Day 147: End of the Wild Atlantic Way

Day 147 - Saturday, September 1st 2018: Garrettstown to Kinsale via Old Head of Kinsale 18 km / Total 3034 km, 19°C, sunny

As expected, none of my stuff got dry during the night. But it was a sunny morning, so I took it all out of my bag and put it on some stairs and waited for the sun to dry it. And it worked very well. Except for my socks and shoes. And I hate walking in wet socks because they damaged my feet skin. Another thing to mention: my bag starts to smell very bad ... But the thing I was worried the most about, was my camera, because one day it's a very wet atmosphere and the next day it's hot and sunny, and it's not made for such weather conditions. It's not "tropicalized"(do I mean Ireland has a tropical climate ?). Before leaving the campsite, I went to the reception and bought some food for the road. The owner wanted me to take picture of the bus schedules. As I explained to him my trip, he said "did you do something really bad to do such pilgrimage ?" I don't think so, but if it can erase my faults and sins ... The walk that day was mostly along the coast. I haven't seen a beach since Barleycove almost a week ago. Sunshine and blue sea. I reached Old Head of Kinsale, where, nearby, the Lusitania was sunk by a German U-boat in 1915. But I couldn't go to the end of that Head, because now, it's private golf.  When I stopped for lunch, I realized my glasses broke in my front bag (I was wearing my sunglasses then). Oh no! Another technical issue. I was afraid it would happen, they had been quite damaged for many weeks, and being in my bag, in my tent, with no safe place to put them at night in hostels, it should happen. I fixed it with superglue. It's not perfect, and obviously, I put some glue on the glass! But it worked enough until I will receive my former glasses in Cork.  In the afternoon, I walked (with my sunglasses) to the top of a hill, before crossing a forest and getting down to Kinsale through a bridge over the Bandon River. In Kinsale, I was looking for the road sign of the end of the Wild Atlantic Way. But as I didn't find it, I went to ask at the Tourist office. The guy told me here was the start and that the end was in the North! Apparently, he didn't know that it could be also done in the other direction! And finally, he told me there was no sign. It was quite disappointing! I think he was more interested in a car crash with a bus at the crossroad nearby which resulted in a massive delay in town (the car tried to overpass a parked bus, but crashed into it, in the middle of the street, and tractors coming from opposite direction couldn't pass anymore. Big mess !) So if anyone asks, walking the Wild Atlantic Way is a four months walk!