Outdoor Odysseys

Expansion

One activity that I have ongoing at the moment is an expansion of what has been the Cork city album in my online photo gallery. The cause of this is the increase in time around the place since 2022. Then, I spent part of an Irish break based in the city, though, in reality, I was travelling around back then. That took me to nearby Kinsale and Cobh as part of a single day’s explorations.

2024 has seen a major upsurge in the amount of time that I spent in the place. Thus, it is now time to include nearby spots like Blarney, Fota, Cobh and Crosshaven. Ballincollig Regional Park could cause that area to get represented, too. Thus far, the scenes do not look so dramatic, but there are more to come, so things could build out from where they are at the time of writing.

The West Cork album is another that could grow after the visits there during the last few years. Each of the main Atlantic peninsulas have seen my footfall this year, and there are reasons to return, like following the Beara Way from Castletownbere as far as Adrigole. The scenery has the drama to draw me back after a muddy, soggy hike from Adrigole to Glengarriff. Staying overnight in the latter when there is a glorious summer evening could be a special experience that cannot be overlooked. Other places like Kinsale or Drimoleague could lure me their way just yet. There are new photos to be added, and more may come for future escapades in the area.

While the Kerry album is large as things stand, there are more vistas to add to it. Repeat visits to Killarney increase the supply, as does explorations of the Dingle Peninsula in May and June 2022. Such is the quality of the county’s scenery, that it is virtually impossible not to get something from a visit to the place, especially when the weather is on your side.

The counties of Clare, Tipperary and Waterford could feature in a new and single album. The photos are there, and they show often overlooked gems in the Irish landscape, like what lies around Lough Derg and the Knockmealdown Mountains. All this is a far cry from things were when I began this online enterprise. For a long time, the Irish albums were the poor relation of their Scottish, English and even Welsh counterparts. That appears to be changing, so long as time is found to make the required additions.