This morning we walked from Ballycotton village (about 40 km east of Cork) to Ballyandreen beach along a cliff track where you are flanked by meadows on one side and the ocean on the other. The walk extends over eight km on a foot worn track along the cliff face with stunning views and passes Ballytrasna beach. There are many stiles to cross on the route most of which were designed for very thin aliens from another planet.
Having reached Ballyandreen we looked for a cafe so that we might make use of the bathroom only to discover that the nearest cafe was back in Ballycotton.
And so we headed back to Ballycotton . . .
As luck would have it, we were able to locate suitable toilet facilites along the way and so arrived at Ballycotton village refreshed and ready for a hearty lunch. 🙂
During our first, self directed, international trip in 2009 we traversed the Cinque Terre along the west coast of Italy. The five small towns nestled along the edge of the Ligurian Sea with its translucent blue water were spectacular but the path between them could take a few lessons from the Irish. Today we walked a well worn path, free of charge and without impediments, maintained with steps where necessary, and fences to keep the cattle and sheep away from the tourists (or maybe it’s the other way around). In Italy one of the paths was closed and the others were little more than goat tracks AND you had to pay for the privilege of not being able to traverse the whole path. The leprechaun folk get my vote.