Traught beach

It wasn't raining when we woke.  And the forecast suggested it would most likely stay dry till early evening (it was wrong).

So we headed out for a drive - only a drive, because W is still suffering with foot pain, and now has added hip pain, perhaps due to his abnormal gait.  We went south down the coast, through Kinvarra.  When we saw the signposted turn to Traught Beach, we turned off.

We passed an interesting doer upper - W wasn't tempted!  

At the beach, I braved the chill to have a wander, including climbing over a stile to visit a statue of St Ciaran, who apparently walked here from the Aran Isles - a miraculous road opened on the sea bed - though quite why he walked all the way here, when he could have made landfall much closer to the Isles, is unclear.  

It was cold, and windy.  But this intrepid trio were heading in for a bathe.  The older chap was first in, but didn't stay long.  The younger couple were still in the water when we left.

We then continued south, and found a rather nice seafood restaurant in Ballyvaughan.  As we arrived, it was starting to rain, and the rain continued for the rest of the afternoon and early evening, though it does seem to have stopped now.  We passed several flooded fields on our drive.