French trekker fulfils dream with epic visit to West Cork

ACCOMPANIED by her two horses Ortax and Manon, and her dog Orly, French native Manon le Duc has just completed a 530km journey on horseback, from Youghal to the Mizen Head.  

When asked about her favourite places in Cork, she said: ‘I don’t have any favourite places. Everything is magnificent. I was constantly amazed like a child.’ 

Manon, from Bordeaux, is a self-proclaimed nomad who has been trekking around France on horseback for many years – and now she is in Ireland, fulfilling her childhood dream. 

‘I came to Ireland because it’s a childhood dream, and why not? I wanted to challenge myself, and it’s time I learned English,’ she said. 

Manon and her four-legged friends took the ferry from Cherbourg to Dublin in August and made their way down to Youghal, where they began their journey along the coast of Cork. 

Manon says she is a self-confessed nomad. (Photo: David Creedon)

Along the way, Manon and her animals had no problem finding places to stay and recuperate. 

‘I ask for hospitality on farms or I bivouac [camp],’ she said. ‘I brush the horses morning and evening and I take care of their feet and give them small massages from time to time.’ 

Having now completed their trip, Manon and her furry friends will stay in Limerick for a while, before heading off on a new adventure. 

‘I’m going to work in a stable for a while, we’ll see after,’ she said. ‘I would like to go to Canada for two months next year for a music festival and discover the great (Canadian) west on horseback.’