I am just back from a walking tour of Ireland. We walked between 8 and 10 miles a day
travelling all around the Island for 15 days. It was beautiful with perfect weather for hiking - mid 60’s. We quickly learned to always have a raincoat with us because
it mists or rains most days. We
were fortunate that there were only two days that it really rained, but not all
day. We walked along the cliffs,
beaches, through fields climbing over styles, in fields with sheep and cows, in
forests, and on back roads. One of
our hikes took us around the Guinness estate and we saw a wedding party going
to the house.
We were surprised with the length of the days. It was light by 5:00 AM and didn’t get
dark until about 10:30. One of the
most beautiful beaches was Inch Beach on the Dingle Peninsula. The wide beach went on for miles. There were few people on it with cars
driving where ever they choose. At
the beginning of the beach there were at the most 80 people or so and a surf
shop, which gave lessons. We saw
beginning surfers out in the water wearing wetsuits. Walking just a short way, we left the crowd behind. Across the ocean we could see parts of
the peninsula and mountains in the mist.
It was so lovely.
Our tour included 4 from the US, 4 Canadians, and 4
Australians. Several had family in
Ireland and planned to visit them after the walking tour. I would have loved to stay longer, but
missed the dogs and cats.
Just days after getting home, I had an agility trial. Magnum and I had a master’s standard
run on Saturday that I think was our best ever. We placed first beating out a couple of great border collies
that tied and had a run off for 2nd and 3rd place. It was a small trial, which is probably
the only kind in which we have a chance of placing first. As we finished our run, someone yelled,
“Very nice!” And, it really
was. We were both running great
and were in sync. Now if we can
only do it on a regular basis.
The photo is on a beach in Ireland!
No comments:
Post a Comment