. I sat on the floor, drank a Diet Coke, debating whether to walk the block to a pub or just eat from my backpack. I should have gone with the pack.  I have some lovely Irish cheese with cranberries.  Actually, my food wasn’t terrible.  I ordered beef stew, and it was mediocre. I have been spoiled with excellent stews so far.

The bar’s claim to fame is that they are the most westerly bar in Europe.  I did have an excellent glass of New Zealand wine.

Good night and God Bless.