Yes, you read the title of this post correctly- September 21, 2023 was Day 3 of my hike and it was a sunny day. On this particular stint, I was headed from the town of Glencar to the town of Glenbeigh. According to my AllTrails app, the hike clocked in at 22.93km and 5 hours and 45 minutes (my frequent GoPro stops put me over the typical time for the route…of course). I had been looking forward to my hike on September 21 for a couple of reasons:
- I was stoked to continue hiking and exploring the stunning landscape in Ireland, while giving my legs a workout.
- A band I love was releasing a new album that day. My master plan was to to download the album before leaving the B&B, so I could vibe out to it during my hike.
That morning, I downloaded the album Laundry Pile (by Arkells), while enjoying breakfast at the B&B with a fellow hiker. As I was just about ready to leave, the gentleman who runs the B&B (Mike) reminded me to say “hi” to the owner of the B&B I would be staying at in Glenbeigh (his brother and sister-in-law are the couple who runs the B&B I was headed for)- the people who run B&Bs in Ireland all seem to know each other, family or not- it’s a whole network, guys. I thanked Mike for a wonderful stay and the warm hospitality. He wished me well on the rest of my hike. I headed outside, paused on the paved road in front of the B&B, hit “play”, and was bound for Glenbeigh.
The route from Glencar to Glenbeigh involved a bit of backtracking down the road to link back up with what is, technically, The Kerry Way (my B&B was ever-so-slightly a bit of a stroll away from the main trail). The terrain transitioned from paved road to dirt paths, took me meandering up and down a few hilly sections in the forest, and toddling up a few summit-esque pitches. While I legitimately prefer rain, cold, and snow for hiking, there were definitely a few perks that came along with the sunny weather. For one thing, none of my clothing or gear was soaked at any point (this included my hiking shoes, which are not waterproof, staying dry rather than becoming what I was calling my ‘water shoes’). On top of that, the views were stunning. With no heavy cloud cover or sheets of rain impeding my ability to see further than 100 feet, I could see far into the distance and take in my surroundings in a way that I hadn’t been able to the days prior.
One of the more prominent highlights that day was when I approached a low fence that you hop over to get from the road into a grassy stretch. There was a gentleman (maybe in his late 60s-70s) who was pruning some foliage that was obstructing the fence. As ridiculous as this sounds, I felt like I was seeing some sort of celebrity as I neared the passage. This was one of the people who selflessly takes time to maintain a piece of The Kerry Way, so someone like me can get out and enjoy nature. I’ve always thought highly of anyone involved in the creation and/or maintenance of hiking trails, so seeing this gentleman diligently working around the fence, with his shears in-hand and pitching in to keep the trail navigable, was something that I was honestly really excited about (as bizarre as that may sound). He paused his maintenance work to let me pass by and I thanked him for being one of the people who tends to the trail’s upkeep.
The sunny weather also afforded me with a bit more wiggle room to stop, get GoPro shots, and linger to marvel at the views between Glencar and Glenbeigh. During one such stop, I met a man from Germany named Peter who was hiking with his German Shepherd, Nora (I know this was the spelling because it was on her collar, which was embroidered with German flags). I had a brief chat with Peter and Nora, while they were hanging out on a bench and having a snack (yep, they both had their own designated snacks that Peter had packed). He explained that it was his first time in Ireland and that, after only a couple days of hiking, he was going to be on a mission to come back with his wife (and Nora, of course) for a longer trip. Even though I technically passed Peter and Nora, they caught up and outpaced me pretty quickly once they got moving again, at which point we told one another to enjoy the beautiful day (they’re who you see at the end of the video below).
In addition to seeing a ‘hiking trail celebrity’ and meeting a fellow hiker and his dog, some of the things I most enjoyed along the ‘Day 3 trail’ included houses that were unexpectedly nestled in forested areas, stone footpaths for scooting over creeks, a detour to Blackstones House (I didn’t go in, but I met a Border Collie, so that’s a ‘win’), and instances when the trail led me across farmland. Last, but certainly not least, I got to listen to Laundry Pile on repeat for about 5 hours and, yes, I did actually keep it on a loop for that long (awesome album, just saying).
(Quick FYI- if the video below looks grainy or is taking a minute, try a quick refresh of the page and it should fix any snags- enjoy!)
