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| This particular route is approx. 84 km according to Discover Ireland |
If you are thinking of completing this trail yourself, please note that there are a few different versions of the Slieve Bloom Way, and as the Irish Trails website indicates, it is important to have the most recent maps to hand.
Day 1: "I don't just want to be alive, I want to live"One of my best friends (and obviously the craziest for agreeing to come with me on this hike) just recently came back from an adventure in Australia, so it was the perfect chance to catch up. When you're stuck up in the mountains, with the prospect of 4 days straight of hiking ahead, conversation rapidly gets past the "lovely weather" stage, and straight into something more meaningful. So as we followed the winding trails, the boardwalk over the boggy areas, navigated the marshy ground, we inhaled the lovely fresh air, soaked in the sun and gobbled some blackberries, all while talking about the past, the present and the future.
Day 2: "What number deer is that?"
This was the longest day by far - we were out walking 9 hours. Despite the long day walking, however, we only saw 2 other hikers, but 14 deer. It was a very misty day, and some parts of the trail were hard to see. We came across wild blueberries and lots of funky mushrooms. A significant part of day 2 was spent walking on the road too, so if you are planning on doing the Slieve Bloom Way, make sure to have a hi-visibility jacket with you. When we finally made it into Kinnitty our legs were barely functioning.
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| Some photographs I took of the wildlife we encountered |
In relation to accommodation, the highlight was definitely staying at Giltraps in Kinnitty - a self-catering glamping place with lovely cabins. Thankfully we had a good rest so we were ready for day 3.We had to climb over a good few stiles, and my legs were so stiff from the previous two days. Our favourite part that day was just outside of Cadamstown - where if you are interested, you can do a short looped walk in that area. It was lovely, beside the river, well-marked and an interesting walk. The end of day 3 was quite tough, and the blisters were really starting to kick in. I was flagging at some stages of Day 3, so Anne Marie started playing some songs on her phone for some added motivation. When Ed Sheeran's "Thinking Out Loud" came on with its opening lyrics When your legs don't work like they used to before, I think no song could have described our current predicament so accurately.
Day 4: "Why is it that the phrase 'It's all downhill from here' means things taking a turn for the worst? Downhill is great!"
While this day started with a slow, gradual incline, generally the second half of the walk was either flat or downhill.
We got lost a few times, which is where the View Ranger app came in. Sometimes it was a case of taking a wrong turn by accident, or sometimes the way-marked posts had become a bit overgrown. This did mean adding in a few extra kilometres and wasting a bit of time walking in the wrong direction, but we were never lost for long thanks to the App.
Very near the end, we could see our destination, but we were on the wrong side of the river, so we did end up going for a quick dip in the River Barrow to get to the other side, as the track on our own side was running out.
The Gold Gaisce hike really is a test of endurance, determination and resilience. Suddenly all of those cliché motivational phrases start to come to mind, and you're telling yourself that every step forward is a step closer to your goal, just keep going, you can do this... and in the end, it does all pay off. It felt like such a great achievement at the end.
