parkrun 283 - Avondale Forest, County Wicklow, Republic of Ireland
https://www.parkrun.ie/avondaleforest/results/110/
Back in Ireland for the second time in three weeks for my 283rd parkrun. This time back in the south. No away day this time so this time a choice of three on my agenda. First choice was Avondale Forest, located in County Wicklow. I’ve driven through Wicklow many times, although not usually the more rural parts. A couple of summer drives through the Sally Gap after visiting Glendalough, one in the summer sun, another in the Irish rain, both equally stunning, with parts of the drive through the Sally Gap a little hair raising if you’re not keen looking over the edge at a sharp drop.
My journey from County Laois was expected to be around 100Km and estimated at 1 hour 50 minutes. With storm Eunice having clipped the south east of Ireland the day before, I couldn’t be 100% sure that a parkrun in a forest in the south east would go ahead so time to look at alternatives. Mallow Castle near Cork was one option briefly on the agenda until I factored in the possible storm damage. The other options were in Dublin and completing a Bushy parkrun double. Dublin also made sense because half of my journey to Avondale Park meant I could check half way for any cancellation and the change plans. I set off at just after 07:00 and still in the dark. An uneventful journey followed towards Dublin on the M7 motorway, followed by a stretch of countryside main roads after turning off near Newbridge, County Kildare. As I headed south, the Wicklow Hills came into view, snow capped following yesterday’s wintry weather. I hadn’t looked properly at the exact location of Avondale Park, being lazy on my reliance on satnav, and hadn’t expected to end up driving through the Sally Gap. I stopped to take the occasional photo of the hills before eventually realising I was heading straight through them.
As I approached, the snow began to gradually appear on the road, not thick, but enough to make the road a little slippery. Parts of the roads through the Sally Gap are like ledges and are not for those of a nervous disposition. Add in the snow and they become more interesting. Luckily it wasn’t a proper covering. I’d planned for the odd fallen tree but not the snow. I made one stop around midway through the slippery section to take photos, thinking I was alone and parking up on the side of a country road but not in a cut out designed for parking. Then without warning, and while I was out admiring the scenery, five cars appeared out of nowhere. It was just like the sudden appearance of parkrunners on a cold Saturday morning, when none could be seen five minutes before the start time. Luckily nothing coming the other way so they were all able to pass without problem.
I could see my spare time beginning to run out so now it was time to get to the start. It was obvious by now that I was heading to the middle of nowhere, at least compared to the convenience of London.
Despite the photo stops, I still arrived in good time. On entering the Avondale estate, I immediately saw construction work taking place. A car park sign became visible which I followed. I briefly stopped again to check the course route against my location. I had no idea if the parking was nearby or maybe half a mile or so through the estate. Another car appeared from behind and proceeded past me. As I watched it past, I saw a hi-vis jacket in the distance and I thought I must be near. I followed the car and the car park soon appeared. It’s never a bad idea to check if a random stranger or two is here for the parkrun. Today the two people I asked were also first time visitors. We headed up towards where the hi-vis hero had disappeared to and chatted along the way. My two fellow first timers were visiting from Waterford, another county on my list for a parkrun visit. We reached the meeting area fairly quickly. The volunteers were very welcoming and chatted to me while we waited for the clock to tick around to 09:30. Their friendly nature was very typical of the countryside parkruns I have visited in Ireland. Today’s marshal explained to me that the current course was temporary while the construction work I’d noticed was completed. He also suggested that the course is probably 60-90 seconds slower for a 20 minute runner on a flat course. I wondered what that would equate to for someone currently struggling to get close to breaking 30 minutes again on a flat course. The Run Director then explained that the course was roughly a figure of nine, with two laps of the loop to be completed before returning to the start/finish. She also explained what to do if I should get lost - “just keep heading up the hill”. We walked the short distance to the start point where the RD gave her briefing. She reminded us all of what to do in the event of getting lost.
Off we went, immediately heading downhill, and downhill, and even more downhill. All very nice, except the more downhill, the more uphill there is to follow. Still, I wasn’t here for a time but more to enjoy somewhere new. It didn’t disappoint.
As we approached the junction of the loop we would later appear from, the marshal could be seen taking photos. A very kind gesture to capture us all looking fresh and showing our best form.
Eventually we reached the bottom and we began the climb back to the top. At least I thought we had. After a short climb, there was a further descent but this time it was to the bottom, and everything which followed was an incline until we reached the end of lap one. As I approached this milestone, the marshal was again taking photos although I was no longer fresh but very much beginning to tire.
I turned left to start the second of two loops. The incline had taken its toll on me and now the downhill felt hard work. I slowly made my way around the loop, needing to pause for some recovery with a short walk here and there. My third and last meeting with the marshal finally came along and this time I was to turn right back towards the finish. This meant another photo, surely now looking my worst, and of course another uphill. By this point, my legs were pretty much finished and so it was again run a little, walk a little. It reminded me of the hill at the end of the Weald St. George 10K. I made the top of the hill and then turned right again for a short descent to the finish line where I was greeted with kind words from the timekeepers and other volunteers nearby.
This is a tough course for any level of fitness but the stunning scenery makes it well worth a visit for anyone who happens to be visiting the east of Ireland. The volunteers were so welcoming and chatty, making me feel like I could almost be a local. They were as much a part of making the journey worthwhile as the scenery. The surrounding area in County Wicklow is equally stunning whether it be the Sally Gap or the nearby Glendalough. You can even visit Hollywood while you here!
