Tralee to Camp 9/19/26

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Good afternoon. I was so confused when I received my route.  As you notice, I am going to Camp. As it turns out, Camp is just the name of the town and not a camp as I know it. 

A mysterious door for Mary P.  In small letters, the bronze plate says, “Dr. Denis Buckley."

I took some time to visit St John the Baptist Church in Tralee.  By 1857, J.J. McCarthy, the most prominent Gothic Revival architect in Ireland at the time, had designed a new building and adjoining Presentation Convent in the Decorated Gothic style. It was built using local Old Red Sandstone with contrasting white limestone for the windows and doorways. For the tower and spire, completed by 1870, the architect George Ashlin used the limestone decoratively, giving this soaring element a distinctive lightness. (taken from information inside the church).  What a beautiful church both inside and out.

A look at the long aisle leading to the altar.

The beautiful stained glass behing the pulpit.

A most unusual stained glass window.

Another interesting stained glass window.

The beginning of the Dingle Way  (also known as the North Kerry Way),  one of Ireland's most famous and popular long-distance walking trails.  It is a circuit of the Dingle Peninsula, starting and finishing in Tralee.

The 'Exploration of Space', officially opened by Astronaut Neil Armstrong on April 18th, 1997, was a highly acclaimed exhibition, tracing the origins and development of space flight. Armstrong addressed a massive crowd on Denny Street on his first night in Tralee, where he opened the exhibit. The visit made headlines worldwide as Armstrong made few public appearances at the time. The sculpture's hand points outward.

Afterwards. Armstrong walked along the same pathway (the one I was on) at the beginning of the Dingle Way.  Neil Armstrong was given the Freedom of Tralee at a civic reception hosted by the Town Council and then Mayor, the late Maeve Spring, who préviously walked side by side with Neil Armstrong in 1997, as they made their way from the Ashe Memorial Hall to Siamsa Tire along the pathway that links the two buildings. The path is now known as NEIL ARMSTRONG WAY.

Although I walked very close to them, I had no problems. I was shocked that this swan could lay her neck snake-wise on his body.

The Blennerville Windmill is a fully restored 18th-century windmill located on the Wild Atlantic Way. It is also Ireland's largest Windmill.

This sign for Kerry Camino was at the beginning of the wilderness part of today’s trek,  

Today was truly a mountain hike.  A lot of steep up and down, and very tricky footwork with many loose rocks and streams to ford.

I can’t tell you how many times I missed the crossing stones and ended up in frigid water up to mid-calf. I spend most of the day with dripping boots and socks.

The gate guard. Sheep are not known to be aggressive, and he stayed right there while I opened the gate.

Thank heavens there was a bridge to cross this one.

There must have been twenty of these ladders over fences.

Looking out over the Dingle Peninsula. 

I passed my hotel just before 4:00 pm.  I was starving after walking 13.8 miles.  I walked down about a 1/4 mile and found this bar.  I ordered a Diet Coke and practically drank it all without taking a breath.

I learned that the kitchen was closing at 4:30.  YIKES! I certainly didn’t want to starve to death on a hike.

I wanted something filling because I wouldn't have anything until breakfast at my B&B. I ordered chicken goujons, which are small, thin strips of chicken breast coated in panko breadcrumbs and fried until crispy. There were six of them, and they tasted incredible, and I was sooooo hungry.  I hadn’t eaten anything except half a protein bar since breakfast. Of course, I had to have my ration of Sauvignon Blanc. I did have half of a rather large chocolate bar in my suitcase, and I polished it off as I wrote this.

So it's been an arduous but stunning day, with breathtaking scenery and water thrills galore.

I bid you good night, and God Bless!

 

Ballyvaughan 9/17/26

 

Good Morning!

I was supposed to do a circular hike that promised to highlight the area's flora and fauna.  It stormed last night, and the trail was flooded.  I was warned ahead of time that it floods frequently.

So I continued further along the coast.

