day 3: Camp to Anascaul

location: Camp to Anascaul by way of Inch beach
distance: 13.1 miles
entertainment: kids playing on the beach; Bob Marley and similar soundtrack at lunch; Wise Man's Fear, a playlist including Daft Punk, OMD, Fall Out Boy, Clariy Brown, U2 and others; watching Annascaul grow larger whilst climbing down into the valley
lodging: Teac Seain B&B
dining: Greenes for lunch, South Pole Inn for dinner

route: today took us over our first mountain pass, which was pleasantly foggy as we passed along a rarely-used dirt track winding between bog fields in varying rates of harvest or abandonment. walked through what our guide called the largest "forest" through which we'd cross on the hike -- not much of a forest to walk through but plenty of trees to either side of the road. a young sheep got caught on the wrong side of the road, with us between it and its companions; took of crashing through undergrowth to avoid us at the last possible moment.

over a river and back up for panoramic views of impressive Inch beach. after missing the turning to head down into the town to have a rest and get some lunch, we trundled onto the beach and pulled our socks and shoes off. as it turned out, this was the only time we put our feet into the water, primarily because they hadn't gotten beaten up by walking yet. by Ventry beach two days later we both thought better of risking the swelling or discomfort of a walk in the waves.

climbed straight back over a hill behind Inch, saw a fair number of abandoned construction projects with views of the water. endured one of the worst paths for biting flies of the entire trip (which is granted in hindsight and means something) before enjoying the view over the valley to Anascaul Lake, nestled in the base of a U-shaped glacial valley.

evening: after the usual arrival rituals, we headed down the road from our B&B (nestled above a homey-looking pub) to a place recommended us by the guy who served us at lunch -- South Pole Inn, once home to famous explorer and local son Tom Crean. we had a grand dinner, watching just-mobile children toddle around the outside, periodically making a break for the main road. a guitarist from Liverpool provided fantastic entertainment, playing a number of Johnny Cash songs, attempting to entice the toddler into singing a song on the microphone, and assenting to the request of a woman to make her friend get up and sing. Andy even tried the local Crean's Lager (brewed by the Dingle Brewing Company). overall, a very pleasant night; perfect atmosphere that ticked all the "Ireland" boxes.