Miners Village May 16th and The Spinc May 30th 2013

Taking a short break to take this photo on the way up to the footbridge from the Miners Village

Ah, once again a lesson in never underestimation people. Brenda said she would like to go to Glendalough and try to take in a short walk. Me, thinking she was a crock though a stroll from the car park to the Miners Village would be a nice walk with some interesting points along the way and a good test for her first outing. 

Not only did Brenda want to move on to the next stage but she started with a jog : )

Having reached the Miners Village Brenda took a look at the incline to the waterfall and decided to push on. 

Still smiling and game to push on : )

Looking back now you may be able to see the spec that is the Miners Village back in the valley.

Once we reached the waterfall Brenda decided, once again to my surprise, that she would like to push on to the footbridge. 

Almost there 

We were lucky with the weather in that it did not rain but the winds were very cool but we were prepared for that.. Upon reaching the footbridge I pointed out the route up the Spinc and the option to return to our car that way as opposed to returning by the Miners Village. 

I never thought we would have made it this far so I was happy with her decision to return by the Miners Village instead of continuing to go up and over the Spinc. This was  enough for her first outing and far more that I thought possible.

Leonberger - never saw one before

When we reached the footbridge we met a couple out walking their dogs. One of the dogs was a Leonberger. A beautiful animal, massive but seemed very friendly. You can see more images and learn more about this breed of dog at this link : leonberger

A heart of stone : (

We made our way back down to the car park via the Miners Village. Brenda stopping along the way to look at old bit of stone and metal and trying to determine the origin and purpose of bit and pieces observed.

Beam of light 

Nearly there. 

Have a look at some other photos, from this trip, on my Flickr page.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jakodo/sets/72157634360624722/

May 30th 2013 second outing with Brenda.

Still smiling coming down off Spinc and heading for the footbridge : )

My second outing with Brenda and she is ready to take on the Spinc and return via the miners village. It was a beautiful day. We were better prepared today with a packed lunch, some backup rain gear and we each had out walking poles. It's amazing how much pressure they take off the old limbs. We really could have done with them on our first outing.

We're no spring chickens but we felt very young compared with a group of 'elderly people going in the opposite direction. One of the guys stopped and snapped this photo.

Some of the route up the Spinc, through the forest was in fact closed off to walkers but I missed the initial signs and before long we came across a major tree felling operation. Luckily the guys had gone to lunch so we passed without being turned back. This is such a beautiful pathway which then turns into the dense forest. The sleepers make it easy to navigate the short ascent through the trees before revealing a fantastic view of the lakes from this elevated position..

The views down through the valley are spectacular, especially from the viewing point. From here you can return by the other path along the Spinc back to the Car Park or push on to the top of the mountain before descending to the footbridge. We chose to go up. Once again I was delighted with Brenda's ability to take on the walk. We agreed to stop and have something to eat once we reached the top.

Very thankful for having the poles on the return stage.

Walking with Brenda is a different experience to walking with the other groups I go outwith. Brenda really likes to stop and smell the flowers, literally, she loves wild flowers.

Now that we have started to go out together I hope we can continue to do this more frequently. I still look forward to my outings with the other groups, for a different type of experience. 

Above, a few images from the miners village

Click below for some more images from our second outing to the Miners Village and Spinc
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jakodo/sets/72157634360108117/show