OO Cup Days 4 & 5

Sunday, 2 August 2026

Days 4 and 5 of the OO Cup were held on a hillside much closer to the main road which meant a quicker trip and much closer parking which was a real treat.  They also featured a bit of an uphill walk to the start and a downhill walk from the finish, but after the Swiss O week nothing felt as demanding so it was ok 

The terrain was lumpy, like sand dunes but covered in grass and bracken in some spots. The long grass made it pretty hard to run through if you had an early start, but we were lucky enough to have later starts and could make use of the tracks that developed during each day. 

I really enjoyed both days - actually I really enjoyed all 5 days, despite some big mistakes.  I had enough clean runs and clean legs to feel pretty good about it all. Jon had some great results over the week and finished in the top 10. Zali enjoyed most of it (not the long walks to the start), and Jett's results were pretty mixed but he enjoyed most days. 

Day 4 was our last chance to do any significant touristing so straight after the event we jumped into the car and headed to the Dingle Peninsula and Slea Head Drive.  

It was a big afternoon of driving and looking at stuff and we didn't get home until just before 11. On the way home we did an extra stop at Dunloe Gap which is usually only accessible by horse and cart (!), bicycle or foot, but after 6pm you can drive carefully in on the narrow road. By the time we got there the sun was setting and all the horses and carts were well and truly in bed.

Day 5 featured a similar long afternoon of driving as we headed back to Dublin straight after the orienteering but this time without  tourist stops (except for when we pulled off the motorway to find a public toilet and found ourselves in the carpark of Cahir Castle). 

We had a slight hiccup when we attempted to check into our Airbnb near the airport and I discovered I'd actually booked it for the following evening. After a quick rebooking via booking.com everything turned out fine and we stayed at a nice airport hotel instead, which meant we could return the car immediately and therefore get an extra hours sleep before our long journey home. 

After a swift and uneventful pair of flights, the kids and I are back in Melbourne while Jon went on to Hobart to relieve the house sitter of her duties. I'll be home on Thursday.