I campervanned across Ireland alone – and climbed as many mountains as I could

02.01.2024 - 11:58 / theguardian.com

Voices outside the van woke me in the night. I lay still, my mind racing. There had been no one around when I parked at the end of a single track next to a wild beach. Campervanning alone as a woman was going to bring challenges, I knew, and sleeping in remote spots was high on the list of them.

Eventually an engine started, they drove off and there was silence. The next morning’s reward was a sunrise of shifting colours over a deserted beach in County Donegal – another new day all to myself to explore.

As far as adventures go, this trip – 10 days travelling alone around the island of Ireland, climbing as many mountains as I could – was one of my least far-flung. I’d travelled on the Trans Siberian Railway, hiked 500 miles across Spain, walked the Great Wall of China and the Inca Trail. But I’ve learned that you can cram a lot of adventure into a short amount of time, without travelling to far-flung places.

I had booked the trip following a painful break-up just two weeks before, deciding it was best not to remain at home nursing heartache.

After picking up the van in Belfast, I hit the road with the outline of a plan – a few ideas on mountains I liked the sound of, but not much else. In the end I completed more than 800 miles, climbed 12 mountains with a total ascent of 5,900 metres – that’s higher than Everest base camp.

My first stop was Glenveagh national park in Donegal, where I climbed the 751m-high Errigal. It’s a well-trodden path, but I had not hiked on my own in Ireland before. The views were amazing and the sense of adventure tangible. Mountain routes in Ireland, I discovered, tend to be either very well known or completely off the beaten track. Drumnalifferny (595m) was a particular challenge – remote, with just herds of red deer for company. I hiked through boggy land and boulder fields, worried about the daylight and the lack of GPS. But when I made it back to the van after an adrenaline-fuelled day in that little-trodden land, the sense of achievement was exhilarating.

The days rolled on, punctuated by wild swims and wild camps (the Park4Night app helped with parking spots – I was very conscious of not parking where I wasn’t wanted). I grew more confident sleeping alone at night, the van like a cocoon, the sound of waves often lulling me to sleep. I hired a bike, joined a parkrun on Achill island and enjoyed a gig by a folk band at a bar in Westport – my desire for a pint trumped my fear that I wouldn’t feel comfortable on my own there.

There was an ever-changing cast of band members, I was made welcome by the chat and laughter of locals and it was a joyful, fun and very welcome evening out after nights alone.

I loved travelling the Wild Atlantic Way, climbing 764m-high Croagh Patrick