Camp to Annascaul 9/20/26

 Good evening.  It was morning when I started this journey and now it is night.

Today was about thirteen miles.  In many ways, it was easier than yesterday.  I didn’t have to wade through so many streams. Yesterday was so strenuous that I was still a bit tired. This was one of the few streams that I had to cross, and there were convenient rocks. Usually they are spaced too far apart for my short, stubby legs, but these were just right.

I saw many multicolored sheep today. For centuries, locals viewed the misty paths as haunted by phantom travelers and hounds, while farmers utilized the lower hills for grazing. I guess the ghosts didn’t come down to the hills.

The morning started with an hour-long uphill climb.  Pant Pant! Gasp Gasp! But then I came to a couple of miles of flat.

The scenery was beautiful.

The flat didn’t last, and it was back to steep up and very little down.

The area between Camp and Annascaul on the Dingle Peninsula is dominated by the Slieve Mish mountain range.  Irish folklore connects the name Sliabh Mis to Mis, a legendary princess and wild woman of great strength said to have lived and roamed the high crags.

I have passed a number of these gorgeous hydrangeas.  Look at that vibrant color.

A little trickier section of trail.  Managed to keep my still-damp boots out of the water.

Local legend connects Lake Annascaul to the mythical hero Cú Chulainn, who is the most famous hero in Irish mythology, known for his superhuman strength and terrifying battle frenzy.  In battle, he could enter a horrifying trance where his body twisted and turned into an unrecognizable, monstrous, wasp-like shape that knew no friends or enemies.

This was the only place open when I arrived.  The sign says Ashe’s Black Pudding Company.

The only sandwich they had was made with black pudding. If you don’t know, black pudding is a type of blood sausage popular in Ireland. It is made from pork or beef blood, YUCK! I was hungry, so I ate an almond and raspberry tart.  Not the most nutritious late lunch, but it beat the heck out of blood sausage.

For dinner, the only place open that served food was the Shamrock Pub.  I liked the cartoon over the bar.

Their menu was small, with totally Irish dishes, but the special was Irish Stew.  It was delicious, thick and meaty with beef, onions, beans, and carrots, and had clearly been cooking all day.  In the middle were good old Irish potatoes, or as I grew up saying, arsh potatoes. I couldn’t begin to finish that huge bowl.

So this ends another fun day on the trail.

Good night and God Bless.