Naglas Point

It's been very full on for both TJ and myself this last month so we treated ourselves to a little bit of luxury at a B&B on Friday evening, staying in the Russian Room at Mossie's near Adrigole. We were the only guests and felt very pampered! We enjoyed a fabulous evening meal cooked by our German hostess Dorothea. She asked what time we wanted breakfast and although we normally like to eat early in order to make the most of the day, we were persuaded to defer the time to nine o'clock. She said that every guest who suggests having breakfast earlier never makes it down before then anyway. It's all down to the famous bed after which the room is named, apparently once situated in the Russian Embassy. It's so big and so luxurious that it's almost impossible to leave once you're snuggled up under its copious covers. TJ and I lost each other during the night! There did seem to be a wonderful energy surrounding it too, perhaps the reverberating echo of all the passion it has witnessed through its long history. I like the idea that we've now added a note or two of our own!!

As it turned out there was no rush. We awoke to the sound of rain, which grew heavier as we drove the short distance to Castletownbere with the intention of taking the ferry across to Bear Island. But, like the previous day, the weather improved. A few sharp showers hit while we waited to get across but by the time we started walking we were able to enjoy the odd short burst of sunshine. The island is a bit tatty in places, with remnants of past military installations, as well as a few present ones, but its wild beauty overrides all that. We took walks at the extreme eastern and western ends of the island, and also stopped to visit the magnificent standing stone which seems to mark the very centre of the island, blipped by TJ here.

Posting this two days late (because it's been important to take a break from the computer and the internet), it's proved hard to choose a single shot to capture the many aspects of the island. This is perhaps the most dramatic, looking out from Naglas Point across the narrow channel to the mainland of the Beara Peninsular. Large fishing vessels navigate this entrance to reach the sheltered haven which is the harbour at Castletownbere. It's easy to see why this place has played such a big role in Ireland's naval history. And it remains a bustling fishing port to this day. An alternative shot here gives some idea of the setting.