the essential
Members of the Agenais Sports Group (GSA) recently went to Ireland to go on beautiful hikes in a green setting. A stay thwarted in 2020 by the Covid crisis.
Initially planned for 2020, this trip to Ireland was canceled due to the health crisis but remained scheduled. So 27 members of the GSA finally left for 10 days in this country, very popular with hikers for its magnificent landscapes. The assistance of two guides, perfectly bilingual, could only contribute to the success of the stay.
Departing from Bordeaux by plane, the group first crossed to the island of Clare Island to complete a 14 kilometer loop circuit which allowed them to discover the Irish moor. One group formed to climb the highest peak on the island, another team crossing the peat bogs to reach the port.
A lunar landscape
Under low skies and a light drizzle, an excursion had been planned in Le Nephin, a rhododendron forest in a protected park, to reach the Killary Fjord, several kilometers long, the next day. Then boarding for Inishmore, the largest of the Aran Islands. When the good weather returned, bags already on their backs, the walkers set off to cover 12 kilometers along low stone walls installed by man, to shelter from the wind and try to cultivate the very poor land of the region.
The spectacular southern cliffs were discovered before reaching Doolin and Moher. Magnificent shows all along the way before reaching Ballyvaughan by bus. It was with the sun that the group arrived in the Burren, a desert hill covered with slabs of stones, a lunar landscape with very little vegetation. After a transfer to Galway, the Agenais wandered around the city, its very recent cathedral, its lively streets, to make the last souvenir purchases…
The warm population, rubbed shoulders in the musical atmosphere of the pubs and the sumptuous landscapes will remain engraved in the memories.
