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06:25 Get up.
08:29 Ready to move on. Broke camp, breakfast, sock wash, toothbrushing, text Aisling.
09:57 Craanford bridge. Beautiful sunny day. Switched maps.
10:12 Craanford stores. Nail clippers, sewing kit, hot snacks (jambon, potato croquettes) €6.05.
10:27 On the road again. I abandoned the tin cup 1.
11:02 A giant tractor pulls up and Colin Donovan2 hops out for a chat!
11:49 Stop for a break and blister examination. The day is spectacular - clear blue sky.
12:03 On the road again. Sole of right footpad had blister with blister. Sewing kit is great. Discarded the shite little scissors.
12:08:36
12:41 Jack’s Tavern, Camolin.
12:58 Lunch in Jack’s Tavern is chips, garlic mushrooms, a mini salad and a pot of tea. €9.95.
13:31 Back on the road. Camolin is a depressing kip.
14:34:47
15:13 Stopped for a rest and blister care. New blister on the pad of my right foot.
15:38 Have to stop again. It’s clouding over and the temperature is dropping.
16:02 Brief stop at The Harrow for map folding. Another hour and a half to go today.
16:08 Both of my poles have developed a wobble.
16:44 One of my poles fell apart. The “carbon fibre” has sheared. Still usable as a basha pole.
17:02:33
17:43 Chat with Eddie who’s chainsawing a giant old fallen oak. Bit of chitchat and he phones his boss for permission for me to camp.
18:51 I’ve set up the basha in a field behind the farmhouse. I can see the road but the basha is end-on. I’m behind several layers of electric fence. Eddie is driving his tractor back to the house as the light fades. A bird is chirping, the sky is overcast and the air is damp but my gear is still dry and I’ve skipped dinner. I have the option of mangled black bread for breakfast. I could have bought fish or cheese in Camolin but I didn’t want to have to walk up and down that horrible main street again, not with my sore legs and blistered feet. I chomped a few handfuls of nuts before setting up the basha for the night and exchanged texts with Aisling. My mood is excellent. I’m looking forward to a more comfortable night’s sleep in this flat field. I’m happy I’ve found a nice nest here. Not all of them will be like this!
18:57:59
21:14:25
21:15:03
It was constantly in the way attached the outside of my pack, made annoying cheery clanking noises depending on my walking rhythm and was just getting crummy and dirty.↩
Colin’s mum very kindly put me up for the night when I arrived on her doorstep unannounced in the late afternoon during last year’s shakeout walk.↩
