Beara Way : Castletownbere - Allihies
Day 4 : Friday, 10th August.
The walk from Castletownbere to Allihies is a distance of about 15kms and a maximum ascent of 260 meters. Today we follow the slopes of the Slieve Miskish Mountains to move further southwest along the Beara peninsula.
A lot of impressive, archaeological sites can be seen along the track. A several times we leave the track to visit some of the sites. Taken the number of such sites, there must have been a considerable population in this area during the Bronze Age and earlier times. Also some ancient cooking places can be seen along the track. These cooking places are most common in this lovely country and probably were used during ceremonial occasions to feed large numbers of people. It really is impressive and mysterious, this neighbourhood.
Walking westwards along the slopes of Knockgour Mountain we go steeply up onto a southern track where, after some while, Bear Haven Harbour is left behind us and the other side of the peninsula comes into view ahead of us. The old mining town of Allihies and Ballydonegan Bay can be seen now. The village of Allihies is tucked away in a rugged and rocky landscape. The beach of Allihies is striking. It is crescent shaped and extremely white. This beach is man made and consists of grained residu from the copper mines, washed down onto the shore. In this area copper has been mined since prehistoric times, but mining died out in the late 19th century. While the track descends from Knockgour Mountain, the ruins of some mine engine houses come into view. Tall stone chimneys mark them. The weather is a bit foggy and because of this these ruins really give a mysterious effect to the landscape.
There are a lot of old mineshafts around here; most of them have fencing around to prevent people and animals from falling into them. Really dangerous! Passing by the ruins of an old church we walk into the village to look for Sea View House, our place to spend the night, hosted by Mrs. Mary O’Sullivan. It is Friday, so let’s enjoy real Irish live music in the pub next to our guesthouse. After all this strain a Guinness is and always will be the ultimate delight! It is the one and only reason we work ourselves to the bone, her in the remoteness of this lovely emerald isle.
Original Source : Shamrock Memories
