Day 8 : Tuesday, 14th August.
The walk from Allihies to Eyeries is a distance of 21kms and a maximum ascent of 200 meters. Today’s walk takes us through the old Copper Mines, along the northern slopes of the Slieve Miskish Mountains to the picturesque village of Eyeries.
We start our walk heading north, following the main road through Allihies onto a path which leads us up to the copper mines. The weather is rainy and foggy which turns the neighbourhood of those old mines into a real mysterious landscape. The mine shafts are all fenced off to prevent people and animals from falling into them. Actually it is a danger zone, since around the mine shafts there is a network of shafts underground and most of them will surely have rotting timbers supporting their roofs, so the danger of caving-in when walking over them is not unthinkable. We follow the old mining road and pass a lot of disused mines.
Looking behind is worth the while since it offers nice views over Allihies and Ballydonegan Beach, the moment the fog is less dense. The road becomes unsurfaced after some time and climbs out of the mines to take us over a pass on our way down to reach farmland near the hamlet of Urhin. Below us we can see the Iveragh Peninsula with its famous Ring of Kerry across Kenmare Bay. It recalls a lot of memories, since I’ve been walking there all alone some years ago. The land around here seems to be good since there are a lot of standing stones and boulder burials clustered around Urhin which indicates that the prehistoric people favoured this place for its fertility. Our outlook is regularly blocked by a curtain of clouds, drifting into the mainland, taking lots of water onto the emerald landscape. This walk is a marvellous promenade down the flanks of the Slieve Miskish Mountains, heading for Inchisteskin and Coulagh.
Soon the village of Eyeries comes into sight. Nice coloured little houses show off on a lovely green background like a chain of jewels. We even can see our guesthouse, Coulagh Bay House, already, where we will be indulged by Therese O’Neill. As we reach the main road to Eyeries we decide to explore the village first, before turning back to our accommodation. It really is a lovely little place, this village.
Original Source : Shamrock Memories