Reset search
Hiking the moors and highlandsHiking the moors and highlands
SatelliteEdit route
October 16 will be the 5th anniversary of making the summit of Kilimanjaro. In celebration, we're reuniting with the other climbers to hike in the Lake District of England. We're also taking a week to visit Ireland and the Southern coast of England. Read more
  • 16footprints
  • 3countries
  • 16days
  • 4photos
  • 0videos
  • 9.9kmiles
  • 8.8kmiles
Follow Calendar Share Bucket list
Date ascending
  • Abuse your passportHiking the moors and highlands
    Day 1

    From snow to summer in less than 3 hours

    October 5, 2012 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 37 °F

    I was a little surprised to wake up to snow this morning. I thought the forecast no longer included precipitation. I wonder if Irish weather people are better than the one's in Colorado. I imagine it doesn't take much to forecast "cloudy with rain."

    We're sitting at Dulles and I'm wondering what it is that I forgot. The departure rushed right up on me this morning. As I shut the door, I realized my rain jacket was still in the house. That is one item that you don't want to forget going to the UK.

    I've already had my requisite run in with the TSA. Kim stuck a water bottle into the backpack, thinking she would have it drunk by the time we got through security; however, she forgot. I, not realizing she had put it into the backpack, copped an eye-rolling, you've-got-to-be-kidding-me attitude with Ms. "Who's Your Daddy" TSA lady. Imagine my surprise when she pulls the full water bottle out! I gave Kim the shake of shame, lowering my head with a slow, disgusted nod back and forth. I let her and nasty TSA lady negotiate the disposal of the security-compromising fluid, while I put my shoes back on. Apparently the water was so threatening, it had to be dumped outside of security, as Ms. TSA took her sweet time. When she brought the backpack, she had the nerve to say, with a straight face, "Here's your bag. I've placed the offending water bottle back in it."

    It's a balmy 80 degrees in DC. Dressed like Eskimos, we about passed out waiting for the jetway after our landing. Although the flight was 20 minutes early, someone forgot to tell the ground crew, so we spent about 20 minutes waiting for a new gate and jetway. So much for getting here early.

    We'll be hanging in Dulles for four more hours. Our flight leaves just after 10, and we don't arrive in Dublin until 9:30am. I'm not much for sleeping on airplanes, so tomorrow could be a long day.
    Cheerio!    Read more

  • Abuse your passportHiking the moors and highlands
    Day 2

    Two curbs and a bumper

    October 6, 2012 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 50 °F

    First, I want to make a public apology to Jerry Wommack, at whom I laughed when he said he returned his Irish rental car with no passenger side hubcaps or mirror. I failed to grasp the magnitude of "narrow" when he described the roads. I fooled myself, thinking that a compact car would somehow protect me from this problem. Well, two freshly damaged curbs are testament to my distorted thinking. Sorry, Jerry. You were right.

    The roads are ridiculously narrow. As in a Smartcar looks like a wideload here! Having said that, I should have also thought twice about a manual transmission. After driving an automatic for a few years, I've frequently forgotten about that pesky clutch. I've popped the clutch so many times, we both have whiplash! In Dublin, near St Patrick's Cathedral, I pulled into an unbelievably small parking garage, where I piloted the car about an inch from each stall lane and right up against the concrete barrier. When I went to start up the car, I forgot that darn clutch, instead I found out that the bumper is essential in protecting concrete walls.

    We arrived in Dublin an hour later than scheduled, which was pretty good, since we left Dulles two hours late. Immigration and customs took less than ten minutes, and the ride to the rental car was about the same. They set us up in a Nissan somethin' with a really crappy map. Which, by the way, is my other complaint; besides the width of the roads, the Irish appear to have very little concern over street signage. Therefore, my idea, "It's OK if the map is vague, we'll keep an eye out for the street sign," was flawed from the beginning. We did make it to St Patrick's Cathedral, which was beautiful. Built most recently in the year 1220, this is the site where St Patrick baptized the converts of Dublin. It is still an active place of worship, though we skipped the sermon. We also walked up to the Christ Church Cathedral built in 1028. It is a large structure and probably bigger than St Pat's. Love the flying buttresses!

