Final full day in Ireland
Today is our last full day on Ireland's shores. We head back to Rosslare tomorrow for the overnight ferry. Slept much better last night, having switched to the other bedroom in the cottage, with a firmer bed. My shoulder and neck were still troublesome, but bearable today.
The plan was to hit Skibbereen market before hitting the stone trail for the penultimate time here - lots to see on the way back tomorrow, with any luck!
On the way to Skibbereen, I diverted slightly to take a look at the Gurranes stone row. This looks magnificent from the road, but I had no time to try to traverse what looked like a very boggy climb from the road.
Arriving in Skibbereen for 10:30, we discovered that the market didn't start until 12:30, so we set off on the first leg of today's stone trail. First stop was a wedge tomb at Cappaghnacallee, which looked to sit just behind a house. On reaching the house, there was impenetrable gorse and bracken at the back of the house, so I knocked to ask the owner, who told me that it was a fine wedge tomb, but that access was via the farm (at V976332) and I'd have to ask the farmer.
The old boy was a bit deaf so communication was not easy, and he managed to blag a lift into Skull off of us, so we had no time to visit the farm…
Just outside of Skull, at around V937315 I spotted a 'faux' circle in someone's garden. Skull is a busy little town, apparently famous for yachting – the Fastnet Rock lighthouse, a few miles off the coast can be seen from above the town. Once in Skull and rid of our passenger, there was a small stone row I wanted to take a look at in Rathcool a couple of kilometres outside town. Two smallish stones, hidden in the undergrowth, were both about 5 feet high, and easily visible from the road. No obvious alignments.
In Skull itself is a standing stone on a lane leading to the Standing Stone Studio – a private artist's residence that welcomes visitors.
We then moved on to Toormore where a couple of tombs (at last!) awaited us. The first we visited was actually the most westerly of the two, and is located behind the Altar Restaurant. I'm not too familiar with the tomb types, but believe this is a passage tomb. The capstone only covers the back half of the tomb area (and is sadly held up by an iron girder). It is obviously well tended by the restaurant owners as the grass around it was freshly mown.
The other tomb is known as the Toomore Altar Wedge Tomb and is aligned across Toomare Bay directly pointing to Mizen Peak.
Satisfied that I'd finally found some tombs, we headed back to Skibbereen and a somewhat disappointing market. Not so much a country market, more a W.I. display of home made pies and pickles. We stopped for lunch in the Eldon Hotel, which is apparently the last place Michael Collins left on the night he died.
On the way back to the cottage, I was determined to spot the Rosscarbery stone, and finally did so, although attempts to find a couple of other single stones in the area proved fruitless. This stone is easily visible from the N25 heading into Rosscarbery from the east, although it actually took us several days before we found it, spending most of our week either west or north of Rosscarbery.
And so we returned in good time to plan the stops on tomorrow's long journey back to Rosslare.
The plan was to hit Skibbereen market before hitting the stone trail for the penultimate time here - lots to see on the way back tomorrow, with any luck!
On the way to Skibbereen, I diverted slightly to take a look at the Gurranes stone row. This looks magnificent from the road, but I had no time to try to traverse what looked like a very boggy climb from the road.
Arriving in Skibbereen for 10:30, we discovered that the market didn't start until 12:30, so we set off on the first leg of today's stone trail. First stop was a wedge tomb at Cappaghnacallee, which looked to sit just behind a house. On reaching the house, there was impenetrable gorse and bracken at the back of the house, so I knocked to ask the owner, who told me that it was a fine wedge tomb, but that access was via the farm (at V976332) and I'd have to ask the farmer.
The old boy was a bit deaf so communication was not easy, and he managed to blag a lift into Skull off of us, so we had no time to visit the farm…
Just outside of Skull, at around V937315 I spotted a 'faux' circle in someone's garden. Skull is a busy little town, apparently famous for yachting – the Fastnet Rock lighthouse, a few miles off the coast can be seen from above the town. Once in Skull and rid of our passenger, there was a small stone row I wanted to take a look at in Rathcool a couple of kilometres outside town. Two smallish stones, hidden in the undergrowth, were both about 5 feet high, and easily visible from the road. No obvious alignments.
In Skull itself is a standing stone on a lane leading to the Standing Stone Studio – a private artist's residence that welcomes visitors.
We then moved on to Toormore where a couple of tombs (at last!) awaited us. The first we visited was actually the most westerly of the two, and is located behind the Altar Restaurant. I'm not too familiar with the tomb types, but believe this is a passage tomb. The capstone only covers the back half of the tomb area (and is sadly held up by an iron girder). It is obviously well tended by the restaurant owners as the grass around it was freshly mown.
The other tomb is known as the Toomore Altar Wedge Tomb and is aligned across Toomare Bay directly pointing to Mizen Peak.
Satisfied that I'd finally found some tombs, we headed back to Skibbereen and a somewhat disappointing market. Not so much a country market, more a W.I. display of home made pies and pickles. We stopped for lunch in the Eldon Hotel, which is apparently the last place Michael Collins left on the night he died.
On the way back to the cottage, I was determined to spot the Rosscarbery stone, and finally did so, although attempts to find a couple of other single stones in the area proved fruitless. This stone is easily visible from the N25 heading into Rosscarbery from the east, although it actually took us several days before we found it, spending most of our week either west or north of Rosscarbery.
And so we returned in good time to plan the stops on tomorrow's long journey back to Rosslare.
posted by Alan S. | 17:08
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