I have been getting myself fit lately walking the hills, boreens and bogs around the Sheeps Head Peninsula in Ireland where I live. The walking is doing my back and my general fitness the world of good. My poor feet have been suffering though, any one for blisters?
The one thing about the hiking is that I have started to fall in love with Ireland again. She really is the most beautiful island and you realize it's us humans who do the damage not nature. Here's a few photographs from my latest walking adventures:
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| Dunmanus Bay in the distance. Managed to capture my rucksack on this snap. |
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| Another picture of Dunmanus Bay. I had climbed a few hundred feet for this next picture. |
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| Bantry Bay. Famous in song and one of the deepest natural bays in the world. You can see 'Hungry Hill' in the distance. Daphnne Du Maurier wrote a famous book about the copper miners on the Beara Peninsula. They also made a film of it starring Margaret Lockwood. |
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| A concrete trig point. These are very helpful for hiker's who can use a compass and a map. |
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| One of the many hundreds of oak yellow painted markers on the Sheeps Head Way. |
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| Another oak finger-post. |
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| Sheep on the Sheeps Head Way. |
Have you fell in love with the place you live again?
Here's a song about walking. It's always playing in my mental juke box.
We love the Proclaimers. When we go to Scotland and we take Granny Mac out in the car she likes it blasted as loud as can be. Granny Mac is 98.
ReplyDeleteGranny Mac sounds a great character Sol. I thought the Proclaimers were brilliant when we saw them at Glastonbury.
Deletep.s Ireland sure is pretty. I also read a blog
ReplyDeletehttps://lachattegitane.blogspot.co.uk/
the views from thier house is amazing. Its a lot less spoilt than England. Home will always call you.
I just looked at lachattegitane blogspot Sol. Kerry is a very beautiful county. Probably my favourite county in Ireland aprt from Cork of course.
DeleteBeautiful scenery Dave. I bet you are wondering why you keep thinking about moving away. The weather maybe?
ReplyDeleteHi Rachel, Yes we live in a beautiful place. We get tired of the long dark winter nights and the lack of amenities like a pub or even public transport. Portugal would be great to live there for the winter and miss the gales. Plus it's thirty five percent cheaper to live there than Britain or Ireland. Thanks!
DeleteYes, Portugal I love very much. If you go, make sure you are within reach of the rail network for sure.
DeleteYes to be within reach of the railway network would be very useful Rachel. Can't think anything more civilized than railway travel especially through the passing countryside. Living in Portugal is definitely on our to do list.
DeleteI am looking forward to us having more free time next year so we can get out walking again, my mid life crisis I back packed around the coast of the Isle of Whight by myself :-)
ReplyDeleteHi Dawn. I really like walking in the countryside. You notice so much more when you are walking. It's like a moving meditation on your own. Please blog about your Isle of Wight back pack tour. Thanks!
DeleteYou will soon be a fit as a butchers dog with all this walking, at least we live in a beautiful county I'm sure you spot something different every time you go for one of your hikes.
ReplyDeleteHi Anne. I feel the fittest I have been for decades. You are so right you always spot something new or different on the walk. Don't think a butchers dog would be very fit with all that meat to eat. Thanks!
DeleteNice to see a bit of unspoiled countryside, it's getting harder to find. Even our Lake District and Solway coast are full of the dreaded wind-mills.
ReplyDeleteHi Cumbrian. I read somewhere it was the railways that brought tourism to the Lake District. A lot of the hikers who come here arrive by car. There's quite a few windmills popping up in rural Ireland too.
DeleteFor my mid life crisis I did The Wealdway walk from Gravesend in Kent to Eastbourne. Totally unprepared for the walk, with blisters bigger than my toes, it was a life changer for me. Looking forward to reading about your walk along the Dingle way, .....
ReplyDeleteThat's eighty miles isn't it Vera? How did you cope with blisters? I have been taping my toes up with a kind of walkers duct tape. I am wearing open toed sandals at the moment. Really looking forward to the Dingle Way. Just hope we are blessed with good weather. Thanks!
DeleteSometimes I wear thin socks under my walking socks or I put compeeds on likely trouble spots on my feet before setting off on a long distance walk or run. I also try to avoid getting my feet wet, as far as is possible. By long distance I mean anything over 2 or 3 hours. I seem to avoid blisters and hotspots altogether with this method. Another thing I do is put soluble magnesium in my water bottle to stop my muscles getting tired. Sometimes wear long compression socks which I roll down or pull up as I feel the need for extra support of the calf muscles.
ReplyDeleteThe compeeds sound just the ticket Gwil. I was wondering if synthetic walking shoes and boots make the feet sweat more? The soluble Magnesium sound a very good idea. Thanks for the advice Gwil!
ReplyDeleteOh Gwil that is a fab idea. I do that with my wellies as they are too wide for my feet and they slide about a bit on uneven ground. I never thought of doing that with my walking boots. Do you think cotton socks are better ? or old school wool?
ReplyDeleteNext to the skin a pair of thin cotton socks do the trick for me. Then normal hiking socks of your preferred material over them. A friend of mine wears sealskin socks.
ReplyDeleteHello Dave!! Haven't visited for ages, there is tumbleweed blowing through my blog. Gorgeous photos you know I love where you live, but understand what you mean about lack of amenities etc. Good for you doing all that walking. You made me laugh with your comment about your midlife crisis. Think I'm having one I dyed my hair blonde and thought I looked like the bees knees. My son said today who do you remind me of? Oh I know Mum an albino !!! Cheeky. Keep walking. Sarah
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