The Sunbeam

Well worth going large

We awoke this morning to the glorious view that I shared yesterday, and then enjoyed a rather sumptuous breakfast with the same vista. The morning sunlight promised much but by the time we were driving west the skies had greyed over completely and it was pouring with rain. It was hard not to feel a little disappointment after spending so many recent sunny days stuck in the office. We dallied a while with a coffee and when the rain eventually stopped we headed out to explore Rossbeigh Strand.

For the next couple of hours we enjoyed a fabulous walk with the most dramatic skies and light imaginable. Although showers could be seen all around us we only got slightly spotted on during our whole excursion. It was only at the moment we got back to the car that the weather closed in again and the rain returned. The rest of the day was spent dodging further showers, investigating some of the extraordinary ancient stone monuments to be found in the area of Caherisveen. We got hit by a couple of heavy hailstorms but each was soon followed by burst of sunshine. All day long we were walking to the backdrop of snow covered mountains. It definitely felt more like Winter than Spring today.

Over a mile along the strand we came upon an old wreck washed up above the beach and against the dunes. I know this old schooner quite well but I didn't recognise it at the time. It was only later when I asked someone about it that I realised that it was the wreck of the famous Sunbeam, something of a magnet for photographers visiting Kerry. The storms this winter had taken it from its resting place buried deep in the sand and beached it much higher up the Strand. I was told that 20 acres of dunes had been lost to the ravages of the extreme weather this winter. The most amazing thing to me is the Sunbeam had not broken up. She was clearly built very well to still remain intact. There is a story for those who want to know a bit more here. And TJ's colour version here.

Despite the wild weather we have enjoyed a fabulous day. It seems that every time I visit the South West of Ireland I am treated to the same turbulent weather conditions. In all my visits I'm not sure I've had a single day when it hasn't rained at some point. But with skies and light as dramatic as this I'm not going to complain.