On a bit of a ramble in our immediate area I enjoyed some spectacular sights and afterwards I researched some interesting little bits of history and knowledge of the area here.
I thought that I would take a drive as far as Traguma (Tráigh Omna), this beach is backed by marsh land and a small lake called Lough Abisdeally, this small lake (in the photo), is a real beauty it is very sought after by birdwatchers. This was a rather pleasurable attempt to get to know more about my immediate surroundings. Tragumna is supposed to get its name from the stumps of oak trees dug up out of this strand. (The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0298, Page 061). Sounds rather interesting!
On the way there I took a wrong turn and kept driving along narrow lanes and got totally lost. Long ago there was a time when I wondered about all these myriads of little roads crossing the country side until I learnt about the famine roads. The Irish peasantry were made to build roads in order to get food under the strictures of the poor law during the famine. These included random and unneeded roads. That is what I am told. Anyway my journey became a little longer than expected. It was raining lightly and I took some photos out of the car window.
These are some views of the landscape that I passed, it was wonderful of course.
Toe Head Signal Tower in the distance
The tower in the distance is the ruin of Toe Head signal tower (Ceann Tuaitheat). These signal towers (dating back to 1805) were situated around the coast of Ireland and their duty was to spot an incoming fleet of invaders (they were afraid of French invaders at that time) and through signals warn the government in Dublin.
Photo from Google Earth
I worked this out (the identity of the tower in the distance) by using Google Earth interactive maps, I was able to fly over the hill and saw that there was no other possibly than that the tower (in my photo) was the signal tower at Toe Head. It was important to me to know the identity of this tower. Thank you Google earth.Then the open ocean, here to see some caves and rocky shores. And rain streaming down!
This is my favourite view!
The road still leading to I know not where at this stage so I just kept driving, the views were very scenic.
At this stage I found it exciting and a little lonely too.
Finally to arrive at Tragumna beach after all, in a bit of round about way. Spectacular skies! About 100 metres from the beach lies the little island called Drishane Island. People swim here normally, now totally deserted of course though I did see one or two cars.
Local wildlife information
An early spring seaside plant
A variety of seaweed looking very healthy
And that was it, what was going to be a within 5km (just about) drive to help with my cabin fever turned into a tour of the little roads around the countryside. I felt so good after it, ready for another week back into the cabin (which of course I do love very much too). Mental health is so important and it is our responsibility to take care of it 🙂
It was quite unexpected that I came upon a Spindle tree (Euonymus europaeus), I first noticed the red berries now mostly decayed in the mud, and recognised them as being spindle berries. When fresh they are so very beautiful! So I looked out for the tree and found it growing beside a much thicker trunk of a tree unknown to me. Part of it had fallen down and is probably dead. The crown of the tree though was still full of the berries. Do some of the birds feed on them? I do not know. The first I ever heard of the Spindle tree was from a Dublin lady called Hilary. She used to read out her essays on nature on Sunday morning in a radio program called Sunday Miscellany. Although I was fascinated this was before the internet and Google search. So I never really bothered to look up something about what was said to be a very beautiful and also a native tree to Ireland.
The berry which contains the seeds
Seeds can be seen here
The winter appearance of the tree or bush you could say is rather confusing and I will return in spring and summer to check out more about the growth and its leaves, flowers. It is something to really look forward to, I believe that it already flowers in May. In autumn its leaves apparently turn a flaming red, now that should be worth looking out for. The Spindle tree is mainly found in hedgerows and that’s where I found it too although it wasn’t a hedge but rather the remains of an old stone wall. I also read that its wood is very hard and it was used to manufacture spindles for wool-spinning, I guess hence its name.
Finding this to me new and interesting tree was the highlight of my week, we might be in lockdown but there are still always new wonders to discover.
