Jaseinthewild

Time to head home.

After a couple of weeks in the UK, it was finally time to head home.

I'd spent most of my time in Ireland, followed by a few days in our London office, catching up with the global Ancestry acquisition team.

Now it was home time, and I absolutely couldn't wait. Before I could fly home though, I had a few hours to kill, so I did as Jason does, I walked. A whirlwind tour of London in the final hours before jetting home was actually very pleasant, as for the most part the sun was shining!

Having already been away in New Zealand prior to the UK, and knowing full well that I'd have just two weeks back home before travelling again, I was keen to get home and annoy Areli and Tulum as much as possible.

The good news was that for the next travel (Mexico), we would be together - well, not Tulum, sorry Tulum. But Areli and I would be off to Mexico to visit family and enjoy a Mexican Christmas 🎄🌮

Vamos!

The ruined Dunluce Castle.

Initally a stone fort from around 1300, the current structure was built in 1608. Although visually striking, the castle was rather short-lived.

Nevertheless, there's no shortage of stories when it comes to Dunluce.

In 1588, Dunluce was home to the famous Scottish warrior chieftain Sorely Boy MacDonnell. One night, the galleass La Girona of the Spanish Amarda was smashed against the rocks below the castle. Of the 1300 crew, just 9 survived, and only 260 bodies were recovered from the shore. From the wreck, Sorely Boy managed to salvage three brass cannons and two treasure chests - happy accident for old mate Sorely.

It's said that at one point, due to the erosion of the supporting cliff, the castle's kitchen plummeted into the sea without warning.

Dunluce Castle was razed during the Irish Rebellion of 1641, and from that point on, the castle has been a ruin only - but the stories continue.

For example, Dunluce was, at one time, owned by Winston Churchill after it passed into the ownership of the Churchill family as a result of inter-marriage.

If you look inside the inner sleeve of the Led Zeppelin album Houses of the Holy, you'll see Dunluce Castle.

Even more contemporary, the castle featured as the seat of House Greyjoy in Game of Thrones.

There's more, but suffice to say that this castle is pretty darn interesting. It's also just neat to look at!

Rocks.

Known as the Giant's Causeway, this UNESCO World Heritage Site can be found on the coast in County Antrim, about an hour Northwest of Belfast.

The site is famous for its geometric basalt columns, which were formed about 60 million years ago during a period of intense volcanic activity. Lava from eruptions cooled and solidified rapidly, cracking into hexagonal shapes as it contracted.

Or, if you prefer folklore, the columns were built by the giant Fionn mac Cumhaill to form a path across the sea to Scotland so he could fight his Scottish rival Benandonner. That's a lot of effort for a bit of biffo...

Volcanos, giants, take your pick. Either way, it's a special place to visit.

Windy Mount Errigal.

After spending the night in Enniskillen, I headed out to Glenveagh National Park with a plan to summit Mount Errigal, Donegal's highest peak (which is only ~751m mind you).

Despite being a short climb, it was still a memorable adventure. The wind was absolutely wild, nearly blowing me off my feet with each step that I took. Looking around, the terrain was barren and rugged, but the views... breathtaking.

The iconic mountain, known for its pinkish glow at sunset due to quartzite rock, holds a special place in Irish folklore. It forms part of the Derryveagh Mountains and offers stunning views of the surrounding Donegal landscape.

So, although it's a short one, if you're in Ireland and out Donegal way, Errigal is a must-hike for anyone seeking a rugged, scenic hike that doesn't steal your whole day.

Don't miss the abandoned Dunlewey Church nearby, and keep your eyes peeled for a sneaky sword-in-the-stone too.

Failed to 'Outlander' myself.

It's not that I want to vanish from modern life and end up in historic Ireland - I absolutely don't. But when you stand in front of an ancient druid's stone altar, or cist, you can't help but gently press a hand against the ~5,000 year old stone.

Perhaps it's just a Scottish phenomenon?

