Camino Training in Ireland - Croagh Patrick !

[Beeker40]

Hello everyone, greetings from Ireland !!

Just getting more and more addicted to this site. Every morning and every evening after work I have to dip my foot in here and scan the latest topics and news. I feel a bit like the "Birdman of Alcatraz" ticking off my days on the wall as August 29th gets closer and closer!

Anyway I am breaking in the boots and getting backpack list and weight issues sorted thanks to you all for the wealth of information here on this forum site. Hoping to do the full 790km to fundraise for a dear family friend Jack Kavanagh who is paralysed after a tragic accident last August. http://www.jackkavanaghtrust.com/

Last week I walked the 1st section of the Grand Canal Way from Maynooth to Dublin 25km approx in about 5 hours with a few pit stops to rest the weary feet and take some food. It was amazing and so peaceful to walk this canal and you could forget about life, the surroundings and the city as you drew closer to Dublin. Fabulous to see swans with little signets, ducks and plenty of fishlife in the water.

Planning to do the following stages 1 day at a time over future weekends:

Maynooth to Moyvalley
Moyvalley to Mullingar
Mullingar to Abbeyshrule
Abbeyshrule to Tarmonbarry ( River Shannon )

Each stage is 25 - 30 km approx. So allowing 5 - 6 hours at least with rest stops ! Terrain is pretty flat with a mix of grassy paths and tarmac or loose stone surfaces. Hoping to get early starts at 7am 'ish to enjoy the early mornings before it gets too hot. So probably a nice pub or picnic for lunch as I near the end of each stage!

Then it will be on to take the Grand Canal Way from Dublin to Banagher in County Offaly and the River Shannon once again. ( 5 - 6 stages approx )

Just letting anybody on this forum who might live nearby and would like to join me at certain stages to train as well. Dropping a car at the start and hopefully getting a bus back at the end of each stage and then heading for home.

Buen Camino

Ger

 

[wayfarer]

Re: Camino Training in Ireland !

Good on you Ger, well done. I would suggest a few walks in the Dublin and Wicklow mountains as well to prepare for the tougher sections. Have a great Camino.

 

[Madidi]

Re: Camino Training in Ireland !

Come on up North to the Mournes Ger: plenty of good training walks here too!! I'd be happy to walk a few ks with you

 

[mralisn]

Re: Camino Training in Ireland !

I really do like your plan Ger. It seems you got this down pretty well. I do the same type of walks here at home.

As the above mentioned, I also thought of the Mournes or the Wicklow Way in the Glendalough area. I have hiked in both areas and these would be nice climbs to get prepared.

I also like to over-pack my backpack during my training. I like to make it heavier so when I actually start the Camino, my bag feels even lighter, well, because it is! Great way to build shoulder and back muscles for your journey.

Cheers,
Simeon

 

[Beeker40]

Croagh Patrick - Camino Training in Ireland !

Hi all,
Training is going grand. Getting a little excited now as August 29th edges closer! Addicted to this site now. My boots are great and my backpack with a few extra kilos for training is snug and comfortable! Royal Canal Walk is going great. I completed the Mullingar to Abbeyshrule section last Sunday about 25km in 5.5 hours so all in all a beautiful day in great company. Last piece is 35km from Abbeyshrule to Tarmonbarry on the River Shannon shortly.

Some people may be interested in this unique walk pilgrimage on Sunday July 28th at 8.30am.

http://www.ballintubberabbey.ie/vg_tocP.htm

However it is also Reek Sunday on Croagh Patrick itself where up to 20,000 will climb this holy mountain over a weekend. Most people walk Garland Friday or Reek Sunday. The church on top of Croagh Patrick is only open this weekend for masses as pilgrims reach the summit. A lot of people especially elderly do it in their bare feet! So I would'nt even contemplate doing it barefoot on the Camino! We will not complain about the hiking boots.

http://destinationwestport.com/places-t ... rick-reek/

The Ballintubber Abbey Walk is unique in that farmers in the area allow pilgrims to cross their private land to follow this ancient pilgrimage only on 3 specific dates. I am definitely going so if anyone cares to join us, they are more than welcome.

Ger

 

[TheTinkerBell]

Ger,

Make sure you climb Croagh Patrick. IMO, nothing on the Camino is as tough as that!

Buen Camino!

 

[scruffy1]

Go n-éirí an bóthar leat agus go raibh gaoth bhog ar do dhroim!
Climbing Croagh Patrick might be fun and might also help you prepare. Do realie though the real difficulties walking the Camino are not physical. Sure there are difficult passages here and there and sure you will meet people with blisters, infections, sprains and pains, Achilles, and many other ailments but again the only difficulty is your self, your motivation, and your perseverance. The Camino requires one to rise early in the morning and walk 20 or 25 or 30 kilometers. To do it again tomorrow, to do it again the day after tomorrow, next week, two weeks from then, and next month as well. Luckily the Camino is inspiring, it is also great fun, but the only true obstacles will be those which you yourself create much more difficult to overcome then any topography you will confront in Spain. Me? I love the freedom the solitude almost like a mobile yoga meditation together with a moveable feast of the goodwill and lighthearted rapport between or among new found friends and amazing conversations which expand all boundaries. Buen Camino!

 

[Deleted member 12253]

Up at 5am tomorrow to climb crough Patrick, good training for camino in sept, slan awhile

 

[gerrym]

Hi all, myself and my wife did the dublin mountain way from college road Marley park through massy's wood, tibradden and the tv masts and back to Marley on Friday, very warm but good preparation for camino. We are going on July 31st, really looking forward to the walk.

 

[KiwiNomad06]

Ger, Make sure you climb Croagh Patrick. IMO, nothing on the Camino is as tough as that! Buen Camino!

I agree, having climbed Croagh Patrick once, a highlight of my time in Ireland. I remember the day so well. All those little stones as you climb the final cone that slide down as you walk up... Plus the weather turned so bad, with so much mist that you couldn't be sure you had really reached the top when you finally saw the little church. Then the rocks were so slippery on the way down, and the wind so strong, that when I slipped over I got blown around on the ground. Wonderful mid-August day! Truly, I agree, there is nothing as tough as Croagh Patrick on the Camino. Great training!
Margaret