A Storm Breaks

LETJOG E2W – Day 39: Wednesday 22 May – INCH to DINGLE (16.8 miles)

It is sometimes said that ‘it never rains, it pours’, and on the Dingle Peninsula today that maxim certainly held true. My penultimate walk was a waterproofs on/ waterproofs off kind of day, having been though everything from light drizzle through to a hailstorm and a deluge the like of which I had yet to experience on this LETJOG E2W journey. The weather gods have certainly saved their most fearsome elements for the finale of my walk; although I hope that their timing is slightly out, as the forecast conditions are looking somewhat better for my swan song out to Dunmore Head tomorrow, my ultimate E2W destination.

Even without the rain storms, today really was one of the more spectacular days of walking that I have had on my trek. Most of the route was away from any busy roads, following remote lanes and tracks and, if anything, the views of the mountains and the sea were made all the more eye-catching by the ever-changing clouds, brought in over the hills on a brisk northerly wind. Either I am now accustomed to getting wet or maybe it is because the finish line is so close, but I have become quite ambivalent towards the weather – perhaps also in the knowledge today that I had a certain and comfortable overnight refuge booked in Dingle. And eventually, I was indeed warmly welcomed with tea and chocolate cake at Heaton’s B&B, and my thanks to David and the team for their support and flexibility around my booking arrangements. Here goes with the pictures that I was able to take between the downpours.

Tonight, after a warm shower, and my tea and cake, it was back into town to shop for supplies, and for an evening stroll.

The chequered flag awaits, just a dozen or so miles further west now, at Dunmore Head on the very western tip of the Dingle Peninsula – the most westerly point on mainland Ireland. I am not there yet, but I am in good shape and in good spirits to complete the journey tomorrow – an early night beckons.

My Blog heading today, ‘A Storm Breaks’ is taken from a song of that title by Dublin band The Boomtown Rats. Written by lead singer Bob Geldof, the track appears on the group’s fifth album ‘V Deep’ released in 1982. The ‘V’ is pronounced ‘Five’ as it was the first work recorded after the departure of guitarist Gerry Cott, reducing the band from their original six-piece line-up. I was not familiar with the song before researching a suitable Blog title for today, and for me it takes a bit of getting used to. So instead, the song I have been singing in my head for half of my walk today is ‘Who’ll Stop The Rain’: this too would have made an excellent heading, especially as Bruce Springsteen opened his show in Cork last week with his cover version of the number – the original was by Californian band Creedence Clearwater Revival from 1970 – but I have sought to stick with Irish artists for this part of my trip. Maybe as a compromise I will include both songs on my E2W playlist.