Our 24 Day Itinerary

Day 1 Dublin to Marlay Park 7 miles
Day 2 Knockree 12.5 miles
Day 3 Baltynanima 11 miles
Day 4 Glendalough 8.5 miles
Day 5 Moyne 13 miles
Day 6 Tinahely 9.5 miles
Day 7 Kilquiggan 8 miles
Day 8 Clonegal 13 miles
Day 9 Tonduff 11.5 miles
Day 10 Graiguenamanagh 12 miles
Day 11 Inistioge 10 miles
Day 12 Lukeswell 16.6 miles
Day 13 Piltown 11.5 miles
Day 14 Kilsheelan 12.5 miles
Day 15 Clonmel 11 miles
Day 16 Newcastle 13 miles
Day 17 Clogheen 13.5 miles
Day 18 Araglin 12.5 miles
Day 19 Kilworth 12.5 miles
Day 20 Ballyhooly 13 miles
Day 21 Killavullen 7.5 miles
Day 22 Ballynamona 9.5 miles
Day 23 Bweeng 11 miles
Day 24 Millstreet Country Park 19 miles
Day 25 Millstreet 6 miles
Day 26 Strone 14 miles
Day 27 Muckross 12.5 miles
Day 28 Black Valley 12.5 miles
Day 29 Glencar 14 miles
Day 30 Glenbeigh 8 miles
Day 31 Cahersiveen 13.75 miles
Day 32 Portmagee 15.5 miles

Monday, December 23, 2013

Time For Real Planning

I plan to use a portion of our Christmas break to start making real plans for our summer adventure in Ireland.  There's so much to do!

Lauren's last day of school is Friday, June 6th, so I think we'll fly out the following Monday.  That'll put us in Dublin on the 10th.  I think it would be wise to plan to spend the night and then hop a train the following morning to Tralee, which is where we'll begin our walk.  It's about a three hour trip.  So, assuming that works out, we'll begin walking the peninsula on the 12th.

Although it's only a little over a hundred miles, I'm planning to take ten days to complete it.  I'd like to take time to smell the roses and by that I really mean enjoy the pubs.  With the exception of two or three days, there were no pubs at which to stop along the way during our Walk Across England, which was a good thing because many of those days were in excess of twelve miles.  A pub would have seriously screwed up our timing and we'd have ended up sleeping in an abandoned barn or in a field of tall grass.  Neither would have been pleasant.

In Ireland, however, our daily mileage will be less, which will afford us time to soak up the local atmosphere and enjoy the people.  I want to take a side trip to the Blasket Islands while we're in Dingle, too.  They look like a prime place for ghost hunting.

When we arrive back in Tralee at the end of ten days, we'll hop a train to Castlebar (County Mayo) to search for some Lavells.  I've heard they're known as "wankers", which isn't a huge surprise.  Most of the Lavells I know fit that category quite well.  I hope to find some of my Dad's people and connect with his past.  It's something he always wanted to do but never had the opportunity to make it happen.  Lauren and I will do it in his honor.

After a few days in Castlebar, we'll take another train back to Dublin for one last pint before flying back to our island in the sun.

Doesn't that sound like a great adventure?!?  Stay tuned as we make preparations!

(By the way, my training is underway...I clocked 8 miles yesterday!)