despite little going to bed around 930 the night before, i was really surprised & somewhat disappointed when she woke at 645.  not only was i was really hoping for a bit of a longer of a lie in this morning as my nights sleep was rubbish, she never ever wakes that early at home.  she was adamant she wasn't letting me put her in her sleeping bag as she was insistent of using mine, which meant we were both cold throughout the night as neither of us were fully wrapped in a bag.  she slept soundly wrapped in the part of my sleeping bag she had, yet i kept waking cold & worried that she wasn't ok.  not ideal, however, it being a short day today i wasn't as bothered about the lack of sleep on my part. i was also somewhat glad to be up that early because we both needed showers & it meant we could have some without the morning rush of other campers.

breakfast was in the backpackers hut after a lovely hot shower.  the campsite had a nice separate roofed area for backpackers with a table, plugs, sinks & food prep area, so we ate breakfast there.  i had my porridge & little didn't want the different type of porridge she begged me to bring along or the one i had either, so she settled on an apple instead.  i managed to somehow break the part of my stove that lights the gas, but thankfully had a backup lighter with me so porridge could commence.

finally set off for the day around 10 oclock. we managed to get a permit for the camping at lochan maoil dhunnie for the night so it should only be a short day of around 5 miles. my plan was to get there quick & set up, then spend the rest of the day just relaxing on the pebble beach. that did not happen.  the lack of substantial breakfast for one small person meant the pace & energy was slow & low.  the unexpected sun didn't help, it was beaming down on us & we weren't dressed for it. the forecast for the duration of our hike was overcast & rainy, so the sun took us by surprise.

a few oat bars, apples & other snacks got her going enough until we stopped at cashel campsite to try get supplies for the next few days.  since we are walking slower than the normal hiker itineraries breakdown, we have to carry more food as we aren't passing the usual daily food stops until a day or two later.  i was told we would be able to stock up at cashel shop, but like most of the wee shops on route, they lack the basics to make a meal.  usually no bread, rice, noodles etc type food to hold you over, just chocolate, snacks & juices.  we made do with some cuppa soups & noodles though.  the owner of the campsite was incredibly kind to little, gifting her a windmill to play with in the breeze outside.  delighted with that, we poddled on.