Waking up this morning we were quite depressed to see the liquid, leaden skies. My run was completely out of the question and our planned day trip to the south-west coast was in danger as well. We breakfasted and decided to head west and see what happened. We drove across teeny little roads (7 feet wide, two directions of traffic!) to get to Bantry at the edge of County Cork. We wandered about a bit to let Frank relax from the drive – you really need to concentrate when there’s a large truck coming at you and one of you has to pull into the hedges at the side of the road to let the other pass! We had a cup of tea in a cafe and did a bit of wandering – okay, visiting charity shops! What is it with teenagers and thrift stores?
It was sprinkling a bit as we wandered around town but looked like it just *might* clear so we headed for the Sheepshead Peninsula. It’s the spit of land below the Beara Peninsula and the Ring of Kerry. It’s advertised locally as one of the few unspoilt places left in Ireland. I don’t know if there are others like it but I know that this is one of the most amazing places I have ever seen. And as if the powers-that-be wanted to make sure we enjoyed things, the sun decided to actually shine as we drove along the jetty. (Here is someone else’s photo of the area – I’ll add one of the 200 we took today when I have a real connection!) We stopped several times on the way down the northern side of the peninsula overlooking Bantry Bay. There was sheer rock on the left and the drop down to the water on the right. So we were driving down more tiny roads that were meant to carry traffic both ways while trying to figure out how to stop and take photos safely.
The plan was to drive out the north side, visit the lighthouse at the end then return in on the south side. (Here’s a map to give you an idea.) Unfortunately, some of the local residents didn’t like that idea: we were stymied by a dog! About half-way down the headland, the road took on the suspicious look of someone’s driveway as it approached a couple of isolated houses. It was apparent that the track continued on past the two lonely cottages but sleeping in the middle of the road was an old dog. We tried to indicate that we were interested in passing – and a neighboring canine understood our intention and made it clear he was unhappy with it. At least I think that’s what the barking, snarling and chasing the car meant! But his older companion was nonplussed. We were not going to interrupt his sunbathing. So continue further on this route was not on the agenda. We retraced our approach and decided to cut across the headland which turned out to be lucky happenstance.
Along the pass was an outcrop of rock that was posted as Finn McCool’s seat – the legendary giant of Irish legend has a home on the Sheepshead Walk. Duncan and Gillian climbed all over the rock formations enjoying the sunshine, strong winds and incredible scenery. We continued along the Goat Path (yup, the name of the road and a pretty good description) to the village of Kilcrohane – a church, a school, a post office and two pubs – for some lunch. Refortified and undaunted by the canine impediment, we continued to the end of the jetty to see if we could find the advertised lighthouse. About 2km before the end of the spit, the road ended and the hiking trails began. We took up the challenge.
Of course, when we left Kinsale this morning we were fairly convinced that we’d be touring museums and other indoor activities so my footwear was appropriate for that activity – very cute but not built for hiking. Yet here I was faced with the challenge of clambering up and down rocks and crags as well as negotiating peat bogs in shod in urban chic. Eh – why not! We spent as much time changing altitude as we did traveling across land but it was breathtaking and invigorating. Eventually after passing many cliffs, we found the lighthouse and watched the bright blue waters of the Atlantic crash in white waves on the grey outcroppings. I can’t do it justice. You’ll need to wait for the photos.
The trek back was not quite as exhilarating but just a scenic and we began the travel back to Kinsale. This time we decided to try the roads that might actually fit two cars across and wandered through such interesting places as Skibbereen and Clonakilty before arriving back in town in time for a much deserved meal. The Blue Haven Hotel has a restaurant with lovely little (c) markers on the menu for meals suitable for coeliacs (interesting spelling!) so it won the day. We had a lovely meal – I even had desert! – and even got to enjoy a local musical group playing some traditional music. I felt compelled to buy their CD it was so enjoyable!
Now we prepare to travel back toward Dublin tomorrow to prepare for the early morning flight to Scotland on Friday. Only one more night in Ireland? How did that happen?
/san/
Pedometer: 18,264 or about 8.5 miles but it’s probably a bit higher since the pedometer kept falling off when I climed over rocks. Say nearly 10 miles just for fun.
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