A 200km stroll in the name of charity!
IN AUGUST, 20 LOCAL WALKERS WILL UNDERTAKE A MAMMOTH WALK FROM GALWAY BAY TO BALTRAY TO RAISE VITAL FUNDS FOR THE GARY KELLY CANCER CENTRE. ‘RAMBLER’ PAT COFFEY KEEPS US ABREAST OF THE ‘GRUELLING’ TRAINING SESSIONS SO FAR...
AQUESTION we may all ask each other in 2018 as we traverse the country from coast to coast is ‘ what am I doing here’!
We will have different answers, the same answer and some a few answers. It may be that we have been affected by cancer, be it ourselves, family or friends. It could be a personal challenge to see if we still ‘ Have it’ or simply a walking holiday with a purpose. Whatever the reason, the ultimate aim is to raise funds for the Gary Kelly Centre. It is not a whimsical undertaking. There is no right or wrong reason for doing this and you don’t even have to say it aloud. As time unfolds, we will undoubtedly share these reasons with our fellow travellers.
There is a romantic appeal and something complete about going from sea to sea. The first I heard of the walk was when I got a text from Dusty Flanagan earlier this year. It is one of his ‘Bucket List’ items. He is an experienced camino walker and this trip has been niggling at him for a long time. When he sent the text, he knew that it would appeal to my psyche. And how right he was!
We met, the maps came out, Google maps was loaded, and the mental journeys began. Initially, it was my mind imagining the journey, then my finger walking through street view on google maps. I could see the roads, the junctions, the houses and most importantly the lanes with grass-filled centres. I have a weakness for these quiet, quintessential lanes where there is minimum disturbance as you stroll along. Sometimes for extra effect, they are decorated by sweet smelling furze bushes; an aroma that brings me back in time.
We did some ground work and then arranged to meet with the rest of the crew. I was a little late for my first meeting at the Gary Kelly Centre. I rang the doorbell and it was answer by a smiling Ann Tracy who said, ‘ You must be Pat Coffey’. ‘Yes, indeed I am’. Ann’s welcome was so warm that I felt like the prodigal son on his return home. I almost expected to find a fatted calf cooking on a spit, but tea, coffee and biscuits was every bit as good.
Local photographer Terry Collins and Dusty gave an overview of the walk and an outline of what was involved. Ann showed us a video and it started to feel real.
Good Friday would be our first reconnaissance mission and five volunteers stepped up. At 8am, we set off in two cars and arranged to meet near the Royal Canal. After a quick coffee in Longwood, Dusty’s nerves were steadied and he marshalled the troops. We parked at the aqueduct and onwards in one car to The Downs, near Mullingar.
Before we started walking, Rita took a group selfie and I remember thinking that we must be a bit mad. Anyway, it’s a harmless madness. We followed the canal for the next six hours from left to right, over bridges, under bridges and the occasional diversion.
Along the way Ciarán had us doing yoga exercises on the canal path after an alfresco lunch. We waved at a few barge people along the way. When we entered the pub in the Hill of Down, it was the first time we had been in a pub legally on Good Friday. However, old habits die hard and we did not drink alcohol, just tea and coffee. It must have been the cheapest coffee this side of the millennium. We noted three or four pubs along the route for future reference.
End of day one and it felt good. We are able to do long distance and no blisters. I got to know two of the crew a bit better, Ciarán and Rita.
What did we learn today:- Ciarán created history in Louth athletics, Rita was a nurse and lived in London for years and she knew a friend of mine. Porridge is the preferred pre-walk super fuel.
Bacon-butty power
Next scouting day was more complicated as we proposed walking from Ballinasloe to Athlone. Six people in two cars headed for Athlone on Saturday morning at a time we should have been turning over for a lie-in. Instead we got a train from Athlone at the time we would normally have been getting up. 15 minutes on the train and then we found an old-style café. A good old-fashioned bacon sandwich set Rita up for the journey. Armed with maps and screen shots of the various junctions we headed off with sun on our backs. Eamon Hanratty and Marty McCann were the two new recruits.
