It was incredibly moody out on the moors of the Connemara last night and, because of the enveloping cloud; plus our distance from any human enterprise, it's probably one of the darkest places I've ever personally encountered. Literally and metaphorically.
The brooding murk and mizzle continued after breakfast but we weren't too put off and both went for a run along the massive sprawling network of peat winners' tracks. We agreed it was a worthwhile and truly atmospheric affair.
In spite of the harshness of the surroundings there were still wrens, meadow pipits and wheatears aplenty. Quite how such tiny birds survive in places like this is both humbling and baffling. Were it not for the tracks and fairly regularly encountered stacked turves of drying peat (pic), it would be easy to imagine that the landscape here was still exactly as it was when the ice retreated and the blanket bogs formed.
Crossing the city of Galway was again a stop-start nuisance that took at least an hour but once free of its grasp we settled into a steady bumble on mainly R and L roads heading roughly Dublin-wards.
It was a nice enough experience, too. I think it's the first time we've bumbled through the county of Offaly and, from what we've seen so far, it seems very laid back and traditional. Architecturally, landscape-wise and culturally, it certainly feels very different to the staunchly Gaeltacht Connemara.
Tonight's intended overnighting spot is at elevation in the Slieve Bloom mountains. We headed here because of promising-looking map features, which included access to formal cycle trails. It's proved a winner. There are plenty of spots to choose from, big vistas and (so far) no other sodding motorcaravanners. We did, though, see that someone had thoughtfully emptied the entire contents of a chemical toilet in one of the formal picnic spots provided up here.
Best sightings other than a bucket-full of other people's discarded faeces have been crossbills, a hen harrier and a couple of fallow deer.
Post composed at 22:10 on Tuesday 28th July from our intended overnighting spot N 53.09034°, W 07.64768° / http://maps.google.com/maps?q=loc:53.09034%2C-07.64768
