You know when you had been to place, but you didn’t really see it? Well, that’s what the Beara Peninsula was for me. Until this summer, when i decided to revisit this area. I decided to take 3 days off from my business. On 2 of the days, I wanted to do some of the things I but had put off for a while, and on one of the days, do nothing at all!

On the first of those 3 days, I decided to re-visit the Beara Peninsula. I left home early, excited to go explore - no plan, no fixed points I wanted to see, no google maps research. Just go with the flow, see where the roads around the Beara Peninsula take me and hopefully discover some spots for a few photos. Oh, and perhaps a dip in the ocean - maybe.

After the turn-off in Glengariff, heading towards Castletown-Bearhaven, I noticed how my mind slowed down and I started becoming more aware of the landscape around me - curious and excited with what I might find.

I decided to head all the way to where the cable car goes across to Dursey Island and then loop back via Allihies and Eyeries along the northern coastline of the peninsula. I figured going that way round I always have the ocean on my left.

My first stop was Adrigole Pier with its magnificent views over the bay and the mountains surrounding it. The mist that had descended on the mountains only added to the mystical atmosphere. I wondered out on the pier and took a few photos before heading to a nearby cafe for a caffeine boost and a scribble in my notebook.

On my way to the cable car for Dursey Island, I spotted a secluded bay with a few houses dotted in the landscape, a pier and a few beaches that looked absolutely dreamy. I was definitely coming back to explore that later.

When I arrived at the car park for the cable car to Dursey Island, I spotted this green VW camper van that just fitted perfectly into the landscape. As I was exploring the stunning landscape and taking some photos of the cable car as it made its way across the bay high over the water, I always kept an eye on the camper van to see if it was going to leave as I thought it would make a great photo on the road. But it was still parked as I was leaving.

On my way up the hill, back towards the bay I had seen earlier, I spotted a few sheep by the side of the road and decided to take a few snaps of them with the coast and the cliffs in the background. Just as I took the last photo of a sheep standing on a rock as if to pose for me, I first heard (with its distinct engine sound) and then saw the same camper van coming up the hill. I only had about 5 seconds to take the photo that immediately appeared in my mind. As it went past me, I stepped into the middle of the road, quickly composed the shot with the telegraph posts and the fences framing the camper van and pressed the shutter.

Together with the photo of a very stylish couple of their Vespa in London (gallery here), I think this is my favourite ever photo. I think because these two pictures tell both a story of a journey and leave questions open - where did they come from? Where are they going?

“But mainly, I love these photos because they capture a very brief
moment in people’s stories and their journeys”.

turas bóthair *(“road trip/journey” in Irish Language)*

Excited with the photo I took, I got back on the road and headed to the bay I had spotted earlier. After finding out that the area is called “Garnish”, I spent some time by the pier, snapping some photos of the boats and the small islands across from the pier, which as I found out from a local are accessible at low tide.

It wasn’t really a warm day, where a dip in the ocean might have been a welcoming cool-down, but the beaches I had passed earlier looked so gorgeous and the sea so clear and inviting that I was very tempted to take a dip in this magnificent landscape.

So, as I pondered and looked out on the majestic scene in front of me, I remembered my late dad who used to visit West Cork a few times a year. Anytime we would go to the ocean, he would walk down to the water in his black speedos (He did wear regular clothes on the way to the beach though) and dive head first into the waves. Summer, Winter, any weather.

After he passed away, I reflected a lot about what matters in life, about embracing the moments in life that create memories and above all to do the tings that make you feel alive, even if they are uncomfortable. So, whenever I hesitate about a cold dip in the ocean, I think: “Enzo would go”.

So I did.