The last few months have been the busiest I have been work-wise. The heavy storms in December to February have taken its’ toll on me as well as lot of people in Ireland. Sometimes, working in property claims is not all it is made out to be. But now that things have calmed down, I can finally start thinking of my return to Spain. I have a little over 2 months before I touch down in Biarritz. Now where is that backpack of mine?? 

I have arranged for a practise walk in a well known trail in the midlands before I go. I hope to meet some guys I met on the Camino last May and walk the Leafy Loop in Durrow, Co Laois. It is 24km long walk through forests, rivers, up hills and down into Durrow itself. If it is a fine day, it could be exactly what I need before I tackle the Pyrenees. It is just a start though. I am by no means prepared so hopefully this walk will point me in the right direction.

You can get a closer look at the Leafy Loop on Everytrail.com here.

Since I returned home in June, I’ve begun to look into walking some of the way- marked trails across Ireland. I had previously heard of the Kerry Camino and the Dingle Way and while these are the more popular ones, there are over 40 others that are well marked. Some are longer at over 200km while others, like the Cavan Way, is just over 22km long.

But St. Kevin’s Way from Hollywood to Glendalough has grabbed my attention. Not only is it on my doorstep, it is relatively short at 30km. I haven’t found much information online, other than on IrishTrails.ie and there are a few videos on YouTube. This walk is a pilgrim path akin to the Camino de Santiago and is one of three in Ireland, the other two being in Donegal and Kerry.

A full list of the 43 long and short distance trails in Ireland are found here.
There is no harm in thinking about talking a trip to one of these.