(Not) Hot Dogs & Gourmet Burgers

Taking a dog to Ireland if you intend to do a lot of mountain walks is not a good option, as I have said before there are limited public footpaths in Ireland.  Most of the land is privately owned and landowners/farmers do not give permissions to cross their land, unless it is a national park (ie Killarney). If they do allow access, they almost always don’t allow dogs due to livestock. There are warning signs stating this and some even have threats to shoot dogs on the signs. I have been reliably informed that this maybe because the Irish themselves don’t tend to follow rules…. probably letting their dogs off lead, chase sheep and foul where they shouldn’t.

Poor George is kept on a lead most of the time and it has prevented us from doing a couple of walks but so far, we have got around this. There are plenty of long sandy beaches everywhere where you can swim, kayak, surf, camp and walk dogs off lead.

George is settling now and getting more used to the travelling, he has been territorial on site and growls at some people if they get too close to our van but he is great with any other dogs, rarely barks and he often gets very affectionate with anyone that wants to give him a stroke. The cough he picked up in Wales has cleared up and now that it isn’t as hot he seems back to his old self and happy with all the outdoors activity.

After our 3-night beach stay we spent a couple of nights at Gleninchquin on the Beara Penisular where the land owners have created a beautiful place for walking. There is a charge for entry to the reserve, but it is well worth visiting, as there are plenty of marked trails, the area is stunning with waterfalls, mountains, lakes and walks for all abilities. I got to do my first lake swim there and couldn’t believe how warm it was compared to the cold sea at Ballydonegan Beach and this really ignited my desire in wild swimming.  

We also wild camped for the first time after spending the day at Kenmare, a small town in Kerry with a main street dotted with colourful shops and houses but very touristy. I love the Irish towns as they have a lot of individual and independent shops, so you rarely see the same shop twice. Their cafes and shops cater well for vegans and vegetarians with some great health food shops and nice barista cafes and best of all, they have a fabulous supermarket called Supervalu that are independently owned and each one sells local produce from the area. Its nice to know that you are supporting the local economy.

It was our first time spending the day exploring a town and we covered a few miles visiting the pier and a stone circle. The Stone Circle in Kenmare is one of the largest in the South West, it was owned and run privately by an extremely friendly and chatty man who charged you 2 euros to visit the circle and gave everyone who entered a card to write a wish to tie to the hawthorn tree (Fairy Tree) next to the stone circle. Hawthorn trees are known as powerful and sacred in Ireland, land owners will not cut down Hawthorns due to the legend that they bring good luck and prosperity to the land where they stand.  

We decided to wild camp as we have all facilities on board and parked up next to a lake on a beautiful mountain pass. We were just on the outskirts of Killarney National Park, an area which covers 26,000 acres containing lakes, mountains (including Irelands highest Carrantuohill Mountain), rivers, blanket bog and heathland and is home to some rare plants and wildlife including the Strawberry Tree.

Queen Victoria brought Killarney to the tourist map in 1861 as she fell in love with the area but it is now one of the most popular destinations in Ireland and I can see why – there is so much to do in this area; walking, climbing, biking and watersports. Great for any outdoor enthusiast.

We wild camped next to Looscaunagh Lake and as the weather was so calm, the wind literally died down and the sun shone through between the clouds, so I just couldn’t resist a little dip and was very  pleasantly surprised at how clear and warm the water was. The only drawback were the midges that descended upon us at dusk.
We started the next day with a waterfall walk a few miles on with some views that we just had to keep stopping the van for. The walk involved some unplanned bouldering over rocks and jungle-style  walking through bracken but was worth it when we reached the top.

That night we checked into Flesk campsite close to the town centre of Killarney and after a walk into the town centre (super touristy and aimed at the American market) I served up a gourmet vegetable burger…..we’ve been using our Cadac BBQ most nights now and are finding new ways to grill and prepare veggies – this burger has to be one of the best so far….!