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Arual, I'll be hiking in Ireland in a couple weeks! Wife and I have hiked/trained all over Austria.
I'd suggest you continue using your New Balance 767's and fore go the boots. You are use to them and unless you are hiking in snow, your feet will be the happier. I've not used boots in over ten years and use NB trail runners or Rockport leather walking shoes (which I really like for all round wear). Leather walking shoes work great in wet weather, even thought they are a tad heavier than the trail runners, they are tough and stay dry. I also wear running sandals, Nike Straprunners, if the weather is nice. Bring some blister control stuff with you. I like to slather on Bodyglide (available at bike/running stores) between the toes and around likely hot spots, 2-3 times a day if I'm carrying a pack. Some tape won't hurt either and I prefer super thin, yet cheap, nylon socks. You can double them and they are still thin. Stop every couple miles, recheck your feet and treat any hot spots BEFORE blisters develop. You'll settle in and do fine!

Austrian trails, I found, were very well maintained and almost like walking on the pavement. Same in Switzerland. They take hike/bike trails seriously there. I have no idea what to expect in Ireland (Dingle area), but the above footwear has never failed me.

4-5 hours hiking won't be much different than your 2-3 hour walks unless you are changing elevation a lot. Simply take longer, slightly faster walks, more often, to train for it.




Hi Dryer <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> thanks for your reply it was really helpful.

I think I will take my NB's and fashion some sort of ankle protection for the occasional rolling stones. The one thing I am worried about is that the NB's are probably more flexible than I suppose boots would be so might be a bit odd walking on bumpy off-trail ground, though i'm not sure how the routes will be. But if that happens I can always resort to buying boots in the village.

I'm curious as to how leather walking shoes compare to trail runners. I think NB has some "country walking" shoes that don't make you look like you came straight from the gym. ( http://newbalance.com/outdoor/countrywalking/WW965/ )

I hadn't thought of the blister prevention stuff.. i'm such a beginner in these things. I'll definitely get some of that <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I haven't actually been in Dingle but I hear it's breathtaking. ( http://img2.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/2b82d18cbc.jpg ) You can probably expect to get sporadic rain so definitely rain gear, but I'm sure you've thought of that already. Are any of those shoes you mentioned made of gore-tex? That would be handy.. depending on where you're going, there may be muddy fields. The temperature will certainly be lower than it would be in Austria. It probably-- no wait, it definitely will be windy. There is practically no such thing as a wind-free day in Ireland, doubly so if you're on a hill near the coast. I've found this to be a problem with my NB's because they're basically made of mesh, and I've literally lost feeling in my toes due to wind. oh, and don't let the wind-chill factor let you forget sunscreen, of course.
Oh, and maybe you don't need it but if you hadn't considered it, car hire is pretty cheap here. I've seen small cars for 75 euros a week at times.

We hired a car for the 9 days we'll be in Austria and it cost 250, which literally amounts to less than we would've spent on trains and taxis otherwise.

edit: oh, and you probably already have everything planned, but in case not, this site; http://www.discoverireland.ie/walking.aspx is good for finding loop walks. I've found them to be very well marked out.


Edited by Arual (04/27/08 08:58 AM)