Day 4 - Kinsale & Fort Charles

I barely caught the 11:05 bus and arrived in Kinsale by noon. A parade for the Irish Coast Guard was underway being led by bagpipes through the harbor. I walked the harbor and made my way into the little town searching for the “foot path” to Charles Fort known as the Sicilian Trail. I had an idea of where to go but the town map was clearly not to scale and the TI was closed since it was Sunday. Then I spied the Kinsale Power Walking Women, dressed in pink. I have learned that when trying to find a walking path, it’s a good bet to follow the power walkers. As predicted, they lead me straight to the path, which goes along the entire bay, but begins outside of town. 

I  had excellent weather for the walk. By the time I reached the next village of Summer Cover I met some American woman who were complaining about the steep incline of both the trail and road and that Rick Steves failed to mention this fact in his book. I chose not to make friends with them. Two of the women were clearly annoyed with the complaints of their travel mate. 

After the little harbor, it was another steep climb to Fort Charles but I figured I burned off the calories of my Irish Breakfast. Fort Charles was built on 12 acres of coastal land in 1670 and is configured in the shape of a 5-pointed star. During the Irish Civil War, IRA members stuffed the buildings with hay and burned it down in 1922.

I walked the grounds and learned about the history. There was a little girl chasing her brothers up and down the hills in her First Holy Communion dress and veil. I enjoyed a little picnic snack overlooking the ocean and then made my way back to Kinsale.

While back in Kinsale, I wandered through the town and enjoyed all the brightly colored store fronts. By 4:00 it was time to get back on the bus to Cork. I think all the bus drivers here have attended the “Mark Ricca School of Driving.” I was more than happy when we finally pulled into Cork Station. By the time I got back to the room, Matt had already returned from work. We went to Milano’s for dinner. It’s an upscale pizzeria we have gone to on prior trips. When dinner was over, Matt said, “Well, I guess we have finally answered the age old question of ‘Can a pizza crust be too thin’…and the answer is Yes.” It was still daylight at 9:30 on our walk home. Today I logged just over 10 miles of walking. Time to kick off the boots.