Terrafirma Travels

As we packed up to leave the campsite, we had forgotten our plan to toddle a short distance to the Gallarus Oratory, a 1200 year old stone church, cleverly built to resemble an upturned boat. When we did remember, we in our seatbelts, were ready to leave. So we sighed, drove around the corner and there it was. (Perhaps our shortest journey so far.) It is a remarkable building. There's a door and a single small window, angled to let in light and keep out rain. It's dark and quiet inside, and you think of the monks who prayed here in the Dark Ages. Seamus Heaney wrote about it, as 'a core of old dark'. He imagined the monks leaving the confined oratory to the wild brightness of nature outside, their faith renewed: 'the sea a censer, the grass a flame'. Nic then drove us northward up the very steep Connor Pass. He likes twisty roads. At the top is a spectacular viewing area full of cars and campervans, with a great swathe of curving white beaches, green mountains a...

Did a few van jobs and had a walk on Inch Beach which despite its name is 5km long. It was dark cloudy with a chilly northerly wind, so we resisted the thought of swimming. Finally figured how to leave the table up and not trip over the bed panel that lives on the table rail; the panel stands behind driver, but how to secure it when we have no string? N bought a tatty belt from charity for €1 and it does the job.  Drove along to Ventry and had early lunch in the van. N's stomach began playing up during yday (it's happened before), so L had half of N's dinner from the pub last night. N had plain bread because he couldn't even finish his cereal and coffee this morning. We got on the Marine Tours Eco Dolphin & Whale Watching Tour boat, the Blasket Princess, at 1300. We were careful to have low expectations and were handsomely rewarded. As well as splendid views of the dramatic Blasket Islands up very close, we saw common grey seals, puffins, dolphins, a sun fish, some ...