    We motored off to Kilkenny but not before Kim had a lack of sleep/lack of food combo meltdown. Poor thing, I finally just pulled over, trying to explain you can't just stop when you see something, because there is NO room on the street to get out of the way. Before I finished, she gave me a Linda Blair look and said, "I don't...think...you un...der…stand. I have...to eat...now!" then her head spun and I pointed to what looked like a convenience store.

    Although we got out of Dublin and headed to Kilkenny, it wasn't without detours, due to poor signage/map problems. Kilkenny is a terrific little town. It's got a medieval European look, with narrow (shocking) streets, hidden walkways, and cobblestone lanes. We got settled in our room over the Metropole Pub and enjoyed some pub grub before taking a walk. We decided to turn in early, hitting the rack around 7:30, due to utter exhaustion.

    We're planning to tour the Kilkenny castle tomorrow before seeing the Rock of Cashel and walking the grounds of the Ballyseede castle; our terminus for the night.    Read more

  • Abuse your passportHiking the moors and highlands
    Day 3

    Castles, Abbeys, and two more curbs

    October 7, 2012 in Ireland ⋅ 🌧 48 °F

    Wow! We're we tired. We fell asleep at 7:30 last night and woke up at 11:15 this morning. So much for my plan to get up early and see Kilkenny. We didn't get out of our room until about noon, which put us back about three hours, but, admittedly, I do feel rested. We walked down to the Kilkenny Castle, which used to protect the area from invaders, cattle rustlers, and common thieves. The castle has an enormous park that unrolls along a sleepy river. The grounds now house a soccer field, basketball courts, and picnic areas. Seems like a little less angst than back in the days of thwarting armies with arrows and catapults.

    After a couple of tries, we got out of Kilkenny and on the road to Cashel. As you drive into Cashel, the castle, sitting atop the limestone hill, dominates the landscape. Named the Rock of Cashel, it was the home to Munster kings for centuries. It was fought over for many years until the 1100's, when the king gave it to the church, so people would stop attacking. A brilliant strategy. However, I prefer another story of the Rock. According to local myth, the Rock of Cashel originated in the Devil's Bit, a mountain near Cashel. When St. Patrick banished Satan from a cave in the mountain, the Rock landed in Cashel. Regardless of the origin, the rock looks to be the highest point in Cashel and overlooks the Tripperary plains. The structure is imposing, walls rising high in the cathedral. With roofs lost many years ago, plants grow from the stone bricks. In one area, there is an archway that is fashioned with heads all along the arch. The bottom heads are described as "grotesque" but they become more serene as they move up the arch and closer to God.

    After the cathedral, we moved out to the graveyard. The guidebook indicated that there are a few more vacant spots for the living; these people were placed on a waiting list by their relatives back in the 1930's. That's some foresight! From the graveyard, you can look down the hill to the Hore Abbey below. With a name like that, we had to visit. Kim was a little apprehensive, as we had to walk through some fenced areas to get there. "I think we're trespassing," she said with great concern. I assured her that Rick Steves had given me the instructions, and this seemed to relieve her a bit (note to self, use this excuse in the future).

    The Hore Abbey gets little press but was very interesting. It was a nice size abbey, in its day, with several rooms and worship areas. Outside are the tombstones, which have surrendered to the moss and moisture. Since it's not on the beaten path, it was nice just to stroll along the fallen stones in the quiet cool air, without the disruption of others.

    Leaving the abbey, there were several cows hanging out by the abbey walls. I got a little worried when I thought of my friend Bruce and his recent brush with a stampede. One minute they can be chewing cud and the next they can be chasing you. I chose not to tell Kim what I was thinking until we were well out of cow earshot. She was not as amused as I was.

    We did our best to drive, without getting lost, from Cashal to the Ballyseede Castle. We arrived safely at 6:30 and arranged dinner for 7:00. It's not often you get to eat in a castle, so I didn't mind paying $100 for a two course meal. Kim had a delightful cod, and I chose the lamb, being in Ireland and all. Our meal came with potatoes cooked four different ways-all delicious. The balance of the evening was spent in the library, taking after dinner tea and enjoying the fire. The Irish wolfhound, Mr. Higgins, mixes gently with the guests. Luckily, he's not overweight, otherwise he could easily knock Kim over, since he comes up to her hips.

