Ireland day 1048. Sunday 11 August 2024- Shielmartin Hill

Today’s summary	Today we took a late morning bus to Sutton and joined the Walking Club for a circular hike on Howth headland. A few of us added on an extra bit up Shielmartin Hill towards the end before dropping down to Howth village and walking back to Sutton via the beach. A great day out and we finished off by watching the Olympic closing ceremony on the TV in the evening.
Today’s weather	Started off cold and clammy as a sea fog rolled in. But soon cleared and most of the rest of the day was dry and sunny until it clouded over in the late afternoon. Moderate south easterly wind. Appx 20c

Today’s overview location (The green mark shows the location of our route)		Close-up location (The orange line shows where we walked) (Click button below to download GPX of today’s walk as recorded, or see interactive map at bottom with elevations corrected): Shielmartin Hill Howth

Commentary

(Summary blog only. Last full blog was Day 0368).

On the face of it, today didn’t look like it was going to turn out particularly nicely. A thick sea mist had rolled in just as we were getting up this morning, shrouding the world in its cold clammy tentacles.

Anyway, there was a Club walk planned in Howth later this morning and as it’s only just down the road from us, we thought we would head out and join the group, despite the weather. First, though, Val had to drop into the Museum to deal with some work business so while she was out, I pulled the packed lunches together.

Once she was back, we got our things and headed to the bus stop. The 102 duly arrived and whisked us (rather slowly) to Sutton station, delayed slightly by the additional loop recently added to the route to take in the new car park at Portmarnock station.

Once we got to the start at Sutton, there was a good group already waiting, so the 15 of us set off promptly and headed off down the road to Sutton Cross and beyond. By this stage, as a bonus, the sun had come out, making for a very pleasant afternoon.

We travelled anticlockwise round the headland, and stopped for lunch at Red Rock, a little way up from the coast near the Martello Tower. We had a good view from our perch on the rocks, and soon spotted a huge plume of smoke climbing out of the hillside from the hills near the Hellfire club on the far side of Dublin Bay. It turned out to be a major blaze in gorse-covered moorland and Dublin Fire Brigade were reported to have spent most of the afternoon and evening trying to put it out.

After lunch, the group split into two. The bigger party returned to Sutton Cross (and the pub!) down Carrickbrack Road. They were intending to drop in to St Fintan’s cemetery and pay their respects to Phil Lynott on the way. Val, I, and two others formed a splinter-group and headed straight up the slopes of Shielmartin Hill with our sights set on the summit.

It’s actually only a short clamber up to the cairn on the top, but the effort was totally worthwhile today because the views, once we were up there, were fantastic in all directions.

We took our time on the top to admire the sights, then set off down to Howth, via the Golf Club, Bog of Frogs, and former Tramway route. Once we got there, Howth itself was absolutely mobbed with people out enjoying the sun. So rather than sharing a DART back to Sutton with the unwashed masses, and as the tide was (just) low enough, we decided instead to finish off the loop by walking round the beach to Sutton Station.

Both Howth and Burrow (Sutton) beaches along the way were busy – far more crowded than I’ve ever seen the before, in fact – so we weren’t inclined to linger. We pressed on and made good time back to the station where, as luck would have it, a 102 came in just moments after we arrived.

So we forewent the option of a coffee from the station kiosk, and jumped straight onboard. We were delivered back to Malahide without fuss and set about shopping for dinner tonight. Fortunately, Kerrigans opens on a Sunday so we picked up a couple of ready made dishes which just need cooking through in the oven.

So it’s time to get our sleeves rolled up now, and start getting ready to dine. Then we will enjoy or stir-fry(s) while watching the Olympic closing ceremony on the TV. We will miss the Games once they are gone. Four years is a long time to wait for the next episode!

Today’s photos (click to enlarge)


By the time we arrived on the Headland of Howth, the mist had cleared and the sun was shining once again. Loving this better weather!	On the top of Shielmartin Hill

Managed goats on Howth Head, keeping the gorse under control (in attempt to prevent wildfires like that raging this afternoon on the far side of Dublin Bay)	Explanatory note about the goats. Melissa Jeuken is the goatherd and she’s the daughter of the farmer at Lough Avalla, in Co. Clare. She also delivers our delicious Lough Avalla beef every autumn

Buzzing Howth as we arrived this afternoon	We walked back along Sutton (Burrow) beach instead of taking the DART – narrowly avoiding getting cut off by the tide. Fifteen minutes later and I don’t think we would have made it round.

An uninspiring start to the day – but the sea mist fortunately soon burned off.