Day 58: Fenit to Tralee (8.2 miles) and Banna Strand (3.1 miles); Day 59: Maherees Loop (4.6 miles) & Mount Brandon Loop (6.8 miles)

I flew back from my weekend at home on the 31st July and went to Limerick to stay the night with my sister before heading off to Tralee on the Monday. When I woke up on Monday morning that "weather" I was telling you we've been having, was in full swing. It was pelting down and it was cold. The weather forecast for Kerry was even worse than Limerick so I decided to stay where I was and spend some time with my sis and my adorable little niece. By Tuesday there was a slight improvement in the weather but I wasn't feeling too good - so I stayed another night. When I woke up on the Wednesday I was still feeling below par but I was restless to get going so I set off for Tralee even though it was grey and miserable.

It got a whole lot worse. The closer I got to Tralee the harder the rain fell, the worse the visibility got and the crosswinds threatened to push poor Minty off the road. By CastleIsland I was seriously thinking about going back to Limerick. But I ploughed on and by the time I checked in at my campsite in Tralee the worst of it was over ... for a while anyway.

My brother had contacted me to say that he was on holiday in Kerry and was up for joining me for a walk on Thursday. This was to be the first walk that I've done with someone else on this trip. I was really looking forward to the company and I planned a route that would have us off the road for half the walk so that we could chat without traffic bothering us.

We arranged a place to meet in Tralee and then I drove us in Minty to Fenit. In my distraction of the previous days I'd forgotten to call the Fenit Lifeboat house to say I was around and funnily enough there was nobody in so we just set off towards Tralee and chatted happily about lots of things.

It was a pretty route and there was lots of lovely views and we were very lucky to have bright sunshine for quite a lot of it.

The time passed very quickly and before we knew it we were back in Tralee.

I was having a bit of trouble with my right achilles on the walk. It started bothering me far earlier in the journey than normal and was a bit more persistent than usual. I was hobbling a bit.

We then took the car my brother drove back to Fenit to Minty. We had a lovely lunch there and then drove to Banna Strand in convoy.

Banna is a very long sandy beach, famous for its big waves and strong winds. By the time we arrived it was starting to get overcast again and the dark clouds were once again rolling in from the Atlantic. We wrapped up a bit and walked off down the beach which seemed to stretch on as far as the eye could see. It wasn't long before the rain came. I wanted to have walked at least 10 miles in the day so we pressed on. However I noticed that the tide was also coming in and it was rising fast. We turned back to the cars and didn't waste time because we wanted to get back before we ran out of beach.

We were both fairly wet when we got back. It was about 5 pm and I had yet to find a place to stay for the night and my brother had to get back to his family. I really enjoyed the day. It didn't seem so long with good company! Thanks Bro!

After we said our goodbyes I headed south to a campsite near Castlegregory. South of Tralee Bay the weather was much brighter and I was very pleased to get settled in to my new temporary home. I planned to stay two nights here before moving south again.

My pitch was in a lovely sheltered spot and I soon settled down to sleep after my exhausting day. Then I woke up. I had shooting pains in my heels and ankles that bothered me all night. I'd clearly antagonised my achilles and it was making me pay for it. When I woke up the following morning it was still very tender and as I drove off to my starting point for my walk I wasn't feeling very enthusiastic about it. I stopped to get some coffee in Castlegregory and was hobbling so badly that by the time I got back to Minty I decided that Friday was going to have to be another day of rest.

So I decided to explore instead. I drove up north of Castlegregory and had a good look around and found an excellent circular walk that I hadn't thought of before. Then I decided I'd head towards Mount Brandon and see what kind of walk I might do there. However on the way I passed a young guy who was carrying a large backpack and was hitching. I thought that I should pay it forward for all the lifts I've gotten along the way so I pulled over.

"Where are you heading?" I asked.

"Dingle," he replied, "Are you going that way?"

"Sure!"

Why the hell not? Plenty of people had driven me miles out of their way and I was going be going that way in the next few days so why not check it out now? His name was Derek and he loved to hike and climb mountains. The previous year he had started walking the Wild Atlantic Way in Kinsale (going the opposite way to me) but had to give up in Kenmare when his tent broke so he was very interested in my journey. He was very good company and for once the Connor Pass (a very narrow mountain pass on the way to Dingle) was clear (It's normally really misty) and you could see the incredible views. We also didn't get stuck on the single tracks when it gets so narrow only one vehicle can pass in any direction. To be honest it was a bit of a miracle!

In Dingle I bade farewell to Derek and I went off around the Slea Head Drive as I was going to be staying out that way and walking there over the next few days. I was a fantastic drive and really got me enthused about what was to come.

I travelled back over the Pass again and this time did go to Mount Brandon and scoped out a good walk for the next day. I met a lovely retired couple from Limerick and of course it turned out we had friends in common. It really is a very small world.

The following morning I was up and out by about 9 am. I called in to Castlegregory to buy some breakfast and then  headed to the northwest tip of the peninsula where I parked opposite a pub called Spillane's. It was a lovely sunny morning and with my foot now rested I happily set off on a loop walk that took me around the top of the peninsula on narrow lanes and craggy coastal paths.

I passed boats and beaches and horses and cows as all the while the light on the water across the bay danced on the sea and the clouds played hide and seek with the mountains.

It was only a short walk but it set me up for the day!

When I got back to Minty I drove around to the next peninsula along to the town of Cloghane and parked Minty in a church car park before following a mountain path up the hill and away from the busy roads. Before long I was dodging mud and climbing over rocks trying not to get lost. Eventually a little bit further up the mountain I came out on a quiet road where the residents insisted all visitors should chill a little.

One road lead to another and down a quiet lane I had a long conversation with a dairy farmer pushing a bike,  who, along with his dogs, was driving a small herd of cows up the road. He was very interested in my walk and the fact that I'd lived away from Ireland for so long. He seemed very sad that emigration was on the rise again. "Sure all the young people are leaving. There's nothing for them here. America, Australia and London are getting them and the big towns of course. There's no industry and nobody wants to be a farmer any more." The cows and the dogs patiently waited while we talked although the cows who thought they could just wander away were always brought in line by the ever vigilant collies. It was the appearance of a car that couldn't get past that finally ended our chat. It was lovely to pass the time so pleasantly with such a nice man.

The road back to Minty was a bit dull and quite busy and I got rained on too. I wasn't wearing my coat because I'd been walking through mist most of the afternoon so by the time the rain actually started I was already drenched. I decided to go and get food in the local pub in my wet clothes rather than going back to Minty and getting dried up first. I had a dry fleece in my backpack so a quick trip to the loo and I look my shirt off and zipped my fleece over my underwear. I was decent and not shivering and that's all I cared about. After a dinner of chicken curry and rice, I hobbled back to Minty and drove once again over the Connor Pass (this time in zero visibility) to the campsite where I was to stay for the next three days.

Raising money for the RNLI on www.justgiving.com/Jane-Volker

Total mileage: 723.4 miles