After again one year since my last stage I am back in Ireland with the usual itinerary: home -> Amsterdam -> Cork -> starting point. On this arrival day I take it easy and do some sightseeing in downtown Clonmel. I also check the shortest way from my B&B (same as the last two nights of my previous trip) to the bridge that is situated south of the city center.

After I have enjoyed a good breakfast in the B&B I start my hike at 07.00 at the bridge. I have new hiking boots which should reduce, or eliminate, the many problems that I have with my feet during hiking. I have not been able to train on these and to compensate for that I have also taken my outdoor Crogs with me. During the first kilometers it rains and my Crogs cause me some scarcial blisters, already within one hour! After the weather has cleared I put on my boots, which I should have done from the start. The Trail is heading for Carrick-on-Suir, which is some 20 kilometers down the river, but it would be too easy (and boring!) to follow the cycling path downstream. Consequently the Trail leads up a hill for some useless kilometers on a (dangerous!) road with high hedges on the sides. Fortunately halfway up the hill there are new signs that indicate that the Trail goes east, back down to the river instead of having to go all the way up. Back in the valley, near the village of Kilsheelan, the Trail follows the cycling path along the Blackwater river; it is made of spotless concrete and every 300 meters there is a bench that provides a seat for the many fishermen that try their luck in the river.

At 11.40 I arrive in Carrick-on-Suir (halfway the Irish section of the E8!) and I get myself lunch in the local supermarket. Thanks to the comfortable and flat kilometers until here my pace is very good, and I have lunch while moving onwards. During the afternoon many kilometers are crossed on paved roads, which makes it easy to maintain a high pace, but it is boring.

After almost 50 kilometers I decide to call it a day in the village of Mullinavat: “there is a house (B&B) in Mullinavat, they call The Rising Sun”. It is situated on the Trail, on the main road in the village, and it has a spare room (not a cheap one). After I have checked in, I notice that my activity app shows that I have covered 49,8 kilometers today. I leave the B&B and follow the E8 for another 200 meters until the app indicates the 50,0km. It is just within ten hours after I have left Clonmel, this morning. It was a great day, hopefully the blisters on my feet will be easy on me in the next days.