The Walk for Cancer has Begun

Leitrim to Ballyfarnon 

The morning started early at 5.30 as we were both ready to go. Backpacks packed for three days and our main bags locked and left standing in our rooms for the Pathway Porter to collect and deliver to Frenchpark before our first rest day in three days. We had organised with the hotel owners to leave some breakfast – toaster and some bread – in the main dining room as we knew no one would be out of bed at the time we wanted to leave. Sue held the toaster in her arms as the bread toasted, the toaster’s electric lead was too short to either place on the bench or the floor as the power point was positioned half way between the floor and the top of the counter. This is Ireland and the first of many strange happenings. Wishing I had my camera with me.

At the top of the narrow street we see the signs we require sending us left to the next small village where Adrianne’s directions to Keadeu, the 19^th Century Kilronan Castle and Battlebridge will take us. The morning is cool about 10 degrees, cool enough for a beanie, something that I have never had to wear in Australia but my ears are cold. Fashion sense has just gone out the window. We trudge along the R284, a regional road and we are soon entering the County of Roscommon. It is still very quiet except for a few dogs who decide to leave their beds and kennels to bark and welcome us. The first of many Catholic Churches and a chance to rest so have a peek inside and have a look at the headstones positioned in the grounds. They are always the headstones of former Parish Priests. Our first village of Drumboylann and there is not a soul to be seen. It is around 8am so coffee must wait and a muesli bar instead at Nanny’s Well, a green water pump surrounded by flowers. We trudge on past the fields of purple and pink Foxglove, a poisonous flower but used in the production of heart drugs. Our next stop is Keadeu or Ceideadh and the town appears to have just risen so now we are looking for a break – this means coffee, rest rooms and our boots off for 30 minutes. We are now in Turlough O’Carolan country, one of the last Irish Harpists and composers. As we enter we must manoeuver around the road works which appear to be taking place but not today. We are starting to notice the different spelling names of the village – Keadew/Keadue so must ask a local why this is so.

After a break, we leave the regional road and walk alongside the road on the path which takes us through the grounds of Kilronan Castle. A lake on our left and a busy road on our right so we do not have much choice where we walk, we start to follow the yellow walking man signs. The first time we have seen them but still no BBW signs – Beara Breifne Way. Over our first field stiles and into the farmer’s fields with just some sheep and cows for company. The fields are marshy as we try to avoid the manure piles and keep an eye out for the bull. The cows I feel I can handle but bulls scare me. Some of the field has wooden planks to walk on but mainly we must negotiate the water hazards and hope we do not sink too far down. We are now on the Miners Way. A quick stop at Lasair’s Holy Well, a spring feed well believed to have healing powers for those who dare to drink the waters. I decided not to test the waters. Surrounding the well are many rosary beads, crucifixes and holy cards left behind by visitors, the first of many Holy Wells that we will visit along the way. The paths through the Castle grounds are covered in mossy trees and bushes, fallen trees and heaps of bramble and stinging nettle, something I know to avoid at all costs but a plant that grows in abundance across Ireland. The little midges and different bugs have seen us coming so a quick stop to cover ourselves in bug resistant spray. Wild strawberries are starting to appear, the creepers tangled around the trees, the stone fence tops covered in moss and Hogweed in abundance and lying in wait for unsuspecting walkers.

As we walk through the tall, lanky trees we start to exit the castle grounds past the remains of a stone gate house and the lake still running alongside the path. The small blue flower, Herb Robert, and yellow Silver Weed, a long stalked bright yellow creeper everywhere along the pathway. There is a caution of deer but we have seen none so far. The paths are blocked in some places by large fallen tree trunks but still easy to manoeuver around and soon we are out of the forest and in open countryside again and then onto the R284 road as we slowly walk into Ballyfarnon, a village situated on the small Feorish River and overlooked by the Arigana Coal Mines.

A 30 minute rest and soon we are on our way again and this time the road becomes a narrow lane used for the movement of cows from field to field, black faced sheep and lambs grazing. The lane suddenly becomes very steep and we struggle to keep going, the yellow man takes us into a field of yellow buttercups, high wet grass and soggy ground. The clouds are building and I feel we are about to become very wet. We follow through several fields, climbing stiles and over fences, large rocky masses everywhere and gradually we make our way out the other side and into the lane. Now there are no signs telling us where to go so we choose left and it takes us nowhere, the road just appears to stop. The rain has started so we stop and put on the rain gear; change our socks as they are saturated. This is all completed in the rain.  We stop a farmer and this is the first set of wrong directions that we will be given over the next few days. Back down the hill and still no signs of a B & B so we take a chance and stay on the downhill road, soon the Hillview B & B comes into view. A direction sign would not have gone astray.

The accommodation is a family run working farm in the Highwood area, on the edge of Keadue village and in the foothills of the Arigana Mountains.  Hillview B & B is situated on the Beara Breifne Walk/Miners Way – €40 per person per night for a room for two people and it has a *** rating. Our room is upstairs, roomy and very light, looking out over the fields of cut hay and donkeys. The other bedrooms look out over the beautiful Lough Arrow and the Brieklieve Mountains, both peering through the mist. We turn on the heaters so we can dry some socks and clothes for tomorrow, this will become a daily ritual. It is nice to get our boots off and into clean, dry socks; a welcome cup of tea and scones hit the spot. The rain is starting to settle in for the night so hope it is gone by tomorrow. There are no restaurants close so the owner drives us to McDermott’s Pub, about 20 minutes away and agrees to return at an allotted time, this was organised with the B & B before I left Australia. The food prices at the Hotel are reasonable and the staff friendly.  This is our first day of walking so sleep comes very easy and early, it is nice to feel physically exhausted, knowing that we have at last started this great adventure.