BlogPostFriday14Aug09
Friday morning 8:30. Wow – yesterday was a blast! We were driving for about 11 hours so we saw a lot of southwest Ireland. Did the Ring of Kerry – saw sheep with blue or red paint markings (forgotten what that’s for but I’ll find out) all over the slopes of the mountains. Ate roast lamb for lunch at a hotel in Caherciveen that was totally grand – two huge lovely slabs of lamb on top of mashed potatoes! A ride along the south side of the Dingle peninsula to Dingle and a stop at the marina for a marina flag (Jim collects them) where we saw guys sailing but wearing wet suits – not warm water!
From Dingle we did a bit of retracing our steps to get back off the peninsula and headed around the Ring of Kerry ending at Killarney and thence back toward Cork and down to Kinsale. The mountains, valleys, and bays and beaches are absolutely breathtaking – what a TRIP! Jim’s driving was superb! He seemed to be completely comfortable with the right-hand drive – me? No way. Actually, even if I wanted to, I couldn’t – cut-off age is 75 to rent a car. Don’t need one anyway except to avoid riding bus or train. Although, with Jim driving it was a super way to do what you want when you want!
Jim’s turn: We probably tried to do too much in one day but when you have only so much time and want to do it all, you’ve no choice but to push yourself. Incredible experience, the drive. Ireland is warmed by the gulf stream. Even though summers are not hot, neither are winters as bitter as much of Europe. We rode through all kinds of environments from arid rocky hilly terrain not good for much but sheep to a dense National Forest of Killarney with ferns, lush green undergrowth and huge evergreens!
At the Dingle Sailing Club found another burgee for the collection of the Yacht Club of Hilton Head. The Dingle Sailing Club dock master told me the club was expecting about 50 sail boats from France later in the afternoon arriving as a stop in a single handed racing regatta! It takes a few days to sail from France to Ireland so I imagine the arriving sailors will be delighted to get the rest Dingle offers. The Irish coast is absolutely breathtaking. There are a few grayish sandy beach coves but most of the coast is lined with fingers of water reaching deep into the land along high cliffs and craggy shores. Tides are in the 20 foot range and so you get rivers of water rushing both in and out as the tides rises and falls. Rivers are reduced to dry marshes twice a day and then fast moving waters coming and going to substantial depths. I’m having fun.
Friday morning 8:30. Wow – yesterday was a blast! We were driving for about 11 hours so we saw a lot of southwest Ireland. Did the Ring of Kerry – saw sheep with blue or red paint markings (forgotten what that’s for but I’ll find out) all over the slopes of the mountains. Ate roast lamb for lunch at a hotel in Caherciveen that was totally grand – two huge lovely slabs of lamb on top of mashed potatoes! A ride along the south side of the Dingle peninsula to Dingle and a stop at the marina for a marina flag (Jim collects them) where we saw guys sailing but wearing wet suits – not warm water!
From Dingle we did a bit of retracing our steps to get back off the peninsula and headed around the Ring of Kerry ending at Killarney and thence back toward Cork and down to Kinsale. The mountains, valleys, and bays and beaches are absolutely breathtaking – what a TRIP! Jim’s driving was superb! He seemed to be completely comfortable with the right-hand drive – me? No way. Actually, even if I wanted to, I couldn’t – cut-off age is 75 to rent a car. Don’t need one anyway except to avoid riding bus or train. Although, with Jim driving it was a super way to do what you want when you want!
Jim’s turn: We probably tried to do too much in one day but when you have only so much time and want to do it all, you’ve no choice but to push yourself. Incredible experience, the drive. Ireland is warmed by the gulf stream. Even though summers are not hot, neither are winters as bitter as much of Europe. We rode through all kinds of environments from arid rocky hilly terrain not good for much but sheep to a dense National Forest of Killarney with ferns, lush green undergrowth and huge evergreens!
At the Dingle Sailing Club found another burgee for the collection of the Yacht Club of Hilton Head. The Dingle Sailing Club dock master told me the club was expecting about 50 sail boats from France later in the afternoon arriving as a stop in a single handed racing regatta! It takes a few days to sail from France to Ireland so I imagine the arriving sailors will be delighted to get the rest Dingle offers. The Irish coast is absolutely breathtaking. There are a few grayish sandy beach coves but most of the coast is lined with fingers of water reaching deep into the land along high cliffs and craggy shores. Tides are in the 20 foot range and so you get rivers of water rushing both in and out as the tides rises and falls. Rivers are reduced to dry marshes twice a day and then fast moving waters coming and going to substantial depths. I’m having fun.
what is a burgee?
ReplyDeletea pennant or flag with the yacht club or sailing club logo....regards, Jim
ReplyDelete