Day 104: The real Wild Atlantic Way

Day 104 - Wednesday, July 18th 2018: Doonbeg to Kilkee Cliffs (Castle Point) 20 km / Total 2147 km, 17°C, sunny

The best way to start the day is with a cup of tea and scones (when there's no Irish breakfast). So after packing my wet tent, I went directly to the coffee shop, for breakfast. And also to fill up my bottles, charge my phone, and other technical stuff I need when I'm not in real camping or in a hostel. 

I decided to take the little road once again, in order to avoid the N67. And it was actually very pleasant, because it was quiet of course, and also because it climbed a little bit and I could have a view of the landscape around me: Shannon River and Kerry mountains on the south, Connemara mountains and Aran Islands in the north. And the sun was back, clear weather, not too hot, perfect conditions for walking. 

Kilkee is quite a pretty Victorian village with a protected beach in its bay, many places where to eat, and an ATM (at last !). After buying some food (noddles forever and ever) and getting some lunch, I crossed the beach to reach the Pollock Holes. It's a kind of natural swimming pools in the rocks when the tide is out. And it was full of families with children. 

I took the cliffs walk. Even if it was less high than the Cliffs of Moher, it was as pretty, with almost nobody, and beautiful light on that evening. Then I took the coast road, which was very peaceful, with beautiful views on the cliffs. I really enjoyed it. 

My original plan was to camp at the Kilkee Cliffs Discovery point (at Castle Point). Unfortunately, it was full of tourists, and apparently a great spot for fishing. So I walked a little further and found an abandoned field on the inland side of the road (too dangerous to put my tent on the side of the cliffs of the road), hidden from the road by a bank. The ground was rocky, but there was enough humus to put my tent. After sunset, the place became very quiet, the sky turns darker but was still red, like on fire above the Connemara mountains. I really enjoyed that moment close to the cliffs, at the edge of the world with no one, no house, no car around, only wild nature. The Wild Atlantic Way just like I expected it.

And the place was so peaceful that I slept ten hours!