Barley Cove

What a beautiful place Barley Cove is! It's a small beach close to the southernmost tip of the Irish mainland, no more than a mile or so away from Mizen Head, Co. Cork. There is a wooden trackway leading from the car-park to the beach, followed by a pontoon bridge which crosses a tidal stream. The beach is sandy and stone-free and it is a superb place for surfers and sunbathers. The dune system provides a natural playground for small children.

The day was warm, tempered by heavy showers every hour or so. Although the wind was mild, the seas were violently active - the way I like it. I noticed quite a few ravens doing acrobatics in the sky, distinguishable by their loud KROONKing sound. Apparently it gets quite a few choughs as well, although I didn't hear or see any that day. Gannets were diving at breakneck speed into the sea further out into the bay. Buttercups, daisies, irises and thrift added a dash of extra colour to the bright greens and blues of the grass and sea.

This was the first time the twins ever felt the texture of sand between their fingers - and initially they didn't like it one bit. However, one of them quickly got used to it; and if he wasn't filling his mouth full of the stuff he was off exploring; crawling as close as possible to the river, throwing sand into the water, seeing the circular ripples appear as if by magic. In such ways, Neil Armstrongs are born, I'm sure. The other little boy stayed very close to his father. He had already convinced himself that this was not for him.

The journey from Cork to Barley Cove is a long one. Even when you have reached Skibbereen you still have some way to go. The roads, typical of the west of Ireland, are narrow and winding. It's not an easy drive. The towns on the way are among the prettiest in Ireland - Ballydehob, Schull, Goleen - old grocers and haberdasheries interspersed by artist studios, cafés and elegant bookshops. We caught a glimpse of Jeremy Iron's "pink" castle on the shores of Roaringwater Bay - an incongruous but nevertheless picturesque dwelling, reminding all who see her that the spirit of rebellion still lives on in West Cork, if only now against the cultural conformity of the rest of the country. A few miles out to sea the Fastnet Lighthouse stands tall. It is the southernmost rock off the coast of Ireland - the last piece of land to be seen for 800 miles until the sea gives way to the north coast of Portugal and Spain.