Day 8 – Thidwick B&B to Sneem

Statistics: 13 1/4 miles,  ascent 1885′,  descent 2468′,  6 1/4 hours

We awoke to glorious sunshine over Derrynane Bay!

Clare prepared a very tasty pancake breakfast for us before we departed for our hike to Sneem, which began with a two-mile walk to the town of Caherdaniel (pronounced “Katherdaniel”) along a heavily forested trail.  We walked by an old, stone bridge and a torrential waterfall, gushing from yesterday’s rainfall.

Arriving in Caherdaniel, we could see across the valley the remains of an ancient hillfort.  This was the most visible fort we encountered because many were completely overgrown by the wild bracken.

As a side note, the Irish do love their Guinness.  We found many humorous signs referring to this; the following sign was one of my favorites!

After we left Caherdaniel, the trail began to climb immediately before leveling in wild pasture land.  This trail had been at one time the main road between Caherdaniel and Kenmare.

As we gained elevation we were able to view the Beara Peninsula across the Kenmare River.

As stated previously, Ireland is brimming with ruins and we continued to come across various examples.  The ruins we encountered today were of the old Kilcrohane Chapel and cemetery which appeared above us as we rounded a bend.  We scrambled up the hill to explore it.  One wonders what stories a place like this could tell…

The day continued on as we climbed one rolling hill after another over beautiful countryside.  We found some very friendly ponies who wanted a little attention and  we were only too happy to oblige.

Just a bit further on, we entered the trail’s art gallery or someone just had too much time on their hands.  Anyway, it was good for a laugh.

I wish we had counted the number of stiles we climbed over every day.  That would be an interesting statistic!

We were delighted to see our B&B as we reached the outskirts of Sneem.  Coomassig View B&B  was ideally located directly on the trail, most comfortable and beautifully appointed.  Our host, Maureen Murphy, was very welcoming and helpful.

After settling into the B&B, we walked into the very colorful and charming village of Sneem for dinner.

The delightful pub, “D. O’Shea’s,” was our selection for dinner – great atmosphere and food!