Finish time: 35:30
Event number: 97
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I set off from Laois just before 11:00 on a journey of around 3 hours 30 minutes. I’d planned to get the 15:30 ferry from the pontoon in Castletown-Berehaven so had around an hour in reserve just in case. The first half of the journey was on the M8 motorway to Cork so nothing of any interest, except the toll just before the city at a cost of €1.90 - no change given so the actual cost was €2:00. After passing by Cork, the roads changed to a mix of fast single carriageway primary roads, to local country roads. Throughout this part of the journey we’re some great views, especially along the Wild Atlantic Way. A few stops along the way eroded my reserve time but I still arrived at the pontoon in good time, around 14:50. The ferry was still on its way across when I’d parked up. I saw another car in a queue (of one) position facing towards the ramp so I checked to see how things worked. The friendly lady asked if I was John and it turned out she was the owner of Martello View. We chatted for a few moments and it was then she said I should bring the car out and position it to reverse onto the boat. I can’t say I was looking forward to that, although she did say the skipper would do it for me if I wanted. It wasn’t as bad as I thought and so I was on the boat and ready to head across the water. The skipper came to collect the €25.00 return fare and told me the times for my return tomorrow. No tickets or receipts on this boat. All done from memory. The B&B owner had brought her car over ready to pick up the next morning to do what she needed to get on with and she was returning today by foot. I offered her a lift which she accepted - she had planned to walk back, around one mile as it turned out but with some very steep hills. The ferry holds only four cars so I’m guessing going as a foot passenger guarantees she gets the crossing she wants. There were three cars on my crossing including mine. The crossing itself was smooth and gives some great views. I was lucky to see sunlight showing off the surroundings as well as have rain clouds behind creating an equally impressive view. The crossing took around 25 minutes and as we approached the ramp, all didn’t look as clean as the landing at my departure point. The ferry parked up at a 45 degree angle, which was fine for disembarking, but leaving me thinking about reversing back onto the boat on my return journey. When off the boat, the B&B owner insisted I don’t drive too fast. The roads were narrow and winding, mostly enough room for only one car. She warned me that going to fast could not only result in meeting an oncoming car on a blind bend, but also that there was no guarantee the other driver would be insured. So, it was a mainly second gear crawl to the B&B which, when we turned off the “main” road, became proper single track country lanes with grass growing in the middle of the road. We arrived in strong wind and rain. She kindly got the doors open for me while I waited in the car. When open, I headed in to be shown to my room - a very comfortable bed and a spacious room. She was a very welcoming lady, showing me where things such as milk and tea/coffee were and to help myself if I wanted one at any time. Soon after, I went out to find somewhere to eat and headed towards the opposite end of the island. The winding roads I’d seen on the short journey from the ferry now included some steep inclines. There was still daylight which helped but it was beginning to fade. There was nowhere open when I reached the furthest point, so I headed back and stopped halfway at the Bere Island Hotel bar. The food was tasty and not expensive- duck spring rolls, followed by a cheeseburger with chips, plus two cokes, all for €18.50. The short drive back was a bit more hairy than the drive out because it was now dark. I usually prefer country lanes in the dark because the reflection of headlights of roadside trees and hedges helps with visibility. However, tonight there was none of that and so when it came to to steep inclines, I had no idea if there was a bend on the other side or not and so it was literally a crawl over the top and only then did I know if it was straight ahead or a deviation left or right. I made it safely back in the end and enjoyed the shelter from the high winds and cold temperature. So to the parkrun itself. A quick check on the event Facebook page the night before had me briefly worried when a post was put up asking for a timekeeper. No timekeeper and the run could happen but there would be no published times! Surely not. Anyway, as is often the case, volunteers appear from nowhere and come Saturday morning, the roster was fully covered. A sunny but cold morning was the scene. After parking my car in the village, I made the short walk to the start at Rerrin GAA pitch. The route was a tour of the local roads (lanes) but with some stunning views looking out over the Atlantic Ocean. Ireland certainly came up trumps for my visit with the clouds and rain visiting somewhere else. We set off and were soon on the way up. It wasn't long until the Atlantic view presented itself, set off magnificently by the winter morning sunshine. I had no choice but to stop for a couple of snaps! All around the course and there was nothing to disappoint, from the old world cottages, the Atlantic view, the battery near the turn point followed by the Rerrin military barracks, and finally the view across the water back to the mainland as you wind downhill before turning back towards the finish at the GAA club. I'll leave the photos to hopefully tell the story. The results can be found here. The route can be seen on this YouTube video, courtesy of Glen Harrington. So for the trip back to the mainland. I noticed on arriving that the ferry parked up at a 45 degree angle which meant one thing for the return - I would have to reverse down the ramp before turning 45 degrees onto the ferry. Hmmm. Not something I was looking forward to. Surprisingly, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. There was the safety net of the ferry's captain being able to do the job for me but I'm glad I didn't have to resort to that. The sun was still shining on the crossing back, with the odd cloud getting in the way so all in all, a very pleasant trip to a very pretty part of Ireland. Well worth a visit if you happen to be anywhere near the south west of Ireland. Just be remember there are no petrol stations or ATMs on the island! A few photos below from around the island, well, mostly at either end of it. Apart from the pub, there isn't much in the middle apart from the countryside, which isn't bad in itself. |
ABOUT MEHaving completed 5 marathons between 1999 and 2016, I decided this year, I would try to do it properly and plan my training! Alongside, I wanted to keep a blog as it went along, partly to look back on, and partly to help anyone else who may benefit from my own experiences. Archives
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