To the west coast and back

What a splendid weekend we had! On Friday I finished work a bit early, and Fred swooped in to collect me from the street so we could make our way around Dublin’s bypass before the traffic built up. We were lucky, really – we’d actually forgotten it was Friday, and the traffic can be fierce heading into the weekend. We stopped off at Kildare Village for lunch, then continued on to Cork. By the end of the day we found ourselves in Mallow to stay the night with our friends.

The next morning was just fab. The mist was rising over the Blackwater as we made our way to Cnoc Bréanainn. We stopped in Killarney for a coffee at a wee place on Upper Park Rd. It's called Brown Sugar and it was grand, nothing fancy but we were simply delighted to meet Elizabeth and her stepson.

There was still a bit of a road ahead of us, and we started the hike around noon. Enjoyed the experience, though we were hoping for a nice view and sure, there was nothing to be seen (Brendan was well wrapped in cloud and that was it). But look, we were out walking, the trail was very well maintained (especially compared to Croagh Patrick); not many people were around, but I was pleasantly surprised to hear a few speaking Gaeilge. Fair play to them.

The day ended with a lovely spot we stumbled across by chance – Wine Strand. We sat there for a snack, and then Fred took me for a ride down a narrow road around the Dingle Peninsula. When we came back home, it was already Sunday, 1 am. 

Below, the first two photos below were taken in Cork, the last two at Wine Strand and an Chonair, in between is the Cnoc Bréanainn trail.