Statistics: 11 3/4 miles, ascent 1448′, descent 1633′, 5 3/4 hours
As we left the B&B, our host, Joanne, supplied us with treats for our lunches; rarely are we given free goodies! She and her husband, Michael, were truly a gracious couple who made out stay with them a memorable occasion. Michael and his border collie, Flash, walked outside to bid us farewell!
We started the day in a cool, heavy mist, and almost immediately spied a ruined cottage which had retained its roof. Interestingly, Irish law allows that if a ruin did not lose its roof, the building (regardless of its condition) can be rebuilt without a building permit.
After crossing over the Caragh River, we worked our way down to a path along the riverbank, which lead us to a evergreen tree plantation.
The treat for the day was a trail through a beautiful little glen. One could almost conjure up gnomes and fairies hiding under the mossy rocks and shamrocks with so many shades of green everywhere. Had we been there in the spring, I’m sure the abundant rhododendrons would have put on quite a show!
Leaving the magical glen we began a gradual climb toward a mountain identified as Seefin on the map.
The trail around Seefin brought us to Windy Gap and the delightful view of Glenbeigh. We could also see the Dingle Peninsula, which would be the location of our next trek in Ireland.
The picturesque path down to Glenbeigh included a few storyboards along the way. One told of Glenbeigh Towers and Lord Headley Wynne, the original owner and builder who largely funded the construction through exorbitant rents, followed by evictions of estate tenants with the help of his merciless agent, Mr. Roe. These forceful evictions were debated on the floor of Parliament. Another storyboard described the location used to film portions of the late 1960’s movie, Ryan’s Daughter. We snacked on the ever-present blackberry bushes and read about the local history.
Glenbeigh was a charming little town with lots of lodging and restaurants. We stayed at the very comfortable Emirview B&B with our host, Catherine Morris, who highly recommended Rumours Bistro for dinner. We were not disappointed, it was quite a treat!
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