Back on the Coast

 

So many hedgerows are red with fuschia blossoms!

After a quiet family Sunday spent mostly indoors (I did get a good walk in up the hill), we were off mid-morning Monday, to make for the coast. It was a pretty grey day, and by the time we’d gone through Skibbereen and down to Baltimore it was raining. In Baltimore Eileen knew of a wonderful art gallery, and we spent a lovely hour poking around it. The rain was still coming down, so we decided to go to a nearby restaurant for lunch – we shared a smoked mackerel salad and haddock fresh off the boat – just delicious!

Baltimore harbour

We had some discussion about going east or west, and decided that having driven the Beare Peninsula on Saturday, we’d go for the Mizen, and we headed west though Ballydehob, to a little stop at Schull harbour, where Martin and I had a discussion about just where it was we camped when we there on holiday as children. Memories of a place experienced sixty years ago...

Schull harbour

At Goleen we were diverted away from the coast by road construction, and instead went over the spine of the Peninsula, coming down by the Barley Cove dunes – to find beaches like this in this rocky country was a wonderful surprise. The bay here is long and shallow with odd outcroppings that turn up surf plumes from time to time.

Barley Cove sands

 We went on to Crookhaven, where you can get the most southerly pint in Ireland! 

 

We did a little exploring (there’s another really nice art gallery!) and had a cuppa before retracing our steps before veering off to Durrus and back to Bantry.

Martin

I thought we were going straight back home, but Martin turned off just before Ballingeary so that I had the opportunity to walk the clapper bridge across the Lea River – the sort of thing I ran over as a kid, but now find myself watching very carefully where I put my feet! There was a lovely footpath up to the village, lined with rowan trees, hawthorn well bearded with lichen and the wonderful smell of meadowsweet. 

Clapper-bridge, built without mortar

Picking my way warily back over the bridge, I rejoined Martin and Eileen, and we stayed on the south side of Lough Alloa, driving a very winding road, watching the water from the south side. I was able to see the little crannog off-shore, and work our where the house lay in the slopes above.

What a wonderful day! We got back via Inchigeelagh at the eastern end of the lough, and had a nice evening with a bit of catchup on the first day at Wimbledon. Martin has been working on designs for a couple of T-shirts for me, and vanished into his workroom to finish them, while I re-packed my suitcase in preparation for an early departure in the morning.