I just want to add a little note here. I am not being very active at the moment both in posting and in reading posts from others. I am very busy but also my inspiration seems to have taken a downturn. I know this won’t last so I am just going with it. It is good to have a period of reflection as well as a period of posting a lot. I’ll soon be reading all your blogs again dear friends and followers and I wish you all the very best. Thank you for reading my words.
First I would like to wish all my friends and followers a beautiful new year ~ Let 2021 be a year filled with hope, many blessings, happiness and good health. That is my wish for everyone of you.My walk took me around our little town on the ring road, this road is relatively new and is flanked with interesting shrubs. It also gives lovely views towards the town and behind it some the hills that surround us. At some stage the road crosses the river Ilen. The view is always spectacular, the river is tidal, today the tide was high which saw the sun sparkling in the water.
Red twig Dogwood in leaf
Red twig Dogwood during winter
One of the lovely shrubs along this road is the Red twig Dogwood, it is vibrant and adds bright colour to the otherwise bare branches all around. I have added this shrub to my garden plan for this coming planting season, I read that one of the varieties needs lots of moisture and it may well help to solve some of our waterlogged problems. It would also add great interest.
Type of fir
Budding soon
Beautiful blue sky
Frost still where shadow lives
We have been enjoying sunshine and very cold weather which is a bit unusual for West Cork area but is so lovely and healthy too. The sky was so blue the day I took these photos, a delight to the eye.
Fir tree
Willow catkins
Crystals shimmering in the rock
And then to my surprise I found some willow catkins, nature sure is slowly waking up. On the way back to the car I noticed the sun was lighting up the crystals in the stones of the wall I passed, these quartz crystals are seen regularly in our stone walls and I’m always delighted to see them. They are a little camera shy though, I can never seem to take a good photo of them, nothing that does them justice as they are so beautiful.
I am hoping that you all stay healthy and happy during these frequent lockdowns. Sending you all much love. Let 2021 be a year full of hope and happiness.
On this beautiful, calm and wind still morning the garden has been transformed into what reminds me of fairy land, the reflexion of light in the dew drops makes the spider webs shimmer and reminds me of fairy lights, or even the Christmas tree and brings me back to early childhood days, to innocence and happiness. I wander around the garden taking in this beauty and allowing these feelings to be. Autumn leaves have been brushed up yesterday, but it is the spider webs that really herald the beginning of autumn here in West Cork. There is not a sound to be heard, all the neighbours are still asleep, then a robin takes the floor and cheerfully sings its heart out. Wind still and glorious, another day has begun. My heart fills with gratitude.
I wrote these words some years ago but because we have recently been living with so many raindrops, not dewdrops, and we are all quite saturated with the damp and the darkness ~ I decided to give life to this post again as the beauty of watery drops really is something incredible and we might as well enjoy them.
Today the temperature went up to 28C which is very warm for West Cork. Beautiful sunshine and blue sky added to our pleasures, and a little breeze made it so that I could work in the garden. Our very overgrown and wild garden, our Ark, has attracted an enormous number of insects and butterflies during the summer months, and still there is a great number of hoverflies, a fair number of bumblebees, and many smaller flies, as well as butterflies visiting and making life very pleasant especially knowing that we are helping with the upkeep of biodiversity in Ireland. Very necessary.
A delicate thistle seed landed among some of the late flowers.
Type of fly on the marigold
A young shielbug
Garden spider, so beautiful!
And another type of garden spider
Nasturtiums have overgrown the Lavender and the Mellissa, flowering beautifully, giving bright colours.
New young Mullein growth for next year
Seeds of the Stachys or Woundwort plant, grows wild in the garden
This is my favourite photo of this summer, so lovely to see the insects feeding on the dandelion flower.The Oregano is almost finished flowering, from my observations these flowers have attracted the most insects, they have flowered all summer and have been buzzing unbelievable. I guess that it will take me a great deal of time during the winter to identify all my insects, I have so many photos of them and such a variety. Fun for rainy days.
