Posts tagged with Cape Clear
29 September 2008 - San Francisco 4884m
San Francisco is 4884nm (nautical miles?) from Cape Clear in Co Cork. Have you noticed the misspelling yet? I never did until a few minutes ago!
25 September 2008 - Cottages in decay
Two tiny cottages sit on the quayside in Cape Clear’s North Harbour. You might have missed them when you arrived because they’re off in the opposite direction most people take.
I was quite taken with the contrast between both cottages. While both are obviously old and have seen better days, the left one has a new roof and a PVC door and window. I wonder if anyone lives there?
23 September 2008 - The cars of Cape Clear
Cape Clear Island, or Oilean Chleire, is only 3 miles long and 1 mile wide, but it’s only 40 minutes by ferry to the mainland so it’s fairly easy to bring out vehicles. In fact, I saw many more cars on the island than I did on my last trip.
As you may have guessed by the photo above, once the cars get here, they really don’t go anywhere else, and many of them are in a bad state of repair. On a previous trip, my father and I were driven up a very steep hill above the harbour in a multicoloured VW Beetle that was literally falling apart with rust. I’ll post a photo of the hill in a few days.
There also isn’t a police force on the island. I don’t think cars here are insured or taxed and you can forget the NCT ..
Apart from the two taxi vans sitting on the quay when we arrived, the newest car was a 1999 model. The oldest was a 1986 Renault. The taxis were had 2004 reg plates and in good condition.
I’d love to how or why the van in the far background got to the Island. It looks abandoned now.
22 September 2008 - Cape Clear North Harbour
The north harbour in Cape Clear is the main harbour on the island. There’s a south harbour as well but there’s only a small beach there, and a long quayside where the occasional small boat ties up.
To the left you can see the Club which is a small shop/cafe on the ground floor, while around the corner and upstairs is a pub. Last time I was in the pub was many years ago when I was at a book launch with my father. Up the hill is Cotter’s Bar. Never been in there, despite the fact we holidayed on the island so many times.
Finally, a new bungalow sits on a patch of land bordering the road. This wasn’t there the last time I stayed on the island for any length of time, about 15 years ago.
A speedboat, at speed, races past the more sedate Naomh Ciaran II on our way to Oilean Cleire, or Cape Clear. You can see the island itself in the background!