THE REAL MIDSUMMER’S DAY
24TH June, St John/Juan’s day, and the real, authentic midsummer moment when all right-thinking Berber shepherds, Spanish vaqueros and round-island kayakists will be lighting fires and driving their flocks through the smoke, or jumping through the flames or having a drink in Dick Mack’s to drive out evil spirits, ensure good luck for the coming months and to placate the weather gods.
The last lot are a miserable bunch of sods. It’s not that the current weather is bad, bad, bad, it’s just pretty miserable with a poor combination of rain, chilly grey gloom and confused winds. The latter are currently veering (turning clockwise) back up to the north again and growing stronger. There are gales forecast for tonight and tomorrow morning. Then blustery and/or strong winds. Gales are not great for sea passages in kayaks. Blustery conditions aren’t wonderful either. Strong winds might allow one to coast- creep if sheltered but still aren’t ideal.
Basically I could have kept going over the past days but would have spent a lot of time waiting out winds, possibly for days at a time, squashed into a tent on some miserable patch of sand or rain sopped grass on a cliff edge. Well, call me damp willed and rinse my pyjamas in fabric softener but I’d prefer to have one big wait here in Dingle with music, roof, food and shore-larks than a bunch of little waits in the tent without getting much further. Especially as I’ve had writing to do and this wonderful internet café (The Old Forge, Dingle if you’re passing) to do it in. The next stage – many tens of miles - includes long lengths of cliff with no possible landing, as well as some strong tidal races and currents, which requires confidence in the weather and conditions before committing to going.
I’ve been in text-contact with Sam – check out his updated blog - who got around the Mizen and is now in Dunmanus Bay, on Sheep’s Head. That’s, trip-followers will recall, where I conveniently posted Holly, my goddaughter and her family who provided shower, meal, guitar and pub. Sam’s probably not planned things so well, i’d guess, but I’ve pointed him in the direction of The Tin Pub ( www.tinpub.com ) where he should find three of the above comforts. He may of course have made a dash across to the Beara Peninsula before the winds get up. Whatever, he’s likely to catch me up soon – probably somewhere beyond the Blaskets or on the north side of the Dingle Peninsula. I’ve got a nice bottle of Shiraz laid down in my kayak’s wine cellar for when we do get together. The three guys from Dungarven have been storming round and should have the wind behind them as they head south down the east coast. They might even be home by now. Marcus Demuth (www.marcusdemuth.com ) was last heard of trying to get out to the Skelligs, and sitting in Ballinskelligs Bay, several days ago, waiting for okay weather to do just that. But there hasn’t been that much okay weather so...
The last lot are a miserable bunch of sods. It’s not that the current weather is bad, bad, bad, it’s just pretty miserable with a poor combination of rain, chilly grey gloom and confused winds. The latter are currently veering (turning clockwise) back up to the north again and growing stronger. There are gales forecast for tonight and tomorrow morning. Then blustery and/or strong winds. Gales are not great for sea passages in kayaks. Blustery conditions aren’t wonderful either. Strong winds might allow one to coast- creep if sheltered but still aren’t ideal.
Basically I could have kept going over the past days but would have spent a lot of time waiting out winds, possibly for days at a time, squashed into a tent on some miserable patch of sand or rain sopped grass on a cliff edge. Well, call me damp willed and rinse my pyjamas in fabric softener but I’d prefer to have one big wait here in Dingle with music, roof, food and shore-larks than a bunch of little waits in the tent without getting much further. Especially as I’ve had writing to do and this wonderful internet café (The Old Forge, Dingle if you’re passing) to do it in. The next stage – many tens of miles - includes long lengths of cliff with no possible landing, as well as some strong tidal races and currents, which requires confidence in the weather and conditions before committing to going.
I’ve been in text-contact with Sam – check out his updated blog - who got around the Mizen and is now in Dunmanus Bay, on Sheep’s Head. That’s, trip-followers will recall, where I conveniently posted Holly, my goddaughter and her family who provided shower, meal, guitar and pub. Sam’s probably not planned things so well, i’d guess, but I’ve pointed him in the direction of The Tin Pub ( www.tinpub.com ) where he should find three of the above comforts. He may of course have made a dash across to the Beara Peninsula before the winds get up. Whatever, he’s likely to catch me up soon – probably somewhere beyond the Blaskets or on the north side of the Dingle Peninsula. I’ve got a nice bottle of Shiraz laid down in my kayak’s wine cellar for when we do get together. The three guys from Dungarven have been storming round and should have the wind behind them as they head south down the east coast. They might even be home by now. Marcus Demuth (www.marcusdemuth.com ) was last heard of trying to get out to the Skelligs, and sitting in Ballinskelligs Bay, several days ago, waiting for okay weather to do just that. But there hasn’t been that much okay weather so...
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