A few days in Devon

Back in England, prior to heading to Spain, I took the chance to head down to the coast of Devon for a few days out of busy London.

Dawlish is a major coastal town. Dawlish Warren is the main beach, but at the western end of the town, there is a cove with a beautiful red sand beach..

Slapton is a cute little seaside on a long shingle beach. The road runs between the beach of a fresh water lake.

And the town that really caught my eye was Salcome. A lovely sailing and fishing hub.

I arrived back in London to catch thr summer blue supermoon rising over Perivale Park.

And find a latest Banksy…

That brings me up to date, dear friends and followers.

In a few days, it will be another ferry trip . This time to Spain and beyond.

The adventure continues!

Exploring Ireland – the last leg

The lilting tones if the Irish Harp seemed like the perfect time to conclude my Irish holiday. But one more stop before the ferry town of Rosslare.

In New Ross there is a monument to immigration. With an eternal frame.

It sits outside the migrant museum.

The Dunbrody migrant ship stands testament to the over 1.5 million Irish who emigrated to the US to escape oppression, famine and genocide

There are two plaques at the memorial. One a poem by Thomas Moore.

And the dedication plaques opened by representatives of the US and Ireland.

It makes me think that so.many of us are migrants or children of migrants, yet now we denigrate and persecute migrants who, like our forebears, are escaping persecution, hunger and displacement.

The monument is, by its existence, a memorial to the Irish famine/genocide. The Irish still carry the scars of those times.

In my 2018 trip I visited Derry Bogside and this is a photo I took then.

Genocide continues in Palestine and we should not be silent.

From the beachside village of Rosslare there is a view across the bay to the ferry harbour. Next morning I would be crossing the Irish Sea.

Exploring Ireland – Dingle

It was wonderful to be on the wonderful Wild Atlantic Way as I rode south from the Connamarra to Dingle. The twisty roads, quirky sights, and heritage references.

At Kilmer, the car ferry crosses the Shannon River, and it wasn’t long before the Atlantic mist started to roll in.

Connor Pass is one of the great drives of Ireland offering stunning views. But this was not the day!

It was into a damp Dingle I rode after slowly riding down from the clouds over Connor Pass.

But after unpacking the bike it was time for an Irish Red Ale and some good craic ant the pubs.

Music starts in the pubs around 6pm flows through to midnight. The musicians move from pub to pub mixing and matching with each other, playing all variations of Irish Music.

The next day, the rain stopped…

I started the day with a walk along the Dingle Bay out to the Lighthouse and its views out to the Atlantic.

Then a ride up to Connor Pass to see the view and what a view!

There is a waterfall just below the top of the pass.

Climbing up the cliff, there is Lake Pedlar an old glacial lake.

That night at the pub, I was lucky enough to hear the angelic tones of the Harp of Erin, the Irish Harp.

What a way to end my stay in Dingle!

Exploring Ireland – the Connamarra

On.my 2018 trip.along the Wild Atlantic Way of Ireland’s West Coast. I didn’t see the Connamarra due to the persistent rain.

This time, I struck it lucky. The weather gods smiled on me.

The Connemara was an impenetrable part of Ireland, the soggy peat bogs, mountains, and wild coast meat it remained largely undisturbed. For many there, Gaelic is the first language, and traditional practices like cutting peat for fires still persist.

These days, beautiful beaches, deep fjords and beautiful beaches attract many visitors.