Day 4 Wicklow Way: Coolakay House to Dublin

We woke up at Coolakay House B&B, had breakfast (which was included), and then called the number listed in the book (and at the B&B) for Kevin to take us back the 1.5 miles to the trail. Only, Kevin told us he was down in Cork at that time and unable to fetch us. He suggested we ask Yvonne, the B&B owner, ring John for a ride. As we settled up with Yvonne, we asked her to ring John for a ride. She told us we had just missed her niece, who had taken another hiker to the trail at that moment. When the niece returned, she took us to the trailhead, and told us that Kevin is her father, whom she said last night when she took us into Enniskery had retired from the business and she had taken over. We told her we found the number in the Wicklow Way book as well as the binder at the B&B. She said she would work with Yvonne to change the number.

Back on the trail at the end of the Crone Woods/near the Crone House, we headed out along a very muddy trail through Lackan Wood, Knockree Hill. In the book, the segment is labelled as Dublin to Knockree Hostel. Unfortunate for us, at this time, the Knockree Hostel is closed to tourists as it is housing refugees from Ukraine. Anyway, we made our way through the mud along a beautiful river/creek. After about a mile, we climbed away from the river and started up our first ascent of the day. At the top of the climb was an ominous looking forested area. I suppose the mist didn't help the mystery of it all.

We got to the point where the Wicklow Way evens out along a ridge and you have the choice to take a detour to Prince William's Seat or continue straight (and flat). Of course, we chose up...we didn't know it would basically be a climb up through a boggy stream. At first, we walked right past the turn off. I guess not too many people take that turn off!? The higher we climbed/slogged, the more the mist moved in and the wind picked up. It did not deter us from continuing up hill. Eventually, we made it to Prince William's Seat...along with the mist. With nothing to look at, we sat on Prince William's seat and ate lunch. As we finished lunch and started preparing to depart, the clouds parted/the mist started to dissipate, and we had some pretty nice views all the way to the ocean! 

A few quick photos of the views that this tricky little country decided to give us before our descent, and we started our boggy downhill adventure. the stream we followed down was different than the stream we followed up, and it grew a little wider as we approached the Wicklow Way trail it intersected. Once back on the Wicklow way, we crossed out of Co. Wicklow and into Co. Dublin. I wasn't real sure I wanted to enter Co. Dublin as there was an erie mist on the path ahead of us, but it cleared as we wandered along the way, eventually making our way to a road that would take us to the Dublin Mountain Way, which combines with the Wicklow Way outside of Dublin. 

As we walked along roads to the uphill traverse of the Dublin Mountain Way, we enjoyed little spots of green speckled with sheep and their lambs. April is lambing season in Ireland. We were tired after 3 days of backpacking and drained from the winds of the day before, so lots of stops for resting. Heading up the Dublin Mountain Way, we eventually made it to the Fairy Castle, which like Prince William's Seat was another requirement of the hike. Again, the winds were crazy above treeline, but we stopped and took photos at the Fairy Castle before descending down towards Marlay Park outside of Dublin. As we got closer to the park, the trails became busier, and we found ourselves in a mountain biking area where the bike trails were better maintained than the hiking trails. After slogging through a hiker only trail covered in water and finding a cool "fort" or nature lodging, we made our way into Marlay Park. Exhausted, we decided not to hike through the park to the other side and instead called during rush hour for a ride to the Generator Hostel and our lodging for the night, thus ending our hiking adventure along half of the Wicklow Way. Some day, we may return and do the entire trail end to end.

 

From here, I will return to my travel blog: Travels with Jasp and Kase to continue sharing the adventures in Ireland. The next post here will be when my husband and I head out on The Kerry Camino pilgrimage portion of the Dingle Way. 

Day 3 Wicklow Way: Oldbridge/Wicklow Way Lodge to Coolakay House B&B

 We woke up rested and ready for another day of backpacking. Part of the B&B was breakfast, and we were treated to a FULL Irish Breakfast with toast and porridge. Many people mentioned the full Irish breakfast, which includes blood pudding. This was on my list to try while I was in Ireland, and today was the first chance for doing just that. They asked whether we wanted porridge, and not wanting to be rude, I of course said yes. Come to find out, it is basically oatmeal, but for some reason it tasted so much better in Ireland!? 

