Lighthouse Loop: towards the Mizen

Another beautiful day and we headed out west to do the next of the the loop walks - the lighthouse loop. This is as far west as you can get and it feels as though you are on the edge of the world. The journey down to the tip of the peninsula is interesting in itself as you leave civilisation behind and the roads get smaller and smaller. You park at Bernie's Cupán tae, a cafe clinging to the edge of the cliffs, and then take the well beaten path through the gorse and heather, the glimmering of the Atlantic in front of you, It's not a particularly long walk, about 5km, but the circuit around the northside is interesting as you scrabble over big boulders, teeter on the edge of cliffs and stride through bracken and bog. The views are consistently spectacular. Interesting things include dramatic cliffs, blue bottomed sheep, a heilcopter landing pad marked out in rocks, the lighthouse, massive boulders, a reed edged lough, a a little ruined cabin and teeny fields, more sheer cliffs and panoramic views in every direction.
The last bit is uphill and a killer but you are rewarded with a cuppa and large slice of rhubarb tart, taken outside, a stiff breeze in your hair and attendant and hopeful seagull! We chatted to a Belgian couple who were doing the Wild Atlantic Way and had fallen deeply in love with Ireland, shocked and delighted to find that it didn't actually rain every day!