After tea and horse racing on tv, we consulted the map and bus schedule AGAIN, and set off on foot to find Bohonagh standing stones.
We felt like we had it down as to their location, but decided to engage locals in conversation. This exercise turned out to be rather amusing.
No one we asked knew where they were, some people told us that there weren't any around at all, which was puzzling since we had just been to one set within walking distance......we stArted thinking that perhaps something had happened to them or something.
We kept walking and we kept asking each person we encountered and the answers were consistent, it actually became a game for us to take a poll of the answers and we tried harder to to find people to ask. We did come to the Well of Fachtnas, which is shown above, there are some ruins of an old stone wall that did not photograph well, but mostly that site seemed to be these well kept statues in their glass tombs with candles around them.
The well site is on a hilltop and by the map (in town, that we photographed) we ought to be able to see the stone circle from there.
Long story short, we saw something and headed that direction and found the circle surrounded by humming electric fencing in a heavily used cow pasture.
These stones seem to get very few visitors, and we know why, since none of the locals seem to be aware of their existence!
They are all grown in with brambles with the ground around them perfectly groomed by grazing cattle.
The cows were in rotation in another field at this time.
This is a very magical place. You can see the sea and all the idyllic Irish farm land in every direction. The pastures are lush and green and broken into sections by rock walls covered with vegetation.
There is no indication that anyone ever visits this place other than cows and perhaps the fence manager.
By the map, there were several standing stones in the area, so we continued this trek in a labyrinthine fashion hoping to visit them, as well as a wedge tomb in the area.
Once again we asked the locals we encountered, and once again, they had no clue!
When we were very close to one, we happened upon a man out receiving a post from a courier, he happened to have a standing stone as part of his landscaping and we joked about that, he had had no idea that there was one not 20 meters from his back door.
However, it looked rather like a large boulder randomly placed.
The wedge tomb was completely grown in by brambles, we were not dresses in our Kevlar jumpsuits so we opted out of exploring it and just observed from a distance.
All-in-all, we walked an estimated 10 miles today (yesterday at the time this actually posted). Discussing our route with the bartender at the pub over a pint while waiting for the bus impressed the locals immensely.
It was there,at the pub, that we found the first and only person who knew of the stone circle, the bartender! He said he played in all the ruins as a kid.
Location:Ross Carberry Ireland
So, at the end of your long journey..and search for a little guidance..after figuring it out for yourselves..the guide appears in the bar?! HA! Thats awesome..classic
ReplyDeleteTea and horse racing? You are adapting quickly.. :)
what grand adventures, keep em coming!
ReplyDelete