Wishing each and everyone a very nice September, my month, this month I will have my 70th birthday! Again unbelievable 🙂
Along the road between the little seaside villages of Schull and Ballydehob in West Cork, the growth of wild flowers is at this moment so luxurious and beautiful that it is just like driving through a beautiful park. Bravo for not cutting or using herbicides on these roadsides. This, at the moment is very much discussed in Ireland. We want our roadsides to be beautiful, but most of all we want to take care of the disappearing bees and other insects, we realise how urgent this is today. The beauty of flowers along the roads lifts the heart of even the most unobservant driver, because you cannot but notice the wealth of it all. Today I was able to take a few shots of these roadside wild plants and flowers. Here are just some of them.
H.aurantiacum (Fox and Cubs)
Montbretia just starting to flower
Thistles and ox-eyed daisies
Buttercups
Woolly thistle
Fuchsia, mainly found in hedges, but also growing wild
Wild Irish roses
Rose of Sharron
A beautiful sky, a little breeze, and a meadow full of damp loving wild plants (as this meadow is wettish) Besides thistles there was quite a bit of water figwort, ragged robin, and lots of sorrel. Schull is a little, but very popular seaside village. This is a view out to sea. The water is usually full of yachts and boats and in summer there is lots of activity going on here.
Tragumna beach is small but very much used and liked by the local Skibbereen folks. Every year on Christmas day there is a swim held here by some brave women and men, usually in aid of some charity. The beach lies about 5 km from the town via the Castletownsend road.
SLATE ROCK AT TRAGUMNA
SLATE IS IDEAL FOR LITTLE WILD PLANTS AND FERNS TO GROWN ON
The coastline along here is very rugged with many inlays and rocky outcrops, which makes the landscape interesting and beautiful. Many wild plants and flowers grow along these shores.
TRIFT (AMERIA MARITIMA)
SEA CHAMPION (SILENE MARITIMA)
KIDNEY VETCH (ANTHYLLIS VULNERARIA)
AND PINK KIDNEY VETCH
A RED SEDUM
SILVER WEED (POTENTILLA ANSERINA) NOT FLOWERING YET
Our drive took us along this Wild Atlantic coastline towards Toehead (Ceann Tuaithe in Irish, Ceann meaning head, and Tuaithe meaning a clan or community gathered under one chief, the name Toe Head is a bit of a bad translation ). Looking out West towards the Atlantic ocean, we know that’s where most of our rains come from.Along the rugged coastline where lots of fresh sea air was to be enjoyed.
Toe head is a most beautiful headland. Birds were singing but I did not identify any on this trip.At Toe Head we found this signal tower, these type of towers were found along the southern and Eastern coast in Ireland, they were used to give advanced warning of any invasion. The interesting thing is that every signal tower could see two other signal towers to either side of them, they would use visual means (semaphore) to signal. These towers date to 1806.Looking out towards what looks like a little island some distance from the shore. I went checking it out on Google Earth and it seems that it is just rocks – nothing else.
“When you regain a sense of your life as a journey of discovery, you return to rhythm with yourself. When you take the time to travel with reverence, a richer life unfolds before you. Moments of beauty begin to braid your days. When your mind becomes more acquainted with reverence, the light, grace and elegance of beauty find you more frequently. When the destination becomes gracious, the journey becomes an adventure of beauty”. John O’Donoghue Excerpt from his books, Beauty.
A very simple walk but nevertheless full of little beauties that lift the heart. A view on to the pastoral landscape beyond the hedgerow and seen through the presently opening hawthorn bush.
A garden escape probably some type of cranesbill
Silverweed (anserine L.) not yet flowring
This walk has many native trees lining the road, at the moment many of the young shoots and leaves have been damaged by the latest storm. But they’ll recover.
Young shoots on the Ash tree
And the young leaves on the beech bush
Cuckooflower (Cardamine pratensis) of which I only found a few along this road.
Another view through the hedgerow showing a hill in the distance.
