Day 80: The Greenway

Day 80 - Friday, June 15th 2018: Mulranny to Newport 20 km / Total 1694 km, 15°C, cloudy

My night wasn't quiet. The heavy rain woke me up and I saw a flashlight at night. I got afraid it could be thunder because the way my tent is broken could be dangerous.

I packed my tent in the morning and I walked to Mulranny. There I knew where to find water and food. But I felt weak, I needed to eat something. The local shop, full of school children, was serving hot food, so I asked for a full Irish Breakfast. They told me to go to the pub next door, to sit there and they brought me a big breakfast. After that, I felt better and was ready to walk the Greenway to Newport. I'm still afraid of not eating enough, especially when I see how slim I get.

The beginning of the walk was lovely. As the path was high, I had a great view of Clew Bay and all its little islands. They actually are at the top of several hills which got their feet into the water after the last Ice Age, when the seawater rose. 

Then it was just green hills, fields, sheep, trees. In fact, there are more trees at the end of bays, like in Sligo, than on the coast where it's more bog. Maybe because the end of bays is more protected from the wind. 

I didn't meet a lot of people on the path, only bikers. Just a few kilometres before Newport, there was a sign on the path that indicated a cafe soon. I started to get hungry, as the sign was repeated every 500m. When I reached it, it was written it closes at 5:30 pm. It was 5:34 pm. Oh no. But the door was still open, so I got in, and as the owner saw me I explained the situation, and she asked if I wanted something to take away. I took a scone for my dinner and ate a chocolate muffin. Oh my god, chocolate. It was so good, how was it the last time I ate something with chocolate in it? I thanked her for her delicious muffin and went on to find a place for my tent.

No place before Newport, so I crossed the town. Usually, I prefer to stop before towns, in order to find water and food the morning after. But, then it's gonna be Westport, so it's not really a problem. Finally, I put my tent on a cattle path, hidden by a hedge, separating me from the big road. The ground wasn't good to put my tent, and the place was noisy because of the road, but it'd be enough for the night, protected from the wind, which is better with a broken tent. But not great against the midges.