Statistics: 12 1/2 miles, ascent 913′, descent 1390′, 4 hours
Liam entertained us with more storytelling as his wife, Liz, prepared breakfast. After a delicious meal, Liz dropped us off at the Raheenakit trailhead for our final day on the Wicklow Way. The only hill climbing we did this day was first thing in the morning; the remaining walk took us through easy-going country lanes.
Trying to get creative with our map reading, we decided to explore and take a shortcut – which we soon recognized was not a very good idea. This shortcut trail was an abandoned path covered in blackberry bushes. While we enjoyed snacking on the berries, the snagging, sticking and tearing of the bushes were painful.
Toward the end of our walk we spied a field full of young cattle. I guess they saw us as the providers of tasty treats because they came running across the field to greet us. We were sorry to disappoint such eager little faces.
Soon we arrived in Clonegal, which has won contests for its gardens and street appeal. Our B&B host, Sheila Kirwan, Frankie and my mother met us at the Wicklow Way’s trail end for a celebratory picture.
Just as we were preparing to leave for our B&B, guess who showed up? The bedraggled trio from the day before. They made it, I think on sheer willpower! Sheila’s B&B, The Carraig, was a welcome finish to our Wicklow adventure. She prepared for us a very tasty dinner and even did our laundry!
The Wicklow Way trek was a lovely combination of spectacular scenery, mountains, farmland, animals, and interesting people.
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