This morning's 7:45 rainfall suggested that I shouldn't go hiking today, but it stopped as quickly as it came on. I finished getting my things ready for the day and prayed that we got all the rain we needed for today.
Our host, Maureen, is a "down to business" woman, organized, firm boundaries, and has a heart of gold. Breakfast this morning included yogurt and fruit salad, toast and an omelet. Another couple, from Belgium, who we have seen on and off the last few days are hiking all the way to Kenmare today - 35 km. Yikes! Good for them, I say!
Our ride picked Fred and I up at 9:30 to take us to Templenoe. We had already decided on a slightly shorter route, so our drop off would now be at Blackwater Bridge. As soon as we got out of the car, I saw the most beautiful rainbow, big and bright! We took a selfie and both believed that this would be a good day of walking.
We had a very short distance of road walking before we began walking on farmland and trail. The trail was reasonably marked, but at some point early on, we realized we were a little off trail. That's about the time Fred went head to head with this cow. So, between navigating around a lot of mud and getting our way back on trail, we also contended with Betsie, who wasn't happy about moving on.
The second half of the trail was easier going, skirting around some road construction, then Parknasilla Resort, crossing the N70 a second time to make a gentle climb just a few km out of Sneem. Our hosts in Caherdaniel had told us about a fabulous art gallery outside of Sneem. Little did we know it was enroute! Fred and I were both eager to go take a look! Brushwood Studios is home to original and printed works from three generations of women from one family. All with their own unique style, we admired it all! Having learned how far we had walked, Diana offered Fred and I a coffee. We didn't turn it down! Sitting in this room, the sun filling the spaces with light, we took our time to relax and appreciate the art while she told us more about their gallery, artistic styles, and how her grandfather came from South Africa and built this home. We soaked in as much as we could before we continued for the last 35 minutes of our walk.
Crossing the bridge over river Sneem, we got to view Sneem falls.
Coomassig View B&B is about 1km outside of town with beautiful views of the distant mountains. Bill met us at the door, so we played up with a little dramatic pose.
I had the seafood platter and Bill had pork chops. Of course, there was also a large basket of fries in the centre of the table for the three of us.
On our walk back to Coomassig View, we finally got to see some reasonably clear evening skies.