One of the impressive treasures on this walk is the stone wall, Ireland has a great reputation for building beautiful stone walls and this is a good example. Seeing that I am trying to learn a lot about and become really familiar with the rocks and geology of the area, I took a keen interest in all this rock.
The rocks in this area around here are mostly made up of old red sandstone. The grey stones are shale, these are made up of mud, which comprises clay minerals and traces of minerals like quartz and calcite.
And this little fern – Maidenhair spleenworth (Asplenium trichomanes) grows easy and gracefully along the wall.
And so this walk, while very easy and on flat ground was a delight, it took me 50 minutes from where I had parked my car on the other side of town to when I returned, and by that time my head was cleared, and I felt happy with my small discoveries. Along this road I also came across many other wild flowers, and another garden escape was the tree mallow which I did not quite expect to grow here but had seen very many growing in Gozo. Further along this road there is a large area of wild garlic plants growing, I saw them there last year. It is amazing what is found along the roadside and hedgerow, for example, if this road is followed for quite a few miles there are large patches of wild roses, some dark red and beautiful, I used to take this road to work (it eventually leads to Bantry where I worked in the library) during June/July when these roses would be in bloom, it sure was lovely. I had three or four different roads that I could take to work and used to vary them according to what plants were in flower as every road had some difference in habitat and hence in plant growth.
I’m calling this walk the stone wall walk, my sister Josefine who is coming to Ireland in the summer will be walking with me, I sure look forward to this, even when I am normally a solitary walker.
Gorse growing in the West Cork landscape along the road leading from the town of Skibbereen towards the coastal villages of Castletownsend or Unionhall. I walked only as far as Russagh Mill Hostel which lies about 2 km from the town. The walk is a pleasant one even though it is along a busy enough road, there is a footpath most of the way which makes it quite safe. I found that along the road there was quite a bit of wetland, and also a small stream, ducks flew up when I approached. Though my reason for taking the walk was to become fitter, I enjoyed finding so many wild plants and spring flowers by the roadside, among them were two types of wild geraniums.
To my right was Lick Hill, a long hill which is so familiar to me as I can see it from the upstairs window where I live. Its bedrock is made up of purple mudstone and siltstone, behind it and to the South lies the sea, the wild Atlantic Sea. A little more towards the S.West lies the famous Knockomagh Hill, at Lough Hyne. But walking further along this road I passed some lovely green fields, very green, like you only get them in Ireland, typical with Gorse, Hawthorn, and Blackthorn growing in the hedgerows. And today the sky was blue, dotted with woolly white clouds, what a lovely contrast.
Above – Looking back towards our houses, with hawthorn hedging and wetland in front, and then the walk goes on past Liss Ard Estate where I found lots of native trees growing, their buds bursting in the warming spring sun, and birds singing their hearts out for sheer delight.
Also along my walk, and I love to see this, were stone walls, beautifully built from local stone, purple mudstone, shale and I even saw some quartz here and there. These are often grown full of little ferns, mosses, and other wild plants, this one in the photo must have been built fairly recently though.
And in people’s gardens, a magnificent Camelia bush in full bloom!I also came across this beautiful blue door, the colour of it dazzled me!Last, but not least, this little ladybird was sunny itself, I’m happy to say that I’ve seen at least a dozen over the last few days. I have marked out at least seven walks in the vicinity of Skibbereen town, I’m doing this for my health, both body and mind. This particular walk took me 50 minutes and all round it was about 4km in distance. When we used to spend our winters on the island of Gozo I used to walk everywhere, exploring the whole island and all it’s little villages, and it was such a delight. I have missed this very much in the past six months and so I decided to make the best of it by mapping out some do-able walks around here and exploring nature or architecture or whatever I can find to interest me, and reading up on it all. The beautiful sunshine of the past few days has helped greatly to encourage me and inspire me, and off to a good start it has been. I am truly grateful.
agoyvaerts 