The roads twisted and turned and led onto more roads that twisted and turned as we discovered the hidden Ireland. The reality of the Google maps images was unfolding under our feet and before our eyes. It was living up to our expectations and exceeding our hopes. A lot of it was virtually traffic free. Marty gave us insider knowledge on Cadbury’s chocolate and why Irish made is best. We stopped halfway at Naughton’s for a sun filled lunch after a good solid three hour walk. Onwards for more of the same after applying factor 30. We made a brief stop at a St Brigid’s well (Co. Louth connection) before the final assault on Athlone. As we approached the town a man asked us if we were going skiing when he saw the poles in our hands, ‘Yes, but we can’t find a mountain’ and we walked on. Another good day’s walking, 30 km, approx. 6 hours and 1,100 calories burned according to Rita’s phone app.
What did we learn today: this part of the country is incredibly flat, we arouse people’s curiosity and you can buy a chicken from the back of a van outside Athlone at 4.pm on Saturday.
We reported back to base.
Farmer’s friends
Fund raising has started and many quiet miles are being walked in the north east to get the boots and feet road ready for August 3rd 2018.
Five volunteers for the next trip. Eamon was hesitant about going as Leinster were playing the European rugby final that day. Dusty had a quiet word and Eamon was good to go; it’s impossible to say no to Dusty. Sadly, we lost Terry as family loyalty prevailed, so it was the less famous four who headed for Loughrea. Before we started walking, the trip involved Dusty’s car, a bus, a taxi and Rita’s bacon sandwich. We met a curious man in Ballinasloe while waiting for the bus. He asked about our mission and when we explained it, he informed us that he was born in the Lourdes and previously lived in Drogheda. Intrigued we asked him his name, but this was not forthcoming. However, he gave us a few clues and his identity is being worked on at present. Eamon is ‘ on it’.
The taxi was proving to be a problem on Friday. I contact seven, before one eventually accepted the dangerous mission of transporting four heavily armed walkers from Loughrea to a secret drop-off point near a bog. The taxi driver was apprehensive but accepted the trip after some pleading on my behalf. I reckon he updated his will the night before as he did not expect to return from this trip to the bog. He has visions of spending his eternal life in a bog hole in the Loughrea area. After a few miles he eventually realised his life was safe and he collected his fare.
Views, old tractors, better land, horses and abandoned houses were a feature of this day. Also, a possible solution to the Orange Order’s dilemma re. a commemoration in the ‘ Crossing Field’ at the Boyne. Fittingly, it was found in a C.O.I graveyard.
Eamon saw the presentation of the trophy to Leinster at the Shearwater Hotel. The hotel has a massive foyer and all four of us would gladly have stayed the night.
What did we learn today: that it’s a good idea to talk to local farmers, Eamon loves nature, Pat (that’s me) saw a ghost when he was a teenager and the battle of Aughrim was far bloodier than the Battle of the Boyne.
Launch day!
A meet, a greet and also an update on progress. Tom Flynn and Mullen’s Coaches solved a major logistical issue for us. We were ushered outside for a few photos. Hubert Murphy from the D.I. attended and delivered as promised on the front page of the paper.
Another sunny day as we boarded the mini bus outside the GKC after a vitamin c snack. A much more civilised starting today at 9.15. A few introductions and every new person I met seems to be Ann, Anna, Anna or any other variation of Ann.
Slane Bridge was our starting point as Dusty led the walk followed by 12 disciples. A nice walk on more familiar roads as far as the interpretive centre. Marty gave us an impromptu piece on the battle on this section.
After a brief stop at the busy interpretive centre, we walked what is probably the most scenic and rewarding section on the riverbank to Drogheda. The views on some of this section are practically unchanged for hundreds of years. Bells tolled on our way into Drogheda. We imagined that they heralded our arrival and they would be a very welcome sound late on the 11th of August. Brilliant weather again, but can it last?
While most of this has been a light-hearted report on the journey so far, we should remember that the reason behind the walk is a serious fact of many lives - Cancer .
To donate to the Coast 2 Coast fund, contact the Gary Kelly Centre directly on www.gksupport.com or phone 041 9805100
AS WE APPROACHED THE TOWN, A MAN ASKED US WERE WE GOING SKIING WHEN HE SAW THE POLES IN OUR HANDS. ‘YES, BUT WE CAN’T FIND A MOUNTAIN!