We wanted to hide Tonelagee. But when we drove into the hills, it looked like this:
So we diverted to Bray instead. Even Bray Head was in the clouds when we arrived, but after a snack break the mist cleared and we were able to get good views. We walked was far as Bray Head Hill which is the highest point between Bray and Greystones.
The moisture had left all of the spiders webs visible.
Killarney National Park is located in County Kerry in the south west corner of Ireland. We have previously visited every county in Ireland except two: Cork and Kerry. To resolve this, we headed down the M8 to tick the final counties off (it’s the final counties, du du du dudh), stopping in Mallow to tick off County Cork and spending the weekend in Killarney.
It also meant I could engage in a bit more parkrun tourism, completing Killarney House parkrun.
There is free parking at the Muckross estate which includes farms, a house, an abbey and more. We started by walking over and exploring the abbey. There are lots of old trees, including one inside the cloister of the abbey. We then took a walk along the lakeside and hiked over to Torc Waterfall.
We had lunch at the garden restaurant which offered a really nice roast chicken. One of the challenges when you are outside of Yorkshire is that people often don’t understand when you say you want a generous portion of gravy. There is just never enough gravy. But not a problem here.
There was so much to do that we spend both days in the park and did a tour of Muckross House the next day.
Killarney is a happening place and the whole weekend was busy in the town. This made for a lot of traffic but also plenty of atmosphere. We were worried we might not be able to find somewhere to eat but luckily The Porterhouse were able to fit us in. On Sunday, we had lunch at Manna Cafe, which is also worth a visit.
Killarney House parkrun takes place at the large house and gardens in the centre of Killarney. It’s a three lap course with the beautiful hills in the background and a chance to see some deer (although we didn’t spot any on this occasion). Well worth doing if you are in the area.
Djouce is a mountain in County Wicklow. Ireland sometimes has a generous definition of mountain, but at 725 metres high, it is starting to feeling like a proper hill. It is a 7-8k round trip that takes around two hours to complete, a lot of which is on boarded paths.
It forms part of the Wicklow Way which was created by J. B. Malone. Malone was a Leeds lad, so we’re claiming the Wicklow Way and hill-walking as a Leeds invention now.
Our building recently held a cheese and wine night for residents. We’ve been trying to work out what these is. ChatGPT thinks it is a Spanish-style cheese coated with paprika such as a Pimentón Ibérico or Idiazabal, but when I searched for those, they did not look that similar.
We’ve just launched the new-look Leeds Anxiety Clinic website. Same great service but with a more modern look.
Last week we hiked up Tibradden Cairn via Three Rock and Two Rock. It is about 10k there and back from Ticknock. Two Rock is the highest point in the Dublin Mountains at 536m, although the Dublin Mountains are part of the Wicklow mountains which go higher (they’re just the other side of the county border).
I’m excited to share that I’m now a Chartered Psychologist with the British Psychological Society.
I’ve been in psychology for many years, and chartership is something we work towards over the course of our careers. It’s nice to hit that milestone. Of course, I’m still the same person I was yesterday – just now with a few extra letters and a slightly longer email signature.
It was wet. Proper wet. Soaked to the skin wet. Lovely course through the woods, though. Thank you so much to all of the volunteers who came out in the rain.
The Causeway Coast race takes place on the north coast of Ireland and passes the Giant’s Causeway. There are distances of 10k to ultra, with the half marathon involving a bus ride to Carrick-a-Rede where the race starts and the course follows the coast line back to Portballintrae.
The race starts in the quarry and heads up along the headland. There are several chokepoints and stiles so it is easy going at first with lots of queuing, but it isn’t the kind of race you try and go fast in anyway. You pass through Ballintoy Harbour, which is a beautiful sight.
It then drops down onto the beach and there is lots of scrambling over rocks, followed by a kilometre or two along the beach. The sand wasn’t soft, although was a bit soggy. After that, it mostly runs along the cliff tops with plenty of ups and downs for good measure.
I started feeling anxious about half way and had a rough few kilometres. Then, just as I was feeling better and picked up my pace, I went over on my left ankle. I was worried I had done some damage but luckily, after getting back up I was able to walk and then run it off. No issues the next day.
You do see the Giant’s Causeway but it is from the top of the cliffs so it is not comparable to seeing it up close. The cliffs around there are impressive, if a little unnerving given the wind. I am not sure how high they are but I would estimate it is around a hundred-metre drop.
For the final part, we drop down to sea level again and run along the railway tracks back into Portballintrae where the finish is.
My official time was:
2:37:11
I wasn’t interested in the time; I just wanted to finish, so I was happy with anything. It is definitely one of the prettier races I have done so if you want a scenic coastal route and just want to have fun, this is a good choice.