This is very typical of the coastline: burren, flat rocks, and some greenery.  Much like yesterday - very flat and rocky. This area is called the Wild Atlantic Way because it highlights the rugged landscape, dramatic cliffs, and powerful weather shaped by the open ocean, not to mention the fierce coastal winds. It follows the naming convention of famous global coastal road trips like California's Pacific Coast Highway.

A small mini-market near my hotel.

The main church of Ballyvaughan parish is the Church of Saint John the Baptist in Ballyvaughan, built and twice rebuilt after damaging storms from 1858–1866. A graveyard surrounds the church. Its presence and the fact that the original church was built before 1302 inside a ringfort may indicate a monastic origin for this site.

I found the right window interesting because it shows leaping deer in the center.

And it had some interesting tile work.

I wanted to eat light tonight because I was hell-bent on ordering dessert.  I ordered an open-faced crab sandwich on brown bread, served with Marie Rose sauce. It had huge chunks of crab. Yum. It came with a mixed salad of green, slivered red and yellow peppers and sunflower seeds.

I went back to the same restaurant tonight because I was dreaming of the Eton Mess that I didn’t order last night.  Eton Mess is a traditional English dessert consisting of a mixture of berries, meringue, and whipped cream.  It was first mentioned in print in 1893 and is commonly believed to have originated at Eton College. It was a winner - everything I love about a dessert.

On my way back to my hotel, I saw this house with four perfectly rounded piles of stones, clearly meant to be decorative. I thought them rather strange, but to each, his/her own.

So I bid you goodnight and God Bless!

Doolin to Ballyvaughn 9/16/26

Good morning, at least when I took this photo

My hosts, Pat and Rita, own the Pairc Lodge in Doolin, Ireland.  The beautiful dog is Rex, and he could be named Rotten Rex.  He is the sweetest thing and is pampered by the owners and guests alike.

Sometimes things just go wrong.  I will take 75% of the blame.  I looked over my information numerous times, and I missed/wasn’t clear that I was to take the luggage transport to a village about 9 miles away to start today’s trek. Originally,  I couldn’t connect with the trail map, and I couldn’t figure out which way to go.  Finally, after about 2 miles, I realized I had walked completely the wrong direction.  Just call me Wrong-Way James. After I had walked 14.5 miles, I realized that I still had 9 to go, and it was about 3:30. I was in a beautiful place for a number of miles, but there were no hotels, no bars, nothing but beautiful scenery.  

This area is called the Burren.

 

The Burren is a stunning, moon-like limestone landscape in County Clare made of cracked grey limestone pavement, underground caves, and fossils. 

Beautiful scenery.

And flowers!

A bar!  Is it a mirage?  Nope. After much effort and a few prayers, I managed to book an Uber, but I had to pay a pretty penny for the driver to come out to this remote area.

Look at these sweet faces.

I am staying two nights at the Hylands Burren Hotel in Ballyvaughan.  The red building is my hotel, and it extends for a half-block out the rear of that building. It is quite nice - rather posh. Ballyvaughan was originally a fishing village, but now it caters equally to boaters, sailors, and tourists.

In Ballyvaughan, I have seen several of these new houses with modern thatched roofs.  I think they look terrific, very reminiscent of the past without the upkeep!

Just to add to my aching feet.  I walked another mile to Monks Ballyvaughan, a fine-dining restaurant with an interesting story. Monks Ballyvaughan is steeped in history, with origins dating back to the late 1800s. Once home to Peter J. O'Loghlen, a publican and Clare TD (elected member of Congress) in the 1930s, the house welcomed notable guests, including Éamon de Valera, an Irish statesman who served as president of Ireland from 1959 to 1973. During Ireland's turbulent past, the building withstood threats from the Black and Tans and remained a symbol of resilience. Situated by Ballyvaughan Pier, the premises once played a vital role in supplying North Clare, with the O'Loghlen family serving as skilled boat pilots guiding essential goods ashore.

I ordered the fish pie with salmon, smoked haddock & prawns, fennel cream, vine tomatoes, parmesan crumb, and side salad. It was a velvety combination of succulent fish, lightened by halved cherry tomatoes with just the right touch of fennel and topped with buttery crumbs.

