Ireland day 1340. Friday 30 May 2025- Jet Lag!

Today’s summary	Woke up very early again so were out on a coastal walk by 6am. Got coffee at Portmarnock Spar as soon as it opened at 7:00 then walked back along the