Day 28: Let the hike begin!!

Today was the first leg of our epic hiking journey around the Dingle Peninsula. Six days, almost eighty miles, and hopefully not too much elevation change. It started pleasantly enough: we had a light breakfast of banana bread and tea, and then met some of our host's sheep, especially Pedro, who was the "other twin" abandoned by his mother and bottle-fed, who is now more of a pet than anything else. He would eat right out of your hand and he even let us pet him a little bit. A few other sheep came down with him, but they did not get quite so close.

Pedro being fed by our host Brigid

Another sheep, a bit more cautious

Our host was extremely helpful and gave us a ride to the Dingle Way, which was doubly helpful in cutting off two or three miles of hiking we would have had to do. Today ended up being only about nine miles instead of eleven. And my, was it beautiful. We hiked by mountains...

Mountains!

...and over streams...

Streams!

...and through sheep fields...

I'm pretty sure that most of Ireland's land area is inhabited by sheep, not people

...until we reached Inch Beach, which had a lovely cafe (with wifi!) and a beautiful beach facing right out at the Atlantic.

Inch Beach, the cafe, and the Iveragh Peninsula beyond

We spent two and a half hours there, eating and drinking and generally relaxing as much as possible (well, I was doing that--Mom got stir crazy after a bit and started wandering around while I finished up a blog entry--we're trying to catch up, I swear!) before we began the final leg, four miles up and over a small ridge and down into Annascaul.

The inland is as beautiful as the coast here--everything is green and covered in little fields.

I like that hill. That is a niiice hill. 

We soon arrived at our B&B for the night, then relaxed for a couple of hours (we each took a shower, we were incredibly sweaty) before going into town and getting some food at the South Pole Inn, which commemorates the importance of Tom Crean in early expeditions there. I unfortunately don't remember what the importance is, but there is a brewery that calls itself Tom Crean's.

After dinner we relaxed, watched A Bug's Life, and turned in for the night. We are so glad we decided not to camp this thing. Beds and showers (not to mention internet) are too pleasant.