The Mizen

The weather isn't doing us any real favours at the moment but we've still enjoyed a wonderful day, full of fine food, engaging conversation and fabulous coastal bimbling. After dropping Rachel off at the shop in Schull we made our way slowly out to the end of the Mizen Peninsular, stopping off en route at a number of deserted beaches, Ballyrisode and the fabulous Barley Cove. It's been grey and drizzly most of the day and is now raining hard again but it hasn't really mattered.

We took a tennis ball with us and it was great to see my boys simply being boys, hurling the ball at each other and generally behaving like kids. Their bodies were creaking from our walk yesterday (shameful really), but their athleticism with throwing and catching was a joy to watch - and made me feel rather crumbly in comparison. When we got to Mizen Head itself my youngest challenged me to a race up the steps to the highest lookout point. I honestly thought I could take him but it was no contest! He whipped me well and good!

The Mizen is the far south-westerly point of Ireland and is appropriately dramatic. The lighthouse is on an rocky outlier which is connected to the mainland by a bridge and this shot is taken from halfway along that bridge, as you can see in TJ's blip here of me taking this very blip! I think this shot demonstrates the stark majesty of this remote headland, exposed so openly to all the elements. I really want to return in brighter weather.