BVM Blues

The last day of freedom before lockdown begins at midnight tonight, everyone was out and about including us! We rendezvoused with Robert and Finola in the car park in Drimoleague. Drimoleague can rather unkindly be called Grimoleague and on the surface does look like a bit of an empty one horse town but actually look a little closer and it's jam packed with excitement. In the car park for example is the rather sad and little old station building, defunct in the 1960s, but proudly boasting three platforms which are still there. The town is full of fascinating and  dilapidated shop fronts but we turned our backs on those and went up the hill to do the Drimoleague Heritage Walk. It looked like it might take longer than anticipated as we were instantly lured from the path - a wonderful old derelict house with posh porch beckoned, followed by  ankle twisting moments in an old cemetery (something very moving about the dog and sheep figures on someone's grave) and then a wonder at a roadside grotto, the palings a bright BVM blue. We then met David, the genial and knowledgeable owner of the Top of the Rock Pod Parc. He had much information, the most thrilling being we had just walked past a possible holy well and not one I knew of - yes, the grotto was a signifier 
(we had looked of course, but the wrong side of the road!). He told us how, when the road was being widened, they had to leave a curve in it as it was considered a place connected with the good people fairies . The well lay across the road, now a bit dilapidated and forgotten and rather ominously known as the Devil's Well - it had been disrespected at some point and turned! Later we went back for another look and an explore. Here's the grotto - you would stop and admire wouldn't you. Put up by a local family, probably in the holy year of 1950 with fabulous views out over the hills - spot the wind turbines.

All this excitement in the first mile of the walk! Eventually we continued, down muddy greenways, over rivers with stepping stones and ancient bridges, through woodlands of beech and oak. 

A grand day out and that will have to do us for a bit, as we're now restricted to 5km, We assume we are allowed to get to Bantry for  occasional supplies - 16km.