Fields of Stone

After a couple of days of mostly dodging but occasionally getting caught in some rather heavy rain and violent hailstorms, today dawned clear and not as cold as it has been. There was finally an opportunity to explore the high Burren and revel in the wonders of the karst landscape here. I plotted a route that combined a section of the Burren Way with some off-piste adventure that took in the summit of Gleninagh Mountain. The hills here are flat-topped and consist almost entirely of polished limestone pavement. It is the most exotic karstic landscape I've ever encountered. 

Perhaps the most striking feature of all is not natural but a man-made one. The walls are extraordinary works of art, stretching unbroken for miles, each one distinctive in style, carrying the hallmark of the builder. They mark out fields of stone. Cattle are still grazed in this most unlikely of places.

I'm still being caused stress by my poor memory. TJ dropped me off at Limerick Junction to begin my journey home. The train was due to arrive in Dublin at 7.02 pm and my flight home was at 9.05 pm. Plenty of time. The train was a little late and I also had to wait a little while for the express coach to the airport. I was on my way at 7.25pm. Still plenty of time ... except that I forgot to factor in Christmas, and the number of people out in Dublin of a Friday evening, and the diabolical traffic. It was gridlock. As we moved at a snail's pace through the city, my sense of anxiety moved from mildly worried about missing my flight, to strongly concerned, to abject resignation to the fact. It was 8.10 pm by the time we reached the centre of the city at Connolly Street. That was 45 mins to cover less than 2 miles. I kept thinking that I should get off and seek a taxi, but I could see that they weren't moving any more quickly and there was always the risk of not finding one promptly amidst all the chaos. 

Progress was still slow, but once we hit the tunnel and the motorway, the driver seemed to sense my desperation. After pretty much giving up hope, I was given a lifeline. The coach pulled up outside the terminal at 8.35 pm, 30 mins before the flight was scheduled to depart, and at exactly the time the gate was due to close. It was a slim hope. A mad dash to Departures brought me quickly to the head of just a short queue at security. My flight was boarding. Gate not yet closed. I was beginning to hold out a bit more hope. I told the guy I had no liquids. All easy. The box with my down jacket and boots emerged, but not the one with my rucksack. Waited a while. Still no sign. Then I felt a tap on the shoulder.

"Excuse me, sir," says the uniformed man.
"Yes," I say, feeling a sudden sense of panic, which I immediately suspect he picks up on.
"Come with me please," he asks.
I walk over with him to the X-Ray machine.
"You have what looks like a bottle of fluid in your rucksack," he says.
"No, I haven't," I tell him, knowing absolutely for sure that I don't.
"What's this then?" he asks, pointing out something on the X-ray that I do not recognise.
"I've no idea."
"Did you pack your own bag sir?"
"Yes," I say, with a deepening panic. I have no idea what this object is.

So I unpack the rucksack and soon spot the present that TJ gave me just before we parted company, hurriedly packed into my rucksack. I'd not registered the fact at all. So I was forced to unwrap it before Christmas Day, rather unceremoniously, to reveal a bottle of magnesium oil. There was also a rather wonderful book, I should hasten to add! I frantically packed everything back in the sack for another pass of the X-ray machine, and all was well the second time around. I ran off to the boarding gate, which as I was on a RyanAir flight, meant a long trek to the very far end of the airport, a fifteen-minute walk according to the information guide. The board was still suggesting the gate was open. I ran as fast as I could, in boots and a down jacket, arriving at the gate out of breath and in a terrible sweat. It was 8.52 pm. The last couple in the queue were about to pass through the gate to board the flight. I made it. Not sure I want to repeat that experience.