    Tomorrow we are off to the Dingle peninsula to search for the elusive berry tree.    Read more

  • Abuse your passportHiking the moors and highlands
    Day 4

    Dingle dangles

    October 8, 2012 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 55 °F

    We left the castle by 11am to try our luck over Connor Pass. From the stories I heard in the pub last night, it is a harrowing, death-defying drive over to Dingle. Actually the road is the highest pass in Ireland and possibly the most narrow road I have ever driven. I thought two lanes, without any shoulders, was bad; but a two lane road that is one car width and no shoulders...that is narrow. Unfortunately, we could not enjoy the view from the top of the pass because of the fog. Fortunately, the fog prevented us from seeing the sheer drop offs.

    There was a light rain, as we coasted into Dingle town. We pulled out the guidebook and started the driving tour. First, we saw a stone pillar left over from the Neolithic Age (4000 BC). It was either a grave marker or a property marker but looked quite similar to the stone boundary markers I saw in Mongolia. Down the road a ways, we pulled to the side of the drive to look at a Stone Age ring fort. This one was an elevated ring shape, mounded with earth. It would have been easy to walk by and never notice it, while others we saw later in the day were much more pronounced. These, and many similar "structures," are referred to as fairy forts. Folklore has it that farmers who disrupted these areas fell into very bad luck. That's what you get for disrupting the fairies!

    Our first stop was at Dunbeg Fort. It is a stone structure, sitting at the edge of the peninsula, heavily fortified and well-constructed. Built between 500 BC and 500 AD, its rock roof is still intact, although some of the outer walls have fallen into the sea.

    Just up the street we stopped to visit one of the beehive hut sites. These huts are made completely of stone and were used as living quarters. Often there would be a collection of the beehive shaped buildings within a protective stone wall. As the day went on, we found most of the countryside was dotted with beehive hut remnants.

    The main road around the peninsula took us out to the western most point of the European landmass. We parked for a bit to walk on the beach and catch the surfers, which made me shiver thinking of the water temperature. This was the first bit of land Lindbergh saw on his Atlantic crossing that ended in Paris.

    On the back side of the peninsula, we stopped at Gallarus Oratory. It was built about 1,300 years ago and is one of Ireland's best preserved early churches. Constructed purely of stacked rock, the structure is amazingly tight and dry. It was a part of a much larger monastic community. This was probably my second favorite site of the day, with the number one attraction just up the road: the church of Kilmalkedar. I have no idea how to pronounce it, but it was cool. Built in the 12th century, it features a full graveyard, an ogham stone (a gravestone from about the third century), a sundial (for which I could find no information), and a huge cross that probably predates the church. It is a fascinating history lesson, as you see a Norman church, built on older monastic grounds, built on a still older, pre-Christian, holy site.

    We finished up our Dingle tour with the last of the fairy forts. This one was impressive, with several circular buildings constructed about 1000 years ago.

    As the sun started to set, we said our goodbyes to the peninsula. Dingle dangled beauty before us all day! It is an amazing place but not a lot of trees. Kim suggested that the next time I go looking for a Dingle berry, I may want to stop concentrating on trees and focus on the bush.

    We are hold up at Murphy's Farmhouse for the night. After settling in our room, we walked down to Murphy's pub, in operation since 1789. We had some great pub food and enjoyed the fire. We sadly leave Ireland tomorrow, but I'll be happy to be car-free for a few days. I think I've been traumatized by my own driving!    Read more

  • Abuse your passportHiking the moors and highlands
    Day 5

    Travel Day

    October 9, 2012 in England ⋅ ⛅ 50 °F

    We said goodbye to Ireland today. I will return for a much longer visit. We had a short drive to the Kerry airport, where I proudly returned the car with no missing parts! (Albeit a few new scratches).

    Surprisingly, the flight from Ireland is considered domestic, so we didn't have to bother with immigration or customs. We were out the door in no time, grabbed a bus to get to the train to get to Lewes. A lovely little town, from whence the great thinker, Thomas Payne, came. Also, Lewes is called a transitional town. It is a communal effort to lower their carbon footprint. They make it very financially attractive to convert to alternative energy, transportation, etc. Amy showed us the plans for her new house, which will be a low carbon, high efficiency, water savings structure. In addition to the house, she is building guest accommodations and an education center to allow folks to stay in an energy efficient home, while learning about the numerous ways to lower their carbon footprint.

