A morning to remember how to pack up efficiently and to remember where everything was when we arrived, including the clicking clock that may have been placed in the shed for the week.
A straight there trip of about 4.5 hours meant we had the chance to check out a few things en route to Kinvarra. Google revealed some great scenery, including an amazing limestone horseshoe shaped cliff formation. This is one of those places where the photos don't do it justice. Gorgeous scenery with some sun poking through. The mountains here had a different appearance with green growth on the sides as opposed to snow or brown heather that we've become used to in Scotland.
As we drove south, there was a very notable presence of a LOT of people out cycling and in one town there was what appeared to be a fun run, with LOADS of runners. We assume it was for the start of spring. Indeed, there had also been a run in Kinvarra that people in the pub were talking about in the evening.
We popped in to a craft village and spoke to a lady who makes felt art...very interesting that is is simply spun, coloured wool that is "ruffed up" into shapes and patterns using soapy water that helps it sort of hold together, and then finished with a free stitch sewing machine for texture. We also met an Aussie at a pottery shop who recommended we go to a nearby coastal village to see some big waves and a good cafe. We saw some dramatic cliffs and a group of surfers out in the water, along with some surf skis that were towing them onto waves, although none while we were watching. In the village, we found the reason perhaps why there wasn't much action happening as there was a surfer being tended to by ambulance personnel after having been injured on rocks after coming of his board on a wave. A reminder of the power and force of 3-4m waves. Not my caper!
Some lovely mountain and coastal scenery accompanied us for the day as we made our way down through counties, including county Mayo with the appropriate level of mirth courtesy of the movie "get hard, on account of my pale complexion", and into Kinvarra. A beautiful seaside town with the nearby Dunguaire castle that we walked around as it was only 2 minutes from our accommodation. This place was another thatched roof place, but was a converted barn and we could see the holes in the walls where the loft beams would have been. It was literally right on the road with cars passing within 30cm of our bed. I reckon the thick walls would have looked after us if needed.
We decided to head out for a pint (Guinness, Bronnie has developed a taste for a half pint) after an early tea and enjoyed watching a local rugby match on the big screen with a big group of locals. Back home for early bed and ready for adventures tomorrow.