Follow the “Walking Man”…
An Old Irish Blessing
May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.
If you walk Ireland’s Dingle Way, many a road will rise up to meet you. If you walk it during the wettest June in recorded history, much rain will fall soft upon your face and much rain will pound upon your head. Some winds will, indeed, be at your back – but many more will whip the plastic raincoat around your ears and impede your progress. And, you may despair of the sun shining ever again!
Or so it was for us, as we walked the 167 or 179 kilometres (depending on whom you believe) from Tralee to Camp and back again, around the Dingle Way. It was ten days of rain, wind and occasional sun – and it was marvellous. It must be VERY special in good weather!
We had booked our walk well ahead of time with “Footfalls”, who manage Irish walking tours: both guided and self-guided, which is what we were doing. They sent us travel notes and maps, booked our hotels, suggested places to eat, and got our bags from A to B. Once we got ourselves to Tralee, making use of the rather excellent Irish buses (Bus Éireann), we just had to walk the planned route, along mostly well-marked (albeit muddy, rocky and narrow) trails, to get ourselves to our nightly destinations.
“Follow the canal…”
An excellent start to your holiday, the way offers some superb views of Tralee and coastline. Traverses along the flanks of the Slieve Mish Mountains. Takes you through an old deserted village and ruined church.
Distance: 17.5 km/11 miles, Ascent: 200 m/600 ft
Our first day of walking – “Day 2” – lured us into a false sense of security. The sun was shining and the birds were singing as we set off along the canal and across the River Lee to find the path around Slieve Mish Mountains, overlooking Tralee Bay.
The trail following the canal leading out of Tralee is well used by walkers and runners, and lined with modern buildings.
Life on the canal: a family of swans
Foothills of the Slieve Mish Mountains provide a backdrop to a modern thatched resort-complex.
A boat tied up on the River Lee – we think it might have been there a while!
Mudflats and clouds on the River Lee, at the mouth of Tralee Bay.
Once we cross the River Lee, we are into quiet country roads ~
~ and before long, we are passing bucolic fields.
Fuchsia grows wild all along the country lanes.
For a short while, we are amongst fields and farms ~
~ following roads bordered by hedges of honeysuckle, brambles, fuchsia and wild roses.
After what seemed like a long climb up a dwindling road, we carefully crossed a gateway onto the rocky paths and boggy grasslands of the Slieve Mish Mountain foothills.
The Tonavane Walk into the Slieve Mish Mountains.
Bog Cotton
The creeks are just marginally wetter than the bog-lands surrounding them.
Shire horses and sturdy ponies use the foundations of a ruined house to keep their feet dry on the bog.
The patch of lilies growing within the frame of the ruined house was a surprise!
One of the ponies was curious about what I was up to. Tralee Bay and the North Atlantic can be seen behind.
We saw more than a few sheep as we picked our way over the rocks and through the boggy patches; most, however, turned tail and scrambled away as soon as we were near. I was happy to catch this lamb with its mother.
The wet, black bog reminded me of The Beverly Hillbillies and their “black gold”.
We crossed numerous creeks…
… and countless styles.
Rocky piles formed partial fences.
All around the foothills, we had views of the North Atlantic, and parts of the Dingle Peninsula ahead.
Eventually, we worked our way out of the open bog and into forested paths, to find ancient ruins: this one of an old house.
Killelton Church, built in the 10th or 11th century with thick walls…
… made of piled rocks.
Outside the ancient church grounds, we find more fuchsia ~
~ and wild strawberries.
Finally! We come around a bend over Camp, our stop for the night.
We had no rain this day (the first and last day without rain for the whole of our walk – indeed for the whole of our stay in Ireland), but our boots were muddy and our pants were wet to the knees from the bogs we had sloshed across.
“I’ve seen worse!” our hostess laughed as we hobbled into our night’s accommodation.
So, we knew we were in good hands – and ready for the challenge of the next day’s adventure.
Sláinte – Good health!
Photos: 18June2012
Ursula, great post.. May I ask what photographic gear did you bring on this trip..did you carry both cameras? Lenses? How did you protect them from the rain/weather?
It looks like a walk I would love to do. I may just have to follow you around on your adventures..
Catherine
Catherine, thanks for your visit. 😀
You know me! I carried the lot: the 5D I got in exchange for my 7D, which I mostly use with the 16-24, but occasionally with the 70-300; my old 400D which generally sports the 24-70; my iPhone and my IXUS – all of which I used. 🙂 I was also carrying a little macro which I don’t think I used at all. We even carried the tripod one day, but with the rain, my enthusiasm for standing in one place was a little low, and so it never left its case. As for rain protection: two sleeves I bought from a nice lady in Cambodia, plastic ponchos from Australia and a couple of umbrellas from England; sometimes all of the above!
Looks like fun! Looking forward to the following days . . .
Hi Ursula, I’m sure those rocky roads played havoc with your hip.. however what a magnificent countryside. Looking forward to the next instalment
Hey, Lisa and Signe!
Glad to have you both back. The walk was indeed “challenging”, but ultimately worth it. I hope to get back to the photos from the other days soon. 😀
Urusla, ik heb een prachtige wandeling met je samen gemaakt. Prachtige landschap. Ik wens je een fijn weekend, Dietmut
Beautiful photography – thanks for taking me on your journey.
Anna :o]
Anna :o] and Dietmut,
Thanks so much for joining us on our long road. It is always a pleasure to have your company! 😀
Dear Ursula I would like to use in a privately printed family history two of your pictures from your walk called the Dingle way to illustrate the countryside The farmland i am looking for was half way between Camp and Annascaul and I would appreciate a boggy way and a view across farmland in that area. the farm itself was called Lougherbegg and was near a village called Lougher Hoping to hear Elsie Ritchie
Thanks for your interest, Elsie. I’ll email you.
Dear Ursula I live in Sydney and would welcome a visit from you if you should be in the area if you felt it necessary to see what i do regards Elsie
[…] hue. And, as the skies opened and the rains fell on our heads on the second day of walking along The Dingle Way in County Kerry, we could easily understand why it was all so lush and […]