Too exhausted to blip today! I spent the morning working away in the garden, waiting for a delivery of envelopes. The envelopes never came but paths are now cleared and looking good!

In the early evening we did another walk as part of the Heritage week celebrations. We arrived at the meeting place and I couldn't get out of the car quick enough, camera in hand! We had arrived at the top of a mountain with the most stupendous views down into Bantry, the Sheepshead, Mizen and Beara peninsulas. The skies were incredible and I had never seen anything like it in my life! We headed off into the hills, led by Timmy McCarthy, a traditional seanchai or Irish storyteller. He certainly had the gift of the gab and was a wealth of incredible stories, knowing who lived where for at least several generations, and what they'd been up to - all delivered in a very strong accent. He must have been in his 70s but was a very sprightly and nimble man, leading with aplomb. He was assisted by Dinny the local farmer who knew the significance of every stone, piece of land, track etc. We passed a byrites mine, a wedge tomb, a stone circle, various standing stones, some white heather, frisky horses and a man and his geese. The views were incredible, and the stories of people's lives so different. Community was, and still is, everything. At but 9.30 we were mini-bused back to our cars but Dinny disappeared into the night and was retracing his steps back to his hill farm.
Tea, toast and a hot bath completed the day.

This view is looking out into Bantry Bay towards the Beara peninsula. The plateau shaped mountain is Hungry Hill, and the peaked mountain is the Sugar Loaf. Two ladies of fairly advanced age had already been up the Sugar Loaf earlier in the day. They were camper-vanning and extremely fit!!