So all’s well that ends well.  It was still a terrific day but I am pooped.

Good night and God bless.

Doolin to Inis Oirr 9/15/26

Good morning. 

I saw this waterfall as I headed to catch the boat to Inis Oirr or Inisheer, the smallest of the Aran Islands.

The view as the boat comes into the harbor. With 343 residents as of the 2022 census, it is the second-most populous of the Arans. 

If I thought the water was rough yesterday, I hadn’t seen nothin’ yet.  We rocked and dipped, and at one point, I was sitting directly behind the captain's quarters when the boat took a huge dive and water came over that top area and drenched me- just me, no one else.  I was so shocked.  Dang, that water is breathtakingly cold.  Brrrrr!  All I could do was laugh.  Still, the trip over was exhilarating. I felt like Queen of the Ocean.

There is a six-mile trail/walk on the Island that I turned into seven miles, missing the crooked little turns. What this walk lacked in distance, it made up in steep ups and steep downs.

It was very windy, and you can see which way the wind blows.

This bike was just parked there with no fear of theft. There are no police on any of the Aran Islands.  I can not imagine leaving my bike parked like that in the US. It would be gone before I got my helmet off.

This is the very top wall on the Island.  I loved the lone horse posed up there, enjoying the day.

The Aran Islands have nearly 1500 miles of dry stone walls. Generations of islanders built these stone walls over several centuries, mainly to clear the land. 

There are quite a few of these signs. They must have a lot of bikers who take a spill going downhill.

O’Brien’s Castle, also known as Furmina Castle or The Great Fort, is an impressive tower house dating to the 14th century, built on the site of an ancient ringfort as a stronghold for the O'Brien dynasty. It was built to watch the sea and guard Galway Bay against pirates and plunderers.   The island chiefs controlled the western sea passages. Merchants in Galway paid the O'Briens an annual tribute—including 250 gallons of wine—to keep the trade routes safe from sea raiders. 

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Wild blackberries grew down every one of the many stone walls.  They were really sweet, and I wanted to pick some for a pie, but I didn’t have a bucket. Nor a stove, for that matter. As a kid, I used to pick blackberries for my grandmother, Mama James, and she would make the world's best cobbler.  Mama James made me wear a bonnet so I wouldn’t get sunstroke.  I hated (and still do) anything on my head.  Papa James would make me carry a hoe for rattlesnakes. 

The Plassey was a steam freighter that carried a varied cargo when it was lost in a storm in the 1960s. The 600-tonne ship was caught in terrible Atlantic weather, blown into Finnis Rock, and eventually driven by strong winds to the eastern edge of Inis Oírr. The eleven crew onboard survived, thanks to the brave islanders who rescued them from certain death and salvaged the cargo. I had visions of pirates and ghost ships, but the real story may be even better.

Isn’t he cute?

Loch Mór, or the Big Lake, is the island's only freshwater lake.

I had about 45 minutes before it was time to catch the return ferry, so I went into the island's only bar.  I guess if you only have 340 people, you just need one bar.  If it were Spain, they would have at least 12 bars. I ordered a Coke Zero and a bowl of vegetable soup.  The soup was good. I kept seeing the young bartender give the local men glasses of water, and they would squirt this Mi Wadi into it. Like a community bottle. I had to ask him about it.  Evidently it is very common here, and it is free. He gave me some water, and I tried the orange one.  It is just very concentrated flavoring and has no alcohol, but he said it could certainly be used with alcohol. I liked it.

Look at the beautiful color of the water.

I did a little research on the best pubs in Doolin.  McDermott's was listed right after O’Connor's, the number one pub.  I ate at O’Connor’s last night. I had to walk almost two miles each way, but it was fun to try a new place.

I  ordered the fish and chips, and at first, I saw the chips and thought they were frozen.  Surely not!  They weren't frozen, but they weren't chunky chips, which I have become accustomed to. The Cod was excellent, crisp without being greasy. I think O’Connors is slightly better, just slightly because of the atmosphere.

That is all that is fit to print.

Good night and God Bless.