Weather: ☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️
Picnic: 🌯🌯🌯🏛️ (3 out of 5, in the sunshine, sitting at the Liam Lynch memorial)
Track: ☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️(5 out of 5, beautiful and diverse scenery, good track and trail, lovely grassy lanes through the countryside!)
Fun fact: were in Tipperary (didn’t know it was in Ireland, just knew it was a long way…)
Campsite: ⛺⛺⛺ (3 out of 5, sheltered, flat and in the forest. Better than expected at first sight)
Name of followed trail: East Munster way
Special thanks to: Rein, for being our first guest star!
We wake up to another beautiful morning! After breakfast we make our way down the hills, towards Clogheen. Mark is happy to be reunited with his own backpack 😅. We enter the county of Tipperary, wich makes us sing, but none of us had a clue it was in Ireland. Another lesson in topography!
We pass a beautiful lake and go into an almost jungle like forest! Here we depart the Blackwater way, and continue on the East Munster way. Rein will follow the Blackwater way into Clogheen, so our ways part here too. We say goodbye to Rein for now, because he’s got plans to re-appear as a guest star for another week somewhere.
We had a great week together, in a time where we are still getting used to being on trail, learning to deal with the first aches and pains. It was good to have some company there.
The East Munster way is a lovely trail that takes us through a diverse scenery with beautiful country lanes and forest tracks.
We also pass the Liam Lynch memorial. Liam Lynch was a general of the Irish Republican Army in the war of independence in 1921. The monument makes clear that he was a beloved general, for it was funded by the people who served under him and build by volunteers! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liam_Lynch_(Irish_republican)
We have lunch at the memorial (which was quite the climb, having us fantasize on toasti bars at the top)
We continue through beautiful countryside to our destination of the day, a small forested area close to Knockperry. We fill up water at a nice gentlemans house and continue.
The forested area seems a bit iffy at first, but when we climb up into it, it’s actually really nice when we get a bit higher up the hill. Around 16.30 we have found our spot and pitch. We can relax, because we have plenty of time today! That feels really good! It’s the first night that I feel I’ve got some energy left at the end of the day. Slowly our bodies are becoming stronger again.
We have a good meal (Noodles. Again.) and have a nice rest before we finally go to sleep.
What a joy it has been to accompany Jolanda and Mark on the trail for a week! Determined and in-control Jolanda and relaxed Mark are scouts in spirit, body and soul. I have no doubt these two fine people will finish this Great Adventure in style, with memories to last a lifetime. Thank you so much for this week of outdoor life in your pleasant company.
That’s really beautiful. And you have some good sunny weather as well!
We will be in Ireland from the end of April, and for us it’s the Blackwater Way followed by the Munster Way. Nice to have this preview!