A Cloudy Lamb's Head Hike on Beara Peninsula in County Cork, Ireland

After we visited Mizen Head, we headed over to the Beara Peninsula, which is one of five huge peninsulas along the southwest coast of Ireland. These are all part of the recently-branded "Wild Atlantic Way."  To get a sense of how large the peninsula is, driving from the base to the tip took about an hour.  There's a famous cable car there, crossing from the mainland to Dursey Island.  They say it can take four people, or one cow.  There's a hole in the bottom so they can rinse out any manure left behind by the previous occupants.  Anyway, we didn't end up taking the cable car; it looked like it was about to fall down.  We hiked over and around the hill at Lamb's Head instead.

The drive consisted of the usual narrow, winding roads, with drowsy, spray-painted sheep in all directions.

The hospitality committee.

It was cool, with gusts of wind up to about 50 MPH, which was nothing compared with our death-defying snowshoe hike in the Alps last winter.

The hike took us through fields with views of islands, bays on all sides, and the next peninsula.   Lichen thrives on the rocks.  Bright orange, fuzzy gray-green, and white everywhere.  I like how green the grass is on the top of this little island.  It reminds me of posters of imaginary golf holes in impossible places.

After being in hyper-compressed Paris, where there is never a moment without a power tool or truck engine nearby, it was great to be here, with no one at all around.  We were the only people on this hike.  There are small houses and farming buildings here and there, but nothing more than two stories for miles and miles.

It was windiest up here.  Cool to be on top of a hill with the ocean directly below.  We tried not to get too close to the edge, unless it was worth it for a better photo.

This boat was laying in the high grass next to the road.

We saw this sign while trying to get close to the water on a little side road.  Jennifer took the photo while I wandered over to check it out.  They weren't kidding.  The road ends in stairs down to the water.

[If the photos are too large for your screen, click on any photo to see a slide show automatically resized for your screen.]

The first post on our vacation to Ireland was about a close up encounter with a wild dolphin. 

The next has photos from the spectacular seaside cliffs of Mizen Head. 

This one has photographs of Connemara National Park, Cliffs of Moher, and Achill Island. 

I saved the best for last, the seaside cliffs and islands along Slea Head Drive.