Glencar to Glenbeigh 18km

Today was our 44^th wedding anniversary and what a lovely place to spend the day.

I had berry smoothie and fruit platter for breakfast, it came with a boiled egg! Not much fat and protein and too much carbohydrate. It included kiwi fruit, banana, mandarin, apple, grape, strawberry, grape fruit, pineapple, orange, melon, and I don’t know what in the smoothie. Just a oncer. Back to scrambled or poached eggs tomorrow.

It rained a little overnight and it was cooler this morning with much lower humidity. An easy walk today. Starting alongside Lough Acoose on tarmac and after 4kms heading off into plantation forest on flat grass tracks and forest roads following the Caragh River. The only down side was whenever we stopped, say for a Kanteen coffee, we were engulfed in midges. They loved the river valley too.

After a few kms of this we turned to go up a rise and were welcomed to ‘come away with the fairies’. This was a very dense Enchanted Forest. Someone, a school party perhaps, had made little signs, gnomes, fairy houses, butterflies, faces on trees, little doors into trees, etc decorating the path. Some things were obvious but some were sneakily hidden away. At the highpoint of the forest, with great views out over Lough Caragh, there was ‘Fairy Rock’ where you could make a wish. I think every second person wished the midges would go away. The Enchanted Forest lasted about 2 km and was a wonderful amusement to make the time pass quickly.

Toward the end of the day we had the option of doing 9kms on a flat scenic route but on the road, or a 4km hilly climb over Windy Gap on a track. We decided on the latter. It was a steep climb but on a broad path and at the top we did squeeze through a small gorge at Windy Gap. Fortunately it was a clam day and no wind. Behind us was a view to the MacGillycuddy’s Reeks and Lough Caragh and ahead a new vista looking over to the Dingle Peninsular. We could see Inch Strand which is where we were on the first day of the Dingle Way.

Glenbeigh is such a contrast to the remote valleys we have been in for the last three days. They were almost deserted with just one or two houses scattered about, and very quiet farm roads. Now there are houses by the dozen and Glenbeigh is on the Ring of Kerry main road. So there is traffic and lots of it. We are hoping the track moves away from the road and we can enjoy some more peace and quiet.

Mary, the owner of the B & B last night, was very kind and obliging (and cooked great food) but she had signs up everywhere saying on no account were guests to do clothes washing or hang wet clothes in the rooms. So tonight we have done a double lot of washing and our room looks like a Chinese laundry.

Old Irish Proverb of the day: Two people shorten the road.