Day 4, June 21, outside Gortmore — (10.8 miles)

The rain started around 4:30 and kept going until after 8. We didn’t even pretend we were going to get ready until after it stopped. We’re in a no rush, no schedule, no hurry, no need to sedate Easy mode. Once it stopped, we made breakfast and packed. It was cloudy, but I like that. 

When the women who told us to camp in the dunes left last night, they told us they would reopen the cafe about 10. About 10 in Ireland means no earlier than 10, if they decide to open. We got there at 10:15 and saw no indication of life. The bathrooms were open, so all was not lost. By the time we left near 11, still nothing. Cafe called on account of rain. 

When you’re at sea level, the only way is up (without scuba gear). We climbed. And climbed. It was not too terrible because it was road, but it was still almost 700’ before we hit a kind of pass. There is a lower road heading along the shore, but part of it has fallen into the sea and was closed to vehicles. Not good enough for a car, not good enough for Bunny. 

We saw no one today. Not a single hiker all day. It wasn’t a bad day. It was perfect in my book. We had great views of the Dingle Peninsula once we got on the ridge. We could look 1000’ feet directly down at the Highway. The higher perspective makes everyone look as insignificant as I feel most of the time. 

Two tunnels from an old railroad line were visible below us. This line used to run to Valencia Harbor which was once the most western port in Europe. Once we crossed the shoulder of the mountain, we could look down and see the old viaduct still standing where the tunnel exited the back side of the mountain. The rails are gone now. 

It’s hard to believe that this used to be a war torn area. We passed an IRA memorial to a young man, only 27, murdered by the English. It really hasn’t been that long ago. Six counties in Northern Ireland stayed a part of the United Kingdom creating a partition on the island. I have recollection of bombings as recent as the 90s. Now, all seems peaceful here, but I’ve got to assume that guns are still present in most of the rural areas. I definitely respect land ownership rights in this region and will not knowingly trespass. I hope that I can find someone to explain the political situation to me. 

We passed through a clear cut area of woods. Selective cutting practices don’t seem to have taken hold here. In fairness, the treed sections are clearly planted for timber harvest. They are not a mixed species forest. We saw signs reinforcing my opinion about guns in the area…”No shooting” and “No Hunting”. We also passed several shotgun shells which indicated the signs were being ignored.

The maps we have indicated some woods surrounding a river next to a road below us. Our best hope is to find a spot in those woods with access to water. When we got to the area, though, it was all clearly indicated as privately owned. Everything was fenced in. No hope for camping along this stretch. What water we could see was too difficult to access because of the deep cuts into the land. 

Daniel and Laina had told us they were staying at a B&B off the trail and not going into Cahersiveen. Cahersiveen is not really on the trail. It’s a 6 mile side trip off the loop. Most people drop down to it because of lodging and other conveniences. We decided to cut out the 12 mile down and back. We’re trying to stay as close to 10 miles a day to save Bunny’s hip. We saw a B&B off trail and decided to ask if we could camp in their yard. 

The owner was very nice, but said his insurance wouldn’t allow him to let us camp because of the B&B. He did offer us a pot of tea and suggested we talk to his neighbor who would probably let us camp next to the trail at the back of their property. We didn’t think to ask, but he also offered us water which we gladly accepted. 

We tried the neighbor’s house, but got no answer. We decided to hike on and hope for something. When we crossed the small creek behind the neighbor’s house we saw a couple putting up a tent in a freshly cut hayfield. We asked if they had found the owner, but they hadn’t. Safety in numbers, we decided to join them a bit further back on the property. If the owners show up with a gun, we’ll have a couple of minutes after the first blast to abandon our gear and get a running head start. 

The woman spoke American English so well, I asked where she was from. When she said France, I was amazed. She had spent a year in Pennsylvania growing up and learned English there. I’m still embarrassed that I only speak English. I still consider this a failure of our education system. This past year, I did start learning Spanish using Duolingo, but I’ve stopped while traveling (when I need it most).

The wind dried our tent while we were setting it up. We cooked and ate outside, but were still in tent by 6:30 just to get out of sun. It had been cloudy and humid all day, again, until we were done hiking, then the skies turned blue and the sun blazed away. Maybe we should just start hiking a bit later in the day, say, 4p. I’m sure I could get Bunny to agree as long as I don’t make her hike past 7. 

EFG