    We will be here for a couple of days and look forward to enjoying the view from a local.    Read more

  • Abuse your passportHiking the moors and highlands
    Day 6

    A Day in Lewes

    October 10, 2012 in England ⋅ ⛅ 46 °F

    It was nice to take it easy today. We slept in a bit, had nice conversation over morning tea, and took in the views of Lewes from Amy's hillside home. We didn't get out of the house until after 1pm. And that was to go eat!

    We corralled the dogs and walked down the hill to the Butternut Cafe. As Amy ordered for us, she asked that I decide where to sit: the main floor, outside, or downstairs. Before I got all the way down the stairs, I could see the lower level, which was open, airy, and empty. "Let's do downstairs," I reported and retreated back down the old stone stairway.

    The owner, a friend of Amys, came down to greet us. She was very pleasant and grateful for our compliments on the place. Amy pointed out to her that I had mentioned how warm I felt the dining area was, very inviting. The owner laughed and commented that their efforts were paying off but there was still a lot to do. Then, Amy explained that this area had been an unfinished basement, with damp walls, no light, and a general creepy feeling. When Claire, the owner, had asked Amy what she thought about remodeling the area, Amy wasn't sold. Specifically, her dog had been with her and the dog hardly wanted to go in and then wanted badly to get out. Not so inviting for a restaurant and an eternity to the warmth of the place now. Claire had vision and a lot of sage! She said she had been cleansing the area regularly. I politely said it must be working. She left us, and Amy leaned over to let us know someone had been murdered in the corner just behind us. Lovely.

    We finished lunch and set out for a walking tour of Lewes. We didn't get very far, when we checked the time and discovered there was only 20 minutes left before the shop stopped serving tea. Although comfortably stuffed, we went in for tea, scones, and clotted cream. Wow! I'm gonna be so plump when I get home. The clotted cream is milk one stage before butter. It is creamy, like melted chocolate, and yummy like butter. Throw a little jam on there and oo-la-la, it's culinary heaven!

    We finally got going into town around 5pm-a later start than we hoped! We strolled up some original cobblestone roads, down High Street (the main shopping area), and by the White Hart Hotel. The hotel is in disrepair, which is a pity. It is where Thomas Payne did some of his best work before coming to America. Maybe Americans should read his pamphlet "Common Sense" before the election. Just my opinion.

    Our other point stop was the memorial to the Protestants, who the Catholics burned at the stake. In the 1500's, the Protestants became martyrs to the cause, and another memorial, with each of their names is up by Amy's house. I'm planning to walk up there tomorrow.

    Coming up in another few weeks is the bonfire night. Each year huge celebrations are held on Nov 5 to celebrate the thwarting of the Gunpowder Plot. This was an attempt by the Catholics, in 1605, to blow up the House of Parliament. The plot was discovered and the offenders were later hanged, drawn, and quartered. Now, that's a bad day!

    We returned to the house and lounged for the rest of the night. Tomorrow were off to Stonehenge and Avebury.    Read more

  • Abuse your passportHiking the moors and highlands
    Day 7

    Avebury RFD

    October 11, 2012 in England ⋅ ⛅ 52 °F

    We got a late start (seems to be a theme), so we didn't pick up our rental car until about 1pm. The road to Avebury is a mix of motorways and smaller byways. It's quite possible that we went through 50 roundabouts today. Luckily, Amy had here GPS, so we were able to move forward the entire day; as opposed to Ireland, where we double backed a multitude of times.

    We arrived in Avebury about 4:30. With a light mist, the area was magical. Large stones emerge from the earth in flat meadows where there appears to be no rock. Concentric rock circles engulf you, making one realize how terribly insignificant we are and how briefly we appear in the history of the world. The earthen embankment, which I've seen called fosses, also create a circle and were actually constructed first. The embankments run around the outside of the largest circle. The builders dug a ditch thirty feet down, then piled the dirt thirty feet high at the edge of the ditch, creating a hill of sixty feet. These "structures" we're built in 4,000-3,500 BC. It wasn't until 2,600 BC that the stones were placed.

