Dear Anita,

Sorry not to have got back sooner. Does this website permit uploading of photos? I'd love to send you some, but I don't have any to hand. I'll have to go out with my handy-dandy digital camera!

If you want to have an idea of the absolute best Ireland has to offer in terms of running scenery, have a look at the website for the Connemara Marathon:

http://www.connemarathon.com

It was the only race I've ever been in where runners were stopping along the road to admire the scenery and take pictures.

It's also the only race where I finished in the top quarter of the finishers' list instead of among the last few stragglers. It's mostly uphill, and uphill running is the one thing I can do. I chugged along, like the Little Engine Who Could, while faster, sleeker runners gasped for breath, doubled over, at the side of the road!