The purpose of this ancient structure is debated - an altar is one suggestion. Another is a cist, which would mean that it once held the remains of an ancient tribal chieftain.

Around this moss covered stone structure, the entire landscape has changed. Kings and Queens have come and gone. Wars, disease, and famine have raged on. Yet all the while, this structure has stood silently among the Oak trees, ever still, as the centuries have continued to march on.

It's hard not to let your imagination run absolutely wild.

Fancy a night in an Irish castle?

After spending a few evenings in hostels and cheap hotels, a luxurious night in the beautiful Lough Rynn Castle was meant to be a well-earned reward.

By the time I reached Lough Rynn, I should have walked 300kms - over half the full trek that was planned. But, since I had cancelled the walk earlier in the week, there was little else for me to do to beyond kicking back by the fire, raising a glass, and enjoying a delicious dinner in the impressive drawing room.

Having spent the day exploring the coast, I was certainly ready for a relaxed evening. But before I got too comfortable, I had a wander around the walled gardens and extensive grounds. This included a ruined fort, old boathouse, and a little further off the beaten path, an ancient Druid Altar... but more on that later.

Lough Rynn Castle was built in 1833, so its history doesn't stretch back too far, at least compared to some of the other structures that still stand across Ireland. But it is certainly old enough to have a rustic yet opulent charm, and I thoroughly enjoyed my evening (despite being a king minus his queen).

The change in my plans introduced some logistical challenges, so in the morning I would be driving from Lough Rynn in County Leitrim, to Dublin, where I would drop off my little silver bullet of a rental car. From there, a bus would take me across the border to Belfast, in Northern Ireland.

The Cliffs of Noher.

That's right, not Moher.

I'm actually a little South of the main tourist hotspot, at a place called Jordan Denning Point.

I was keen to get a bit of the wild Atlantic Coast, but I veered Southward in the hopes of finding a walking path that wasn't flanked by tourist buses. Given the low season, it was probably an easier task than usual. Nevertheless, I set my sights on this point and galloped my way over in my little silver steed.

Upon arrival, some thrifty locals had set up a car park, for which you paid a small stipend to utilise, fair. However, walking a short way up the path to then find the walking track was closed ahead, less fair.

So my plans for a lengthy wander along the winding, scenic coastline was instead cut short and replaced with a short walk, followed by a me+tripod photoshoot...work it...

Seemingly displeased with my photographic prowess, the tripod proceeded to steal a piece of flesh from my thumb, no doubt as some weird keepsake to be forever jammed within its plastic hinges.

But, despite being scammed for the parking and sporting a minor flesh wound, I was pretty darn happy. What a beautiful, wild place. What a privilege it was to explore and wander, and to be lost in my own thoughts against the rugged backdrop.

Off the beaten track in Ireland.

So after a less than ideal start to my time in Ireland, I headed out from Limerick in my little silver bubble of a rental car.

It lacked a sixth gear, whistled down the highway, and cost me a kidney after the AUD to Euro conversion, but it had Bluetooth, and that's all I needed to bang out some Johnny Farnham karaoke.

I spent most of the day driving up and down narrow Irish roads, weaving my way between farms that once would have been the stomping grounds of my Southern Irish ancestors.

The highlight of the day, though, was Carrigogunnell Castle, a ruins far off the main road and lost to nature. One of my favourite things to do in Ireland is to avoid the popular ruins / castles, and instead visit those which are yet to be commercialised. Often, these lesser known locations allow you to fully explore a ruins, without barriers, admission fees, or most importantly, crowds.

I was still adjusting to the new evolving plan, post walk cancellation, so at this stage my only objective was to continue North, and suss some sights / walks along the way.

When it all goes wrong….

Ok, that's a tad dramatic. But of all the long walks I've planned, this one goes down as the biggest fai-learning opportunity.

