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| FRIENDLY DUCKS AT CAPEL CURIG CAMPSITE |
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| CRIMPEAU SUMMIT |
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| DUBLIN'S VERY OWN MOLLY MALONE |
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| ON HA'PENNY BRIDGE, DUBLIN |
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| CUSTOM HOUSE, DUBLIN |
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| GUINNESS OUTSIDE GOGARTY'S BAR |
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| MANCHESTER UNITED FANS IN HIGH SPIRITS |
The weather seemed to be improving.
A short distance from the campsite is an Ellis Brigham shop which offers 50% discounts on quality walking clothing. After over an hour of rummaging through just about everything, Rubi picked out a lovely down jacket and I found an excellent waterproof jacket and trousers to replace some of my worn out gear. Since it would be my birthday soon, Rubi bought me the jacket as a birthday present. Looks like I will be well dressed for my next walking leader appointment for HF Holidays at the end of the month!
It was now well past midday, and the weather was perfect for walking. We parked the car at Cafe Siabod in Capel Curig and I quickly devised a 4 hour route, much of it 'off piste', which would take us to the 475m summit of Crimpiau. It turned out to be a mix of scrambling to rocky peaks, bog walking and sliding our way down steep fern-covered slopes to a more walkable return path. Back at Cafe Siabod just after 6.00pm we rewarded ourselves with one of the substantial meals they had on offer.
We would be catching the ferry from Holyhead to Dublin very early the following morning, i.e. 2.40am, so we made our way to Anglesea. We stopped at a Lidl just outside the ferry port to resupply. Rubi then had a doze in the car park whilst I nipped round the corner to the pub.
Once on board the 'Ulysses' we found a quiet corner under some stairs where we could lay down on our sleeping bags and get some sleep during the overnight journey.
We were driving off Ulysses by 6.00am and navigating our way through already busy Dublin streets to our pre-booked B&B at Dun Loaghaire (pronounced Dun Leary), 10km south of the ferry port.
We knocked on the door of Tara House Accommodation just after 7.00am to be greeted by Mike who told us that we were not expected until the following day and that they were full. Since the booking was made on the phone it was impossible to say whose mistake this was, but he did offer to tidy up a spare room which we could use if we didn't insist on en-suite bathroom facilities. We didn't want the hassle of looking elsewhere and the price he quoted was attractive so we accepted his offer.
We left our bags, parked the car and walked down the road to the nearest DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transport) railway station which took us quickly into Dublin City centre where we would spend the day. After a hearty breakfast at Kilkenny's store, we walked through the grounds of Trinity College, paid a visit to Molly Malone's statue and crossed Ha'penny Bridge. A walk along the north bank of the River Liffey took us Custom House, completed in 1791, which is now the home of the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government. Inside was a fascinating exhibition about its design and construction, then destruction by the IRA in 1921 and its subsequent rebuilding by the Irish Free State.
Walking back past the Famine Memorial then along the south bank we reached Temple Bar and found a seat outside Gogarty's bar where I could enjoy a Guinness. The cost of this was (in sterling) an excruciating £6 so I didn't complain about the £3 cost of Rubi's small glass of lime and soda. The bar opposite Gogarty's was packed full with rowdy Manchester United football fans so we guessed that they were here for an away game.
Given our early start and the limited sleep we had the night before, by the time the DART took us back to Dun Loaghaire we were in serious need of some good rest.