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Welcome to my personal diary of our tour of Ireland's 3000ft peaks in 1996 ....
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Day 4: Saturday 1 June
Another early start! We had breakfast and packed up yet again, and left Sheila's to head west from Cork. The scenery was nice, but why are there so many pink houses in Ireland? The further west we drove, the higher the surrounding scenery got.
Eventually we came to the turn-off and headed up to Peacock Farm Hostel. Near the end of our journey was a nasty surprise for the driver in the shape of a very steep hairpin bend. Having safely negotiated it, we headed up the hill to our accommodation for the next two nights.
What can I say about the setting? Overlooking Lough Guitane and with mountains surrounding us, it was a superb place to stay. We were made welcome by Rose and quickly unloaded our gear. A quick decision was made that we would be eating in for the next two nights due to the distance from the nearest hostelry. We again loaded up the minibus and headed for Brandon Mountain via the nearest supermarket.
In town we again applied the principle of division of labour, and before long had packed trolleys arriving at the checkout. We loaded our provisions and then it was time to head further west to the Dingle peninsula and Brandon Mountain. We set off quite late in the day at 1445 for the ascent, but unfortunately this was to be a day of low cloud and swirling mist. We occasionally got glimpses of what should have been superb views, but never long enough to capture them on film. We made good time and got to the summit around 1700, where a slightly misty photo was taken.
Then it was time for the descent. A variety of routes were taken, but everyone made it safely back. Duncan was first to return and had the good sense to put the Murphy's in the river to cool. We quickly loaded up and headed back with the Murphy's providing refreshment on the way. (Duty driver Dave not included .. Ed!) Mention should be made at this point about the ingenious method of opening a can of Murphy's in a moving vehicle. Mark was the inventor of this process .. namely put the can in a poly bag and open. Any spray is contained by the bag and the really desperate can drink the contents of the bag.
Dave made exceptional time on the drive back .. in fact he seemed to drive like the locals. We unloaded ourselves and then it was time to tidy up and to prepare the evening meal. Tonight's chefs were Andy and Allan ably assisted by several willing pairs of hands.
I had to make an emergency phone call home, and Rose very kindly provided me with a phone in a quiet room. She wouldn't take any payment for the call .. she really is a gem! When I had finished the call, I came down to find the dinner almost ready. We had another superb 3-course meal with wine. My compliments to the chefs that night .. everyone enjoyed the food.
After tidying up the dishes, we reviewed plans for the next day, and one by one headed for bed after an eventful day.