I had roughly planned (first mistake) a ~500km trek from Cork, in Ireland's South, to Derry, in Ireland's North. It was a direct A to B, right up the heart of Ireland. I chose this route for a few reasons, (a) because I have previously enjoyed a road trip around the coast of Ireland and wanted to see the heartland this time, (b) I had a very tight window in which to complete the walk and therefore needed the most direct route and (c), which was that I had originally hoped to go full Top to Bottom, but with Mizen Head closed that plan became too difficult logistically.

The adventure went wrong almost immediately, with my bag (containing all of my trekking gear) failing to arrive in London. I was only meant to transit through London briefly on my way over to Cork, so that I was all set to start the walk early the following day. However, the result of my missing bag was an overnight stay in London that pushed everything back 24hrs, and made a difficult time frame, even harder.

Once I had regained possession of my bag, and made it to Cork, I began the first 14hr walk a day later than initially planned, but also due to my replacement flight to Cork, much later in the day than I had originally planned - meaning I was walking well into the final hours of the evening.

The first day of walking also enlightened me to the serious flaw in the route I had planned. Taking the most direct 'A to B' route meant that the walk was almost entirely along the roadside. I had known this of course, but knowing and experiencing are two different things. The Irish roads hit different, there's typically no shoulder to walk on, and the roads are often lined with blackberry bushes, which grab and rip your clothes. The frequency of trucks, tractors and cars, and the absence of shoulders means that you're in and out of the bushes constantly, and not only is this a real pain in the glutes, but it's also very dangerous.

None of this was new to me, I've certainly had similar experiences, but after 14hrs (Day 1 of 9), I asked myself whether it was (a) enjoyable (b) safe, and most importantly, (c) whether I was up for another 9 days of the same experience.

The answer, no. The daily KMs were too high with a pack, the time on route too long, the terrain too monotonous, and the risks too constant to continue.

So, I had to pivot. Pivoting had its own challenges, let me assure you, but it meant that I was free to get away from the pavement, and find some different adventures while I was in Ireland. I hired a car, and I was off…

In September I got older.

It was my birthday, and I always try to do something adventurous to celebrate. In the past, it's been a bit of travel, or kayaking around shipwrecks - generally cool stuff, but not a huge investment of energy. In more recent times, I've started these stupid long distance walks - and I love them.

So, to celebrate another year, and getting a little bit closer to the day that I'm reincarnated as a dung beetle, I set off to tackle a direction I haven't yet trekked from Sydney - West, over the mountains.

For safety, and 'psychological health benefits', I decided to start the walk from Bathurst and finish in Sydney, walking South-East to Oberon, before continuing East, over the Blue Mountains and down into good ol' Sydney Town.

Now, spoiler alert, I didn't go all the way to Sydney. I ended up calling it a day about 20km past Katoomba. Why you ask? A myriad of reasons really, but ultimately it distilled down to enjoyment, and I decided that I'd enjoy Katoomba to Sydney as a separate walk, rather than overload the activity and suffer unnecessarily.

At its conclusion, this walk totalled 132kms over 25hrs of walking. During the walk I saw kangaroos, echidnas, wombats, black cockatoos, foxes, rabbits, and all the usual livestock. No snakes, and boogeymen during the night time hours thankfully.

One of the elements I was particularly interested in during this trek was my shoes. I wasn't wearing hiking boots, but rather a multipurpose shoe by Columbia Australia - the Konos TRS Outdry Shoe. There's a huge, huge difference between walking 40, 80 & over 100kms in a pair of shoes. You can get away with a tiny ni**le, or an element lacking here or there when walking a shorter distance. But when you’re walking over 100kms in such a short, constant timeframe, you really do need shoes that straddle that fine balance between support, comfort and durability. The Konos performed extremely well, being light when I was jogging, water-proof for the river crossings, sturdy for the technical moments and importantly, superbly comfortable for the long paved sections.

Definitely another memorable experience! 🫡

New store, new kicks, what a morning! 😎

As of yesterday, the brand spanking new Columbia Australia store in the Sydney CBD is open to the public.

Myself and others were invited to come by on Friday, 24hrs before the official opening to celebrate the completion of the new store, but also the launch of a new pair of Columbia shoes - the Konos TRS OutDry.

