25 January 2010

Monday


Photo: Valerie O Sullivan www.valerieosullivan.com

It's early Tuesday morning, think I may have woken up the landlady. Yesterday went well, we covered 26km from Shrone, near Rathmore, to Gearraroe B&B, just outside Millstreet.

Driving to the start of my journey the Paps peeked out of swirling white mist. The haze made it hard to tell where the mountains ended and where the cloud began... Derrynafinnia and Lough Glannfreaghaun is an area I'll be returning to; the narrow isolated valley was like a set from the Lord of the Rings.

The start and finish of the day was exactly what I'd expected the Blackwater Way to be like; soft, heathery hillside; undulating grassy trails and misty forest tracks. The middle section of Monday was a lot of quiet country roads with the occasional car.

When I stopped for a break and both animals promptly lay down beside each other and went to sleep I realised what a long day it had been for them!

Millstreet is a busy little town, the constant noisy trucks driving the streets didn't do much for Bob's nerves although Cara was happily oblivious to all dangers!

Naturally the one place I would have to get lost is Millstreet town centre, so only after two laps of the town, with both animals in tow, did I find the Macroom road which led to our B&B.

People seem to very much take it in their stride, when they see us coming; although we did get a couple of strange looks, one couple crossed the street to avoid us, and Bob gave a little old granny a bit of a fright when he went to say hello to her!

I'm not sure how Bob the goat is going to do; he's pretty tired. I'm going to go back into Millstreet this morning and get some barley to perk him up a bit.

We're heading along the flanks of the Boggeragh Mountains today. We need to get to Nad or Bweeng to find civilisation.

Bob and Cara have been offered accommodation on Wed night with the nuns at the Nano Nagle Convent, so I'm on a bit of a schedule now to make it to Mallow in two days.

6 comments:

  1. best of luck great pics

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  2. Great stuff Nathan. Hi to the 2 of the 3 of you that have sense!

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  3. Great writeup and fair play to you for carrying that back pack 26km!
    The first shot with the Paps in the background is absolutely superb.

    Paul
    www.walkingandhikingireland.com

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  4. i hope Eily was good to you last night out in Gearraroe. you've a nice day for walking today ... but a cold start at -4C this morning
    michael
    www.millstreet.ie

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  5. Great photos; good weather again today for the three of you; enjoy, and watch out for those horns!!

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  6. Thanks for the good wishes! Eily in Gearraroe last night was great - she kept my animals fed on bird feed all night!

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