    We walked the interior of the large circle, after Kim and Amy did some serious purchasing at The Henge Store. The NE quadrant is filled with sheep, grazing obliviously around the stones. The other three quadrants were sheep-free during our visit, but there was evidence they had been there.

    Just beyond the henge is Silbury Hill, the largest man made structure in prehistoric Europe. Basically, it's a huge pile of chalk, dug up from the local area. The landscape here is just a few inches of top soil, sitting on top of solid, white chalk.

    We left the henge to eat dinner and drive to Glastonbury. We ate at The Waggon & Horses, a site built in 1669. The food was amazing, giving me the energy to finish off the drive to Glastonbury; home to hippies, crystals, goddesses, and incense. Just like Boulder, just older!    Read more

  • Abuse your passportHiking the moors and highlands
    Day 8

    Crystals, goddesses, and Christ's uncle

    October 12, 2012 in England ⋅ ⛅ 46 °F

    Wow, they really mean it when they refer to Glastonbury as a spiritual center. You name the belief, and it's got a shop here. I noticed a store front selling Sufi wares, right next to the place with a Native American medicine wheel and a Buddha statue. There are more crystals in the shops here than a healthy mine vein. I've seen fairies, smelled incense, and thumbed through a dish of amethyst angels the size of my finger nail. There is an ancient goddess temple down the street from the dated Methodist Church, just across from the Tibetan meditation center. If you had no spiritual direction when you came here, you would certainly walk away with something from the buffet. If you were confused, you could get your astrological chart, a palm reading, or maybe some past life counseling. I can't wait to see what else we venture upon tomorrow.

    The story of Glastonbury begins with pagans and goddess beliefs. It is said that the uncle of Jesus, Joseph of Arimathea, brought the child Jesus to the area; Joseph was a trader in ore and lead, and this area is rich in lead mining. This is not as important as the visit Joseph made after the crucifixion. In 37 AD, Uncle Joseph is said to have brought the chalice, from which Jesus drank at the last supper, to Glastonbury. Once here, he placed it in a well. The Chalice Well is in a peaceful garden now, with serene landscape and plenty of places to sit and reflect quietly. The water that runs from the well has been at a constant rate and temperature, since these types of records have been kept. Furthermore, the water runs "red" from the well, as Joseph was said to have brought a little blood of Christ with him. Or there is a lot of iron in the water.

    Of course Glastonbury is the setting of all things King Arthur, as the Tor was identified as the Isle of Avalon, after the Abbey monks found the remains of the king and his queen. Although I prefer Monty Python's Holy Grail, the story of the King is pretty good, too. Lest I digress from Joseph, legend has it that he built a small place of worship here, creating the first Christian site in Europe. This site was later used for the Glastonbury Abbey, which we will visit tomorrow, so more to come on that one.

    Kim's friend, Millie, joined us for much of the day. She lives about an hour away in Bristol. We all met this morning at the Chalice Well entrance. We walked the sacred grounds, drank the healing water, then sat at the well. It was the first step in our spiritual liberation. We then wound our way up the Tor, a commanding hill that seems to have erupted from the earth straight up 521 feet. Once a sacred area for the goddess worshippers, it was later overtaken by the Christians who built the St Michael Chapel at the top. As noted by travel writer Rick Steve's, though, "apparently those pagan gods fought back: St Michael's Church was destroyed by an earthquake in 1275."

    Following the Tor, we returned to the Chalice Well to complete our tour of spirit. Once our souls were fed, we bid Millie farewell, and found a place to feed my empty stomach. I can feel the energy of Avalon all around me, and it makes me hungry.    Read more

  • Abuse your passportHiking the moors and highlands
    Day 9

    Can't get enough of the place

    October 13, 2012 in England ⋅ 🌙 39 °F

    Glastonbury has been interesting enough to extend our stay. At breakfast the two other B&B guests told us about running into a local yesterday, who told them the details of his pond's carp. Apparently they were beamed into a spaceship, and he thought he had lost them; however, the aliens did return them, eventually ejecting them into the pond from whence they came. He was quite animated about the splash made by their return.

