Siobhan of The Grapevine Hostel told me yesterday that the Hostel in Dunquin was closed and there was a single B&B but I could not get a bed for 3 more nights. Well I am in no rush so how to turn lemons into lemonade?
The weather was brilliant so I decided to hitchhike to the Mt. Brandon Hostel in Cloghane, drop off my pack and walk up Mt. Brandon, Ireland’s 8th highest peak at 952 meters. Rural Ireland is a relatively easy place to thumb a ride and today was no different as I was at the hostel 45 minutes after leaving The Grapevine.
Mary Moriarty, the friendly host at Mt. Brandon Hostel let me store my large pack in a closet before starting my walk.
Well this is Ireland and as I started up the mountain the blue skies clouded up, but rain was unexpected so it was a good day. A Camino buddy, John Nolan, told me that he has been up this mountain several times and it was always cloudy and rainy.
The walk was moderate, just a few steep places where you had to scramble a bit. In total I was up and down in just under 6 hours but I took my time enjoying the views from the top as the clouds lifted a bit.
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Coming down there was an airplane engine, evidently there were several crashes on Mt. Brandon over the years before radar.
The views all along were grand so the day was absolutely wonderful. Nice walking down to the Hostel on the shores of Choghane Harbor. At the hostel, I enjoyed a pleasant hour sipping hot tea enjoying the views from their patio overlooking the Harbor.
Later I walked a few minutes down the road to O’Connors who poured an excellent pint and served a delicious leg of lamb dinner.
The following morning Mary suggested a good walk back to Dingle so I decided why not and spent a pleasant 4 hours walking in the quiet up a pass.
There were a few locked gates that I had to climb over but not a big deal.
I arrived back at The Grapevine by mid afternoon, and enjoyed last afternoon in Dingle Town.
I love the twisted shape of Mt Brandon!