We have a book on walks in the area which combine natural scenery with antiquities, all viewed from the quiet roads of the Boggeragh mountains. Needless to say we’re trying to do as many of these walks as possible.

 

 Last week we took our friend Ankica along too. She was a little intrigued and perhaps bemused by our fascination with ancient sites so we said we’d take her along and show her what all the fuss was about.

 

 First stop on the walk was a stone circle which the book claimed as the finest in the area. Well, maybe once upon a time it was but it appears to have been neglected recently and now seems to be sinking into the mud. We moved on.

A couple of miles further on we caught site of the stone row known as An Seisear, The Six. From the road it looks fairly unremarkable, just a row of standing stones at the far end of a field. Crossing that field was something of a revelation though.

 

The stones were actually further away than they first appeared so as we approached, they loomed larger and larger. Like Father Dougal, we had confused the concepts of “small” and “far away”  By the time we reached them, their size was quite breathtaking and I think Ankica was starting to see where the fascination lies. All I can say is bring on Carnac! (In June, hopefully)

This walk was also memorable for dogs. We met snarly, nasty ones with mad eyes who took exception to us passing within 20 feet of their front gate. We met tiny yappy ones who also rushed out to take us on then beat a hasty retreat as soon as they saw us. And then there was the lovely, if somewhat boisterous red setter who decided to join us on our walk for a mile or two. We enjoyed his company but were starting to wonder when he’d go home when a car pulled up, the dog’s owner hopped out, apologised, kicked the dog’s arse and threw him in the back. We stopped for a few photos of the tall pair of standing stones at Monkey’s Bridge. Someone else had been doing likewise fairly recently. If it was you, and you’re reading this (yes, I know it’s unlikely) – I found your camera lens. Get in touch and I’ll return it.

 

By the time we got back to the car we were all pretty knackered but we’d had a great day out.

The whole day was topped off by a fantastic concert by Duke Special at Cypress Avenue that night. Best gig I’ve been to in ages is really all I can say about that.