    We started the day at the White Spring, across the street from the previously mentioned Chalice (aka red spring) Well. The red spring carries the female energy and the white spring exudes male energy. The spring is located in a dark, damp brick building that is built into a hill, so it feels like you are way underground. As we walked in, a middle-aged man pointed at our feet and said, "You're going to want your wellingtons for in there." Translation...you need your wellies (knee high rubber boots-all the rage in England) because the water is a little too deep for your current footwear. Amy and Kim talked me into stripping my pasty feet and entering the lair of darkness. The water was several inches deep in some spots and super cold. My little toes were shivering! It takes a bit for your eyes to adjust but there were four or so altars near the corners of the rectangular brick vault. The ceiling was about 15-20 feet high and in the center of the place was a large pool, wherein the spring runs, then drains out on the other side. Our B&B friends mentioned that men were swimming naked in it yesterday when they visited. Luckily we were spared that uncomfortable social encounter!

    We did some shopping at places like The Psychic Pig, and Man-Magic-Myth, while glancing at the windows of Faeries, The Wonky Broom (actual hand carved witches brooms), and The Witch's Cat. For personal care, we noticed you could pop into the Inner Beauty Salon or the Holistic Hairdressing and Healing shop. All this shopping was a little much for me, so I left Amy and Kim to do the fiscal damage, and I went down to the Glastonbury Abbey.

    The Abbey, like all other churchy things around this part of the world, was built on a pagan site. A capped spring can be seen in what is left of the cathedral's crypt. The spring was used for pagan rituals long before the church arrived. This church site is special though. Jesus's uncle Joseph is said to have come here and built a small church, the first Christian church in Europe, which stood for about 1000 years. A monastery was later placed on the grounds, which is about 36 acres of the town. Models of the original structure are amazing, and the enormity of the building was not imaginable to me. As I stood at the south end of the cathedral, I looked at the remains at the north end and could not get my mind around the size of this structure. Some of the walls that remain only stand about one-quarter the original height of the building. Incredible. Unfortunately, a king, who's name escapes me, dissolved the monastery, hung the abbot, and raided the church's treasury. The monks ran off to France, and the Abbey has been sitting here, watching over Glastonbury ever since.

    We rested at the B&B for a bit before dinner at the “Who'd a Thought It” pub and inn. I've finally had my official fish and chips, so I am a very happy girl!    Read more

  • Abuse your passportHiking the moors and highlands
    Day 10

    From West, to South, and North to London

    October 14, 2012 in England ⋅ 🌙 43 °F

    We've had a long day of travel, interspersed with prehistory and food. We got out of Glastonbury a little late, which meant we were behind schedule before we even started. Tossing care aside, we drove to Stonehenge to take in the prehistoric site. Although Avebury, where we visited a few days ago, is 16 times larger, Stonehenge is more imposing because of its size and remains. It is the only rock circle that still has "lintels" or horizontal stones spanning the tops of the rocks standing vertically. The stones used here are also larger than the remaining ones at Avebury. Of course no one really knows what Stonehenge was for, but it is a perfect calendar, keeping track of the days and months of the year with great accuracy.

    In a race to get the car rental returned on time, we hit the gas and pointed the car to the east. We quickly popped into Lewes to grab our bags from Amy's house, as well as the two dogs. Actually the dogs invited themselves, getting into the car while the doors were open. They are so sweet, we couldn't ask them to stay home. The five of us drove south to Brighton, did a few circles (and that's WITH the GPS), finally arriving at our destination. We were a little late but they were gracious and didn't charge us another day's fee.

    We had a wonder lunch at a local French place, before departing from the train station. We hugged, kissed, and bid farewell to Amy and the dogs, whose bus was leaving shortly. It was wonderful to spend time with her, so we were sad to be leaving. I think we could have easily spent a month in Lewes, entertained every day by the simplest things. However, it was not to be on this trip. Instead, Kim and I boarded the train north to Victoria Station, where we will be spending a day in London tomorrow. It's a short visit to a huge city. We'll see the requisite sites and travel up to Manchester for the next, and final, chapter of our trip: the Lake District.    Read more

  • 2024© FindPenguins
  • Home
  • About us
  • Blog
  • Group Tracking
  • Press
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy & Cookies
  • Support
  • Legal notice
  • English