Black Pudding, but sky blue

As feared, this morning at the B&B we were treated to the Full Irish Breakfast prepared by our host Brian. He really went all out with a beautifully set table, orange juice, coffee, and of course this Irish Breakfast. We were served bacon, sausages, eggs, fried tomatoes, mushrooms, and toast. We bravely ate everything, and with each strenuous hill, we had to think of Brian (which was quite often), because the fat, of course, did not digest quickly. Luckily, we found fresh strawberries at a farm, sweet and super delicious. The weather was simply stunning; at times, the sky was cloudless and the green landscape almost looked kitschy. We even had a chance for a (very) refreshing swim at Longbeach, and Anja's new swimsuit (not tried, bought, packed) actually fit. The symbol of our travel preparation: it will somehow work out, improvise, drive, see where it’s nice, and just enjoy. Well, improvising with, or rather without, a swimsuit will be difficult. It’s not possible to just jump naked into the Atlantic unnoticed a la Norway, and the Irish wouldn't be too amused either. We find that, all in all, access to the sea is quite restricted. Everywhere there are signs, barriers, DO NOT, NO TRESPASSING, barbed wire, No, No... and so on. In America, we would probably fear getting shot. No, not that bad, but if you want to wild camp like in Norway: NO WAY!! For us, it's very foreign; there are countless beautiful NO-places, and we miss being able to just set up the tent in the evening and be where you want to be. We need to come up with a tactic, rethink our approach; otherwise, we end up every evening exhausted, hungry, and tired in front of the NO-problem. Just like today, the weather is simply glorious, temperature 22 degrees, the vast blue Atlantic in front of us, a few lonely sheep, and the thunder rumbling, thunder rumbling?... oh no, it’s just Peter’s stomach. Hunger, no accommodation, and no internet to look for places to stay either, all NO. Mood: thunder rumbling. Continuing from Tragumna Beach on the Wild Atlantic Way. After 8 km, a larger town 'Skibbereen' comes up with a campground and next to it a supermarket that’s open until 10 PM. Set up the tent and storm the supermarket. Grocery shopping with mega hunger? Not a good idea? At the moment, everything seems delicious and must be bought from pasta salad, 1 kg of tomatoes, couscous salad, to filled Berliner and two gin-tonics from a can to toast to our ups and downs. It’s actually disgusting, but sitting in the setting sun at the campsite, listening to dogs barking and kids shouting, it doesn't really matter. Our first step towards rethinking our travel days ahead: driving during the day, enjoying the peace and scenery, and sitting in the pub in the evening, booking accommodation the night before, drinking beer, and chatting with people. YES!!! This can work - without either of us getting shot.

Route: Clonakilty to Skibbereen
Kilometers: 63
Elevation: 863