Day 78: A storm named Hector

Day 78 - Wednesday, June 13th 2018: Ashleam to Achill 12 km / Total 1652 km, 12°C, stormy

The wind got stronger during the night and it started raining at sunrise (well, if it rose, cause I didn't see it on that day). Packing a wet tent isn't a pleasure, it's worse with a broken tent.

It was three hours non-stop walk. There was nowhere to stop and as it was raining, better walking than getting cold. I realized how long it had been since I got wet like that, maybe a month ago, while I was leaving Malin Beg. I'm not used to it anymore. But it was different, especially with the sound. It was like summer rain, it changed the sounds in the atmosphere, every noise was softer. 

I met a group of rams on the road, they blocked a car, and as they finally run away, one of them lost its whole woollen skin (he was already losing it, and one of the rams walked on it, making it lay down). The smell was ... very strong so I didn't touch it. So, sheep lose their woollen skin in summer when the weather gets too warm.

I got the rain in my back most of the way, so I didn't realize my backpack got wet, even inside. In Achill, I decided to stop and look for accommodation. The weather forecast was very bad, a storm named Hector was on the way, an orange alert launched, strong winds expected around 70km/h, but could reach 100km/h. I wouldn't take the risk to spend the night in my tent in such weather. As the hostel was still closed, I ended up at the hotel where I had lunch days before. It's run by the same family for a hundred years. 

I got into my room and tried to make my stuff as dry as possible (with no heater anymore). In the bathroom, there was a bathtub. Oh my god. Let's take a hot bath, it's been so long!

At the end of the afternoon, I got down to the pub and enjoyed a hot cup of tea closed to the fireplace. On TV there was an old movie from the 1990's. In fact, the decor didn't change since that time. You can find the same house fronts in the street and the same decoration in the pub. After a hot dinner, I got back to my room, reading and listening to the wind.

It was so strong at night that it woke me up several times. Good not to be in the tent!