Columbia have been very supportive of my adventures over the years, and so having the opportunity to whip on the new shoes, and KEEP them, means that I absolutely need to put them to the test. Believe me, I intend to.

I'm genuinely excited about these shoes though. Why you ask? Because having recently walked to Jarvis Bay in a combination of hard boots and very worn runners, I've been on the lookout for a new pair of trusty shoes that'll take me 100km+ in a single walk. After trying these shoes on and having a small walk, my initial feeling is that they'll be up to the task. Knowing that I can wear the gear that I need, and that the gear is coming from my friends at Columbia is hugely satisfying.

So, that brings us to the real testing of the Konos. Soon. Next month is my birthday, and to celebrate I plan for my body to suffer again...

More on that later.

For now, a big thank you to Columbia. I still wear the same Omni-Max jacket from my Tassie Trek (in 2021) today, I love it, but it might be time to upgrade from the silver lining that's been so well loved over the years, to that new glorious gold 🤩

Also a big thank you to Areli, who took on videographer and photographer duties during the event! Nailed it 😁

'The Southern Express' - Part 2 (113kms / 22hrs)

I've just completed my most recent long distance trek, Sydney to Jarvis Bay. This chunky 218km walk was split into two non-stop parts that traversed Gadigal, Kamaygal, Bidjigal, and Gweagal Country, throughout the Eora & Tharawal Nations.

The second portion of the trek totalled 113km & 22hrs, on a route stretching from Wollongong to Huskisson, Jervis Bay.

After arriving previously in Wollongong, I took a day to see if I could recover from the battering I took during Part 1. I did my best to eat plenty of food, I washed my clothes and re-packed my bag, and importantly, I went about popping several blisters - one by one. I've held back sharing some of those images, because apparently people don’t want to see big ol' angry blisters oozing with ewww-ness.

After a day to recover, I felt good enough to tackle a second walk - even if I was only likely to complete a portion of it. I set my expectations low, and decided to just do my best. I was now wearing different shoes too, much more comfortable - but not water proof. To try and counter that, I purchased small garbage bags and wrapped my foot + innersole in a bag to retain traction but repel water. It's not silly if it works, and it did (for a time).

I departed Wollongong and made my way South, mostly along the coast. I wandered through Kembla, Warilla, Shellharbour and by sunset I was in Kiama - which meant Kiama Coastal Track (South end) time. I tried to avoid it, I tried to find a way around… Why, because in the horizontal rain, the exposed ocean side trail, complete with soaked grass and mud trails did not sound like a sensible portion of the 113km route. But, it was unavoidable.

Within moments of hitting that trail my feet were soaked, a few moments later I was covered in mud thanks to a little slip and slide I performed down a steep portion of track. But the best part, the very best most wonderful part - that was the surprise waiting for me end the end of the several KM trail… A swollen water crossing. By this point I had crossed many creeks, but this was no mere creek, rather it was the Merry Lagoon and the water crossing was wide, relatively deep and pitch black.

I had two choices, attempt a crossing, or walk several KMs back to Kiama, in the rain, mud and cold. Across the water was Gerringong, and more importantly, dinner options.

I don’t have the space here to detail the full experience, but it involved attempting to acquire a nearby kayak, taking off my pants, delving in to black waters, and ultimately, exiting the water victorious. I wish I could have recorded the experience, but I was wholly focused on my safety - no hands for cameras.

The high from that successful crossing was soon dulled by every decent food option in Gerringong being closed before 9pm, and then the brutally mundane, dark and silent 30km road walk along Gerroa / Bolong Rd. That was a psychological challenge without a doubt.

At 3am I could have been found at the Nowra McDonald's stuffing my face in a Dinner / Breakfast feast, before tackling the final 20kms to Jervis Bay. I was a little cold, a little soggy, a little sandy but very determined to hit my end goal - and I did.

22hrs after starting in Wollongong, I walked into Huskisson and completed my 218km walk.

It was wet, it was wild, but I got it done.