I should be home by now but when it came time for my predetermined flight time I just didn’t feel ready. You would think that after five months on the road I’d be more than ready but long term traveling has a way of becoming part of your identity. It becomes a way of life. I needed time to mentally shift gears and prepare myself for a transition back into a more conventional routine of work etc.
I called the airline and had no problem extending my time in abroad by six days in order to allow for one more excursion, a six day, eighty mile walk through the Wicklow Mountains of Ireland. I figured a good long walk would give me plenty of time to think of where I’ve been and where I want to go next. I needed to clear my mind and reset my focus.
My route of travel, since the last post, took me through Connemara and Westport where I hiked to the summit of Croagh Patrick. It’s the mountain where St. Patrick apparently prayed for 40 days sometime during the 5th century. It’s obviously a Pilgrimage mountain that draws a lot of visitors but there’s no way around a good stiff uphill hike if you want to visit the top. For an average person it take's 2 to 3 hours to gain the summit. On a clear day the views are spectacular. I hiked up in a foggy mist but played the waiting game atop and was luckily rewarded, after about half an hour, with the parting of cloud and blissfully blue sky. It lasted long enough to thoroughly take in the wonderful view.
From Westport I took a train to Dublin and checked into a cheap hostel with a good location and headed to the famed Temple bar area for a couple of pints. I then swung by a supermarket to pick up a few supplies for the Wicklow hike.
The Wicklow way is an establish way marked trail/route through the Wicklow mountains that begin just south of Dublin. It runs point to point, north/south, for a little over 80 miles. To begin the hike I simply walked to the bus stop directly in front of the hostel and rode #16 to Marley Park. From there I began hiking south.
The way is clearly marked with posts decorted by a yellow colored hiker silhouette and arrow. If you pay attention to the map and where you’re going the route is simple to follow. The way avoids towns but there’s an assortment of convenient accommodation options close to the trail or you camp.
As I write this post it’s my last night on the Wicklow way. I’m sharing a small bunkroom at a B&B with another hiker I met a couple of days ago from Belgium. Yesterday we camped in a farmer’s field while it rained all night long.
This morning we packed up a wet camp in rain and hiked on into the fog but by afternoon the skies became partly cloudy. That’s when the wind picked up. It only seemed fitting that we consume a pint at the small quaint 200+ year old Dying Cow pub before continuing a little further. Our end goal was a rural B&B that allowed camping. In exchange for a small fee there’s access to shower and cooking shelter.
There was no one at the simple B&B when we arrived but an older couple showed up and said their daughter owned the place. The wind was gaining force and camping was looking less and less appealing. The older couple let us in and fixed us a cup of tea while they tried to get their daughter on the phone. They didn’t want to let us go. In the end we settled on a wind free cozy bunkroom with a large full Irish Breakfast in the morning for 25 Euro each. The place is very quiet. The Belgian and I are the only ones here. It’s 9 pm and we still haven’t met the owner. I guess we will see her in the morning as she lives on property.
The walk along the Wicklow way has been quite lovely despite mostly rainy weather along with very strong winds on the higher ridges. Tomorrow I’ll finish it up and try to get back to Dublin by the evening. If not I’ll head to Dublin Monday morning and catch my flight home the following day. I’ll definitely be ready to go back to the States by then. All in all it's been exactly what I needed before going home.
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