Still behind the times...

Sorry for the delay again... having trouble getting internet access here in Ireland.

Well a big hello to you all. Yes it has been a while. Unfortunately Ireland seems to be bereft of decent internet coverage and when they do have it they want 1.50Euro per 15 minutes so we have declined! We can pick up our gmail on the kindle but with a keyboard designed for a hamster and 3G coverage patchy whilst swinging around in windy conditions replies have been a bit frustrating to say the least… so bear with us!
When last we left you we were 4 deep in a raft of the Baltimore quay and Murray had just tuned up a Frenchman on the inside who wanted to leave for not getting his shit together earlier and holding everyone up from good drinking time. Luckily he got the message and peeled out immediately allowing us and the very thirsty Irish on the outside time to get the guiness poured before closing!

For the next few days we have some of the foggiest weather so far. One day we potter along unable to see 200 meters ahead. It’s a ghostly experience when other boats silently drift in and out of your bubble of clear air. Very ethereal!

In Ireland the council have put in some great visitors buoys. Enormous flat yellow ones reckoned to hold up to 15 tons. It’s a fabulous plan as a lot of bays are getting too full of private mooring (most of them unused or with boats on them that never go out) however as with most great ideas the follow up has been a bit lacking and there are not often pick up lines to allow you easy access to get hold of them. We have great fun and amuse the boats around us in Crookhaven for a good hour attempting various methods of capture in 30 knots knots of breeze before they take pity on us and point out the pub buoys at 10 E a night that are sooo much easier to hook on to! We have since perfected the reverse pick up where we back up to it slide a line through and drop back. You live and learn.

Castletownbere is a hub of fishing activity and home to McCarthys Bar. Our first taste of pubs as they used to be. Pete McCarthy (writer and journalist) came here in the early “noughtys” and had a whale of a time; so much so it’s on the cover of his book. It’s a fabulous place. Slightly scruffy with a small grocery counter opposite the “ladies” booth located just inside the door where marriage proposals were hammered out behind closed doors and out of sight of the prying village eyes. Its faded patina of reds and mismatched furniture is cosy and draws in the punters like no other pub we have been into yet. We buy Pete’s book and laugh ourselves silly. If you get a chance and know anything about Ireland it’s an hilarious read and we guffaw loudly in all the bays, probably doing more to disturb the peace than any jetskier. Sad to think he died only a few years after writing it at the age of 51… still by the sounds of it he had a great life.
This is the first “ring” (peninsula) we have been on and each one has walking tracks and loads of smugglers coves. In Castletownbere there are loads of houses shown for sale along the coast. 110000Euro buys you a three bedroom cottage all done up while 195000E gets you a 1850’s 4 bed farmhouse with period feature, completely refurbished on 0.4acres. So tempting!

We hear on the radio today that they are going to introduce a household tax. 100Euro/year to cover amenity costs… rubbish collection etc… a sign on a pub toilet door informs us the water is too expensive so toilets are only for customers thank you. No wonder we can never find a rubbish bin!

We take a stroll on the Beara Way, the walk around the Beara Pennisula but it hasn’t been thought out all that well as most of it is on the busy lanes and no quarter is given by the locals for foot sloggers.
Bramble is most weary of fast cars, anti-dog signs and aggressive dogs. Irish dogs are particularly unfriendly and territorial and never seem to get told off for leaping out on strangers A few are mightily surprised to get a bollocking and one of two get a smack much to their horror, still Bramble holds her own with most of them. No wonder they are so anti dogs around here.

If you are looking for a spot to kick back we would recommend Glengarrif. Opposite Bantry, the bay is as picturesque as they come and extremely sheltered. We drift about on a mooring we pick up (all the time hoping it is actually a visitors one!) and explore the surrounding hills and little village. While it is more touristy than some most of the tourists are Irish so we feel we are still getting a taste of local culture.

The generator has decided to play up so Murray gives it some tender loving care and a few choice words of encouragement then we visit Garnish Island in the bay; an amazing garden started in the 1800’s on a bare bit of rock and now home to some wonderful trees and themed gardens. The seal population around the bay is amazing too and although they are very shy they seem to cope with the tourist boats zipping about to gorp at them on the way to the island.

As it is such a lovely spot we spend another couple of days chilling out and walking in the hills and surrounding forests. We have started a new tradition of the Sunday paper and horror of horrors we learn in the first one we buy that the Aran sweaters for sale in the village aren’t actually an Irish thing… no kidding!! There’s a sucker born every day as they say or is that short for American bus tourist!

