#8: [12-Jul-24]

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#3: [26-Feb-08]

#2: [09-Oct-04]

11-Jun-2001 -- On Monday morning, we went touring around Cashel and started driving along HWY-N72 SW to Killarney. We decided that since we were passing near to N52 9W that we would like to spend an hour out of the afternoon and go for a walk. Turning south through the town of MillStreet, we headed for the hills...

After driving on a few back roads, we were within about 2.5km from the confluence point, so we decided to get out and walk the rest of the way. Walking along a logging road, getting bitten by insects, and not making much progress, we looked for a way through the dense trees.

We started to loop back and intersected what looked to be the road we had parked on. However, rather than go back to the car, we decided to continue on foot and follow the road. Climbing higher and higher into the Irish hills (quite scenic) we came across some standing stones and took a ten minute break.

Back on the track and getting ever closer, we marched up hill and were about 1.0km from the site. The road continued on for about another kilometre and looped back at the bottom of a valley before us. After (mis)reading the GPS (I'm new at this) we decided to cut across country and save time by walking directly down to the road in the valley.

Having reached the valley bottom and reconnected with the road (about 65m altitude or so) we reoriented and discovered that the confluence point is still about 900m up the other side of the valley (at this point, my companions are starting to lose the sense of "fun".) We march up the even steeper slope, while I, continually read out our distance for encouragement.

About three-quarters of the way up the hill (about 440m altitude) we find the point and take the requisite pictures. We were rewarded with a scenic view of the valley with its winding road and trees off in the distance. We head back for the car cutting across the hill top rather than going back down into the valley, our task now complete.

Once we got back to the car (we take the long way, on my assurances that it will be shorter – my second GPS faux-pas), three and a half hours later, we realize that we could have driven 8km of the 10km trip. It was, however, both an adventure and an enjoyable walk in the Irish countryside.