Emerald Isle Surprise
Well, this month I turned 30. Blimy! I’ve been trying hard not to make it a big thing as, to me, it’s just another birthday. But when Alice has been hinting about surprise trips and mystery plans, it’s been difficult to keep a lid on my nervous anticipation. On the 8th of May I was surprised by the arrival of my parents at the door after an adorable and heartwarming video created by Alice of all my friends and family wishing me well on my birthday. We spent the day exploring Nairn and ended it at a whiskey tasting evening in Inverness which was wholly unexpected and so much fun. But I knew there was more to Alice’s plan…
I had been told to pack a bag suitable for photography and walking; to bring swimming costume and suncream, but also waterproofs and layers. Oh, and don’t forget your passport!
What on earth was she planning?!
This was answered the following morning when, at 07:00 we set off for Edinburgh airport and I was informed that we would be heading to Ireland for a mixture of wildlife and wild adventures. We flew Edinburgh to Cork and picked up a car and, by lunchtime we were zooming through the countryside to our first accommodation on the south coast, not far from Courtmacsherry.
I’d never been to Ireland and the thing we kept saying throughout the drive was how green it was. Perhaps this is a cliché but it was unbelievable. Lush fields of grasses and wildflowers; verges overflowing with foliage and narrow lanes banked with mossy walls all created the atmosphere of dense diversity. I can only wonder at how many species lurk in the undergrowth and it was a testimony to this when we heard the sheer amount of birdsong in the green spaces around Courtmacsherry. Willow warblers, blackcaps, reed buntings, chaffinches, gold crests, cuckoos and dozens more. I was firing up Merlin Bird ID at every opportunity trying to work out who was flying about!
Anyway, I digress. Once we had had a night in our charming shepherds hut and I’d gone for my morning run, we headed to the harbour for our first activity with the Atlantic Whale Watching tour where we would head out onto the Atlantic in search of cetaceans and fish. We were informed that hundreds of basking sharks had arrived earlier in the month and sure enough, it wasn’t long before we saw the telltale double fin of the basking shark. What you’re actually seeing is the top of the tail and the top of the dorsal fin but it gives a great impression of scale of these gentle giants.
After some research, it turns out that not all that much is known about basking sharks as they spend much of their time at depths of 900m feeding on the plankton lower down. However, in spring, the warmer water triggers them to migrate to the surface to feed on plankton blooms and to breed which is why they can be seen in such numbers around the UK and Ireland. We must have seen over fifty from the boat which was expertly skippered so as not to impact on the sharks at all. They are totally docile and will often come toward the tour boats in their eternal quest for food.
After a few hours on the water and plenty of drone photos and videos we headed back to shore thrilled with the day. Not only had we seen basking sharks but also a vast array of coastal birds: loons, Manx shearwater, razorbills, guillemots and fulmars. We were exhausted but we weren’t done yet…
During my morning run I had spied two fox cups on the lane behind the accommodation. Probably only a week or two old, they were playing and were likely close to their den and so in the evening Alice and I went back out, settled under a yew tree and waited. Before long we had seen three pups in the undergrowth; they were at that stage where they’re more brown than orange and at their most adorable. We didn’t get any photos but sitting under that tree listening to all the birds singing around us was one of the highlights of the trip.
The following morning, after another run and another attempt to photograph the fox cubs, we headed west to the Ring of Kerry to our new accommodation at Colm’s Studio Apartments - nestled on the edge of Valencia Island. The west coast of Ireland has a thriving tourist route called the Wild Atlantic Way. Much like the NC500 in Scotland, there is good reason to visit. The coastline is rugged and green with sheer cliffs on one side and impossibly beautiful mountains on the other. For me, one of the stand out features of the west coast is the multitude of tiny islands which are dotted just off the shore. Sometimes there will be a small farm on one or a collection of old buildings but often they are wild and remote with only birds living on them - it’s like a fairytale!
Valencia Island is a small island with access over to Skellig Micheal, the site of an ancient monastery (St Finnions Monastery) which was build somewhere in the region of 1500 years ago. It’s built at the top of one of these remote islands seven miles out to sea and is one of the most imposing and impressive sights in Ireland. We were scheduled to go out to visit this UNESCO World Heritage Site in the morning but after some back and forth, we were told that the swell was too great to allow us to land and so we were forced to make other arrangements. True to form however, we filled our day with hikes and wildlife, taking in the views at the Kerry Cliffs and on the headland to the west of Valencia Island where we observed yet more basking sharks below us. We ended the day at a slate quarry where we got a unique view of an Irish hare which lolloped right up to us! I could write an entire blog about Valencia Island and Skellig Micheal but I’ll save that for our return visit next time.
On our final day we decided that, as the weather was more changeable, we would slowly make our way around the Ring of Kerry by car which turned out to be a good choice because the weather was… damp! Although, as we drove the gap of Dunloe the skies cleared and we were rewarded with stunning views down into the black valley with the impressive mountain range behind us! Once again, we remarked at how green everything was and, at one point, we stopped for a small walk in an oak forest and Alice was arguably the happiest I’d ever seen her when she discovered a very mossy log nestled in between the trees. It could not be a more contrasting environment to Scotland, where the forests are predominantly pine and birch. The ring of Kerry was filled with dense deciduous forests and incredibly tiny winding roads - making me pretty nervous in our hire car!
We ended our day with an incredible dinner at OhMaryLoo’s which, surprisingly for Ireland, served delicious homemade pasta! Genuinely the best pasta I’ve ever had and filled us up suitably for a final dip in the Atlantic at a quiet harbour south of where we were staying. It would be impossible to experience Ireland entirely in just five days but we did our best and it has already made us hungry to return. If nothing else, we have to get out to Skellig Michael properly next time and I am desperate to see the humpback and fin whales which frequent the coast in the autumn months.
If you’d like to know more details about where we went or have any suggestions as to where we should visit next time then pop me a message below…