A typical FULL Irish breakfast includes: sausage, "bacon" (canadian bacon), 1 fried egg, roasted tomato, black/white pudding, sauteed mushrooms, toast, tea, and juice. Imagine eating that every day. Wow! We did just that plus included the porridge that morning. The day was supposed to be 22km, and we knew we needed the fuel as we didn't have much in the way of food for the majority of the day.  

While we ate breakfast, we enjoyed talking with a man who stays at the B&B often, but hails from a town we passed on the train 2 days ago. He was very nice, and it was interesting to here about Ireland form a local. During breakfast, Seamus, the other owner of the B&B asked whether we wanted him to drive us up the way thus keeping us from a long road walk. We thought about it briefly, and said, "yes, please." 

As Seamus finished cleaning up from breakfast, we packed up our stuff, settled the check, and retrieved our packed lunches. Seamus packed us in his car, and we took off along the road section of the Wicklow Way. He drove us up and up and up, and I thanked my lucky stars as it was windy as all get out. We passed Lough Dan, which is part of an alternative route when water levels are low (not sure when that is in Ireland). Along the way, he told of the various movies that had been filmed in the area, and pointed out the potato ridges on the hillsides from back in the potato famine days. It was really neat to here some of the history of the area. Eventually, Seamus dropped us at the top of a hill in the road, hugged us goodbye, and we headed up a trail to meet up with the Wicklow Way about 50ft beyond.

The place we were dropped off gave wonderful views of Lough Dan and Lough Tay, the latter also being known as Guinness lake due to its dark hue as well as the land previously being owned by the Guinness Family. Because my husband and I had trained on South Table Mountain in Colorado, and took a photo of him looking down on the water treatment area for Coors, which I had termed "Coors Lake," I had to take a photo of him looking the same as he gazed at Guinness Lake. I'm pretty sure Guinness Lake was neater than "Coors Lake." 

We met up with the Wicklow Way just 50ft up from the road where we were dropped off, and found ourselves faced with bog boards and horrendous wind. Extremely thankful for having packed trekking poles, we braced ourselves along the bog boards and against the wind, as we traversed upwards. The views were beautiful despite the wind threatening to dump us in the bog if we did not remain diligent. As we ran out of bog boards and thus boggy area, we looked at potentially climbing the tallest point along the Wicklow Way that day. Unfortunately, the wind strongly encouraged us to take the trail around instead. That was a good thing as we came across a heard of dear moving along the hillside and the wind was gloriously blocked by the hill we were blown away from. 

Coming down the other side of the hill area towards the Powerscourt Waterfall overlook area, I found the wet, slippery grassy hill a great place to test out my wonderful macabi skirt as I slid onto my behind and down the hill until I was able to dig my heels into the earth and stand up. I dusted myself off, and continued down to the saddle which was next to the stream that feeds the waterfall. Crossing rocks at that stream, I once again fell on the wet, muddy ground. Disappointed and feeling like a bog monster, I stood up and my husband helped wipe me off. I asked him whether I looked like a muddy mess, and he said that I did not. 

After a bit of lunch by the stream, we continued up a big climb before leveling out and heading around the Powerscourt Waterfall getting amazing glimpses of the waterfall before entering into Crone Woods. The trail got a little more popular around this area. Along this section of the way, I enjoyed moist spots to setup my traveling gnomes, fairies, dinosaur, and husky. Crone woods was erie and yet amazing with the twisted trees. Eventually, we made our way through to the trailhead and the long road walk to Coolakay B&B for the evening. 

The Coolakay B&B was gorgeous, and we got settled in before joining another traveller to Enniskerry for dinner. The ride into Enniskerry was wonderful with the host/driver talking about the town being used in Disney's Disenchanted movie. We agreed on about 3 hours in town, and headed for some dinner. It didn't take long for dinner, so we enjoyed wandering the town, checking out churches, store fronts, and the center of town gazebo; definitely a place I would love to visit again when things are open. 

Back at the B&B, we showered and got ready for bed. We were definitely ready to sleep after a long day of battling wind, road walking, and exploring town. 

Day 2 Wicklow Way: Glendalough to Oldbridge/Wicklow Way Lodge

 After a tough night of sleep in the hostel, we got up, gathered our belongings, had a breakfast of cereal, fruit, and toast that was not worth the 9 euros we paid, and headed out into the rain. Google was right about it being 100% chance of rain. That was ok, it was supposed to be a short day. 

The Rathdrum taxi driver from yesterday recommended we veer off the trail about 2km into Larragh for food as there was no food available at the Lodge or near the area. In my Wicklow Way book, it also suggested stopping at the Glendalough Cafe in Larragh for a bite. So, we wandered off the damp and muddy trail to the Cafe, where we grabbed a small lunch before returning to the trail. It was a cute little stop, and the people were very friendly. We sat outside with our packs as they had covered seating to protect us from the rain, plus we did not want to bring our wet stuff into the tiny store/cafe. 

The side trek to Larragh was interesting as we passed by homes, farms, schools, and churches. We passed some fun and friendly construction works with whom we exchanged rain humor. On the way back up to the trail, we retraced the route down, except to take a different trail we found on Gaia to meet up further along the trail. It was a fun adventure that saved us maybe a kilometer or 2, but put us on super wet and muddy trail until we met up with the Wicklow Way again. 

Once on the trail again, we traveled through woods, past farm fields, and saw our first lambs. It is lambing season in Ireland. So, we saw lots of baby sheep. It was ADORABLE!! The rain did not let up and even came in sideways occasionally, but it did not dampen our mood...much. We passed tree farms, slogged through mud, crossed wet grass fields, and finally found ourselves on a paved road, which we followed to our final destination...The Wicklow Way Lodge, a B&B situated right along the trail. 

Coming off the wet trails, onto the paved road, we passed by a home with blooming flowers and a gnome and fairy garden. I was ecstatic about finding such a fun thing, and took tons of photos, while my husband did a video scan of the garden. Maybe he caught fairies on film? If it wouldn't have been raining, I would have included one or more of my travel gnomes in this beautiful new home. With the rain, I didn't want to take off my pack and find them as everything got wet. Also, I was having trouble figuring out what 2 I would leave behind, as I could not leave just one by his/her self. Anyway, it put a pep in my step as we continued the final 2 miles of the day in the continued rain.

We arrived to the B&B about 13:00, and the owner had us strip off all our wet gear and muddy shoes on the deck. She showed us where to hang up our wet stuff, checked us in, offered to call a taxi to take us in for food, and then showed us to our room. We showered, relaxed, napped, and then ate the sandwiches we bought in Larragh, having decided we didn't want to take the lady up on the taxi ride into town for food. With food in our bellies, we returned to our room and proceeded to fall asleep.

Day 1 of the Wicklow Way; Wicklow Mountains, Ireland

 So, for my 50th birthday, I decided I wanted to go to Ireland. While in Ireland, I wanted to backpack some of their way marked trails. One of those being the Wicklow Way, Ireland's oldest long distance hiking trail. We planned to only do 4 days (41.3miles) on the trail from Glenmalure to Dublin vs the full 8 days to complete the entire 127km (78.9miles) trail from Dublin to Clonegal; we wanted to see other parts of Ireland during our 2 weeks in the country. The other part of this backpacking trek was that we were staying in hostels and B&Bs along the way. My husband was not up for carrying a tent and all the necessary camping gear across the Atlantic. I agreed, if that meant he would backpack with me. So, off we went.

We started the day with a continental breakfast at the Abbey Court Hostel in Dublin. From there, we wandered the grounds of Trinity College, grabbed a photo of an Oscar Wilde Statue, and headed south along the coast on a train bound for Rathdrum. In our research, we found that taking the train to Rathdrum would then allow us to catch a shuttle to the Wicklow Way near Glenmalure. Unfortunately, we were unable to reach the shuttle on the website, but found we could get a taxi service to the trail for cheaper. So, train tickets booked, and we were set.

The train left Dublin around 10:45am. Encircled with confusion, we showed our digital train tickets to the security person at the turnstile, and were allowed through. We tried to figure out the train as we stood on the platform, and was graciously helped by an employee. He told us to sit on the side closest to where we were entering. Unfortunately, the only seats available caused us to ride backwards to our destination. Still, we were able to see the ocean front and beautiful scenery as we made our way to Rathdrum, Ireland.

Upon arriving in Rathdrum, I attempted to use the Freenow app (Uber for Ireland) to get us a taxi, as we had planned before we left on this trip. What we learned was tough to swallow...they "do NOT provide service in this area." Hmmm...what now?

We followed the other people who had left the train at the same station, and found ourselves in the heart of Rathdrum wondering what next. As I was about to give up and start walking the 4-5km to Glenmalure (what else does a long distance backpacker do but resort to hitchhiking or walking?), my husband comes up with a number for a local taxi. He calls the number, and the person says she will be there in about 5 min to pick us up!? We are in the hills of Ireland in a small town, who would have thought they would have a taxi service?

The taxi arrives, we jump in, and she heads for Glenmalure. As she drives, she tells us how she is headed on holiday the next day and technically wasn't supposed to be working today. We thank her profusely for agreeing to take us. Being that we are both still tired and a little anxious to start hiking our 9 miles at 13:00, the ride is somewhat quiet.

She drops us off at the Glenmalure Lodge in Drumgoft, where the Wicklow Way crosses and continues up hill. We tip her for saving us, and decide to grab a quick lunch at the lodge. I wasn't crazy hungry, so I just had vegetable soup, while my husband had a full meal. We finished our food, and headed uphill on paved road before turning onto a dirt track leading further uphill. There are lots of people out day hiking the trail. I guess it has become popular to day hike sections of the way marked trails in Ireland. My husband and I trudge past these people carrying everything we brought with us for the trip. I'm not going to lie, I'm feeling a little badass.

The trail goes up through logging areas and forests. We are able to see where we started and then out over the country side. About a mile in, we pass a waterfall off in the distance before ducking into a forested section of the route. The day hikers have disappeared for now. The sun is out, but there is a chill in the air. So, we go between wearing our raincoats and not. Eventually, it starts to rain, and we cover our packs and tighten up our raincoats as it comes sideways. Ok. THIS is Ireland!

The rain didn't last long. As it passed over and the sun came out, we were treated to one of Ireland's best and brightest rainbows. I don't think I have ever seen one so bright. We could see the ends; one in the valley below and one in the trees ahead. I begged for fairies, gnomes, and leprechauns; none of which I saw. As we continued our descent along the gravel road, we decided it was an Irish blessing on our trip. My husband said that means we won't have anymore rain the rest of the time...stay tuned for that result.

Continuing down the hill into Glendalough, we found ourselves in a park/nature preserve area, where we were on wide trails. One of the sections took us past a beautiful waterfall, while the next section found us nearing one of the lakes. The Lakes gave us a hint that we were almost done for the day, which was good because my husband's feet were bothering him, and he was getting grumpy. 

My husband has been having plantar fasciitis issues for the past 1.5 years and recently developed a pain in his left knee. As this first day of backpacking was drawing to a close, he was feeling all of it. The feet causing the greatest grief for him. We trudged through the throngs of tourists visiting the lakes, the nature preserve, waterfalls, and monastic site to get to our hostel for the night. 

We got checked in to the hostel. The front desk person showed us to our 8 bed mixed dorm room with ensuite (bathroom in the room), and we said hi to the 1 other person in the room before settling in a little. My husband took some ibuprofen for his aches, and we rallied to walk down to the Glendalough Hotel for dinner. Google said the Casey Bar & Bistro was closed, but another restaurant on the hotel campus was open for dinner. As we made our way around the hotel, we found that the Bar & Bistro was indeed open, and how could we pass up a place named Casey's; even if it was spelled wrong. So, we grabbed dinner, and decided to visit the monastic site for sunset as the rain had stopped and the weather seemed perfect for it. Google said it was 100% chance of rain the next day, so it made sense to see the monastic site while it was not raining. 

The monastic site is the termination point for the St Kevin's Way, which is a 30km pilgrimage route from Hollywood, Ireland to the monastic site in Glendalough. According to Wikipedia; "The trail follows in the footsteps of Caoimhin Naofa who crossed the Wicklow Mountains and founded the monastery at Glendalough in the 6th century." So, the monastic site has St Kevin's Church, Glendalough Cathedral, Round Tower, a gateway, a priest house, and St Kevin's Cross. It is all surrounded by gravestones, and in my opinion is beautiful as the sun was setting. 

Done with our touring of the monastic site, we headed back to the hostel for a night of sleeping in a room with strangers...always an adventure.

To see the lead up to the backpacking portion of this trip as well as the touring portions between backpack adventures, please visit https://www.jaspkasetakeontheworld.blogspot.com. On my Travels with Jasp & Kase blog, I cover my non-foot traveled adventures (i.e., road trips, train trips, etc.)

vs the current blog covers all my backpacking/long distance hiking adventures. 

Final Day on Tri-County Challenge

    The feet hurt as soon as they touched the floor this morning. I hobbled to my clothes for the day and got ready. The more my feet moved, the better they felt, and the more hope I acquired for getting through the day. I was exhausted after not getting in until late, but excited for it to be my last day on the trail. 

    My husband dropped me off at the same spot he picked me up. For the last time, I was starting in the dark with headlamp ablaze. As I entered the woods, I thought about the conversation I had the night before with my father about hunting season and my potential for being shot. Luckily, it was only bow season and water fowl rifle season. I figured the bow hunters had to have precision aim, and I wasn't going to be near water fowl without being near a roadway as well. So, I felt pretty safe, but I was still in orange. 

    Again, my trail media was once again mixed between trails, boardwalks, roads, and highways. I enjoyed walking through the woods where I found lines attached to trees as part of tapping for maple syrup. It reminded me of collecting sap when I was younger to help my grandpa's sister's husband make syrup, and growing up with the homemade syrup. I had received a jar in July while staying at my mom's because we ran into the son, who continues to make small batches for friends and family. I miss homemade syrup.

    Anyway, I eventually made it to Middleville, MI, where I had made plans with my in-laws the night before to meet for lunch. I made it in before anyone else, found myself a pavilion with picnic tables, and proceeded to take off my socks and shoes before laying on the bench to rest a bit. Eventually, my family arrived, we got take out from a nearby location, and enjoyed our food under the pavilion. With everyone present, we wandered along the cement path about a mile before my husband and his dad returned to the car, while my mother-in-law (the Awesome MIL from the AT) continued on for about 6-7miles. 

    It is always fun hiking with MIL as she absorbs nature, and reminds me to take it all in. We didn't chat as much as we did on the AT, but I still enjoyed her company. It helped me make it through the middle part of the day, and keep going to the finish line. The men met up with us to whisk MIL away, but we planned on meeting up at the finish line and then meeting friends of mine at a brewery. 

    So, alone I took off to finish what 3 days prior I had taken on as a challenge. I wandered through backroads along swamps, reminding me of my childhood joy of walking through those swamps. For the last 4-5 miles, I had to force my brain not to think about the pain that was ever increasing in my feet. I had just completed 115 miles after all. The pain did cause me to look at my watch more often and made the end feel extra long. As I turned the last corner on the map before my end, I gave a little cheer. I was going to make it, and what an adventure it had been. 

    Nearing the next county, I found my husband and his parents navigating the terminus and trying to find a safe place to park the car while I completed my walk. My husband walked the last 100 steps or so, as his parents welcomed me in to the finish. I was ready to collapse, but happy to be done. What an accomplishment. 

    I got in the car after switching into my sandals, and we headed off to Thornapple Brewing Company for dinner. My friends, who used to grow hops in southern Michigan met us there. It was a great celebration of my accomplishment. 

    Once home at my in-laws' place, I pulled out my certificates and patches, and made sure to take a photo commemorating the accomplishment. My feet looked solid, but also had red blotches that made me a little concerned. They hurt, but that was purely from exhaustion after the 4 days and 120 miles. I rubbed them down and asked them to take care of me in a day or 2 as I had signed up for the 5k at Kalamazoo College's Homecoming weekend. They did carry me the distance, although not very fast as my leg muscles also had been overworked, and I forgot to ask them for extra support. 

    With this completed, I had no other plans for the trail this year. So, I packed away my stuff and readied myself for the winter months and trying to figure out what has been causing my nausea/vomiting and emotional variations, as I had not had either during the past few days nor while doing the triple crown of Michigan. Maybe anxiety has a part in both? Doing day hikes with a safe place to stay and lots of support made doing incredible things easier. This lead me to thinking maybe I need to adventure with the safety of an automobile vs camping out in the woods alone. So, I started looking at road trip adventures for 2022, especially after the trip home from Michigan where we were able to cross off 2-3 more states for my mom.