Croagh Patr

Ella joined us before her sun came up but as Mr C was sleeping we went into her bed and chatted till Nathaniel joined us. We got breakfast and the family surfaced.

Mr C wasn’t feeling great after the stress of the visa issue and the logistics required to get us home then to London. I made a unilateral decision that we’d stay the night before the visa interview with a friend in Ipswich which would give us loads of time to get into London by train, and I booked the trains. He rested, while the rest of us decided to climb a little bit of Croagh Patrick, the hill famous for pilgrims after St Patrick did a 40 night fast there. The tat shops did a roaring trade in walking sticks and religious pamphernalia.

We set off up the very eroded track. Ella was so excited because an upper tooth had become wobbly so she was so distracted she didn’t notice the steepness. We were surrounded by people of all nationalities puffing up. I’m amazed by how unfit so many young people are. There was a very steep section up to the col which would have been hard for the children on the decent, so the family went back. I thought I’d make it to the col and get back not too long after them, but in fact the scree and loose stones slowed me down. I’d have got to the top no bother but I knew they wanted to get to Westport for a look around, which we did, then headed back to the house.

While #3 daughter and husband got ready to go out for a meal in Westport, I cooked Spaghetti Carbonara for the children. They enjoyed it, then Mr C took them as promised back to the stream to paddle. After they got back I did bath and while Mr C did Nathaniel’s story, Ella read to me.

An early night I think, before the long trek home.

The blip is the family heading up the hill. The scenery beyond is beautiful. (Ella kept telling people on the way up that I was 99 and wasn’t I doing well.)