We are going on so many rambles now so we have decided to keep track of them. Otherwise, we will find ourselves going over the same ground again and we don’t want that. This one started at Coolronan National School inbetween Ballivor and Kildalkey and we just kept turning right until we were back at the car. It rained for ten minutes which gave the CEO the chance to rage about the Irish Summer.
The old boreen had recently been used by a herd of cattle so there was lots of cow-shite everywhere which Pixel licked up like the animal that he is. We explored the old wooded area off the road that was visible in Google Maps. It looked like there had once been a house there but it was now completely overgrown and used for storing farm equipment. Kinda spooky.
Time: 6 – 7pm
Distance: 4km
Walking surfaces: main road, temporary gravel surface, boreen with grassy strip
Scenery: bog, grass meadows, wooded areas
Traffic: 8 x cars on the main road, 3 on the boreen
Plants: Comfrey, starworth
Ruins: old farmhouses and cottages
Animals: cows and horses, a pheasant
Humans: 1
Negatives: The main road was a bit straight and in places, it was just high hedgerow so we could not see a lot except the road ahead. There was machinery working in the bog and this was a bit noisy for our sensitive ears.
Positives: the smell of honeysuckle and the sight of the peat islands that remained on the edge of the bog. As big as houses.
Google Map Coordinates: 53.559682, – 6.983400
Score: 7/10