We are running low on water and need to top up so off to Lawerence Cove we go. Its misty again and we can’t raise anyone on the radio or telephone so we sidle up to a French Amel and raft up. It’s a fabulous marina, family run with everything you need except water… fresh water they can do but depth of water is a problem and people start going aground around us… no wonder people were looking at us oddly as we were motoring about when we came in. They were probably surprised to see us still manoeuvring!! Again it’s a lovely spot and the walking and sights are great but unfortunately we can’t afford the 30 plus euros a night to stay!

Did you know there is no such thing as plain crisps in Ireland? Plain means cheese and onion!

Also did you know that there are only 200 pairs of native curlews left in Ireland and you can still shoot them!!?!

Today we are taking a short cut under Dursey Island Cable car so we slowly make our way up the coast to the narrow gap and suspended cable. It’s a rickety old thing with 21 meters clearance under the car it’s self. They transport all sorts of things in it including cattle and sheep and it never stops. Don’t think we want to be under it if a cow decides it’s had enough of flying or worse still feels a little airsick! We are pretty sure we will fit under but the guy in front has a major freak out when he gets close and starts back peddling in the tide and going round and round in circles. As we are in danger of ramming him we start waving politely and urging him on… still no go, so we start yelling encouraging things like “you’re fine, you’ll fit, just go you tosser”, finally he loses out to the current and gets swept underneath anyway and we are all through… he slinks off up north before we can find out what his problem was…

Our next hurdle is the first of the bays with beacons to mark the entrances. What a nerve wracking and thrilling way to make landfall! Various obscure leading lines to divine followed by tatty beacons that need to be lined up so as not to miss the only channel with 2.5 meters in it… add to this the adventure of mussel rafts everywhere and you have a heady cocktail of serious excitement… it’s guiness all round when we get in!

We have noticed that the weather reports can be rather unreliable around here and we frequently encounter increased wind when it’s not required! Still there always seems to be somewhere to get out of it and Sneem seems to be one of those places… we know because we have spent some time there now… on several occasions… maybe they will grant us our own mooring buoy now we are regulars! Great place though… a pretty harbour and a river to tiki tour up to get to the village proper. The village comes alive at lunchtime when buses block the road as far as the eye can see; fat Americans and prim French vie with dour slavs to be the first to purchase those elusive last Aran sweaters before queuing 12 deep to scoff down local icecream in the pouring rain. They then cram their sticky paws with donkey tat and brochures for the Geo – gals before scrambling back on to the tour coach and being whisked away to the next port of call. Ahhh peace again the locals sigh!

Also Sneem has some fabulous walks on the Kerry Way and in the Geopark. The Geopark headquarters is a great place get all the info as long as you have a good day to chat to the old dears that run the place. The Irish don’t so much as provide information but rather trade for it. If you want to know something you have to do your bit and supply some gossip or titbit they don’t know or at least tell them your life story, future plans, hopes and dreams and possible sinful acts you have committed. We love it and Murray is getting good at spinning a good yarn of two!

Today’s news…
 Italy is the worlds 8th largest economy and today it hit the skids
 Over a trillion euros are needed to bail out the European union – current debt 440billion

Quote of the day…
“Like first class passengers lounging on the deck of the Titanic, European leaders were enjoying there holidays as the market plunged last week” Irish Sunday Times 07/08/11

Today weather…
“…good for spreading potato blight” (No I did not make that up!!)

We have been having a bit of rain of late but have become accustomed to it somewhat so enjoy a hike/run on the Fermoyle Geo-trail… (Thanks ladies – top tip regarding this particular track) Murray later complains that boat toilets are not high enough to allow for legs that can’t bend. It was worth it though for the spectacular views that we would have seen were it not for the blustery cloud drenched conditions! (We later learn that this particular area of Ireland gets twice the rainfall of anywhere else…)

59000Euro buys you a detached cottage in need of upgrading and modernisation standing on 1 acre. Located 1.5/2 miles from Churchtown Viilage (Leap) within easy reach of the N20. Accommodation includes kitt/sitting room, 3 beds

We have recently braved the depth of the Kenmare river and again discovered no yachts but plenty of walking. There seem to be no buses operating on the Ring of Kerry so we hitch into town to resupply (yes Bramble thought this was most odd!) and walk back to the boat along the good old Kerry Way. It’s a lovely day out and the weather perks briefly to allow us to top up our vitamin D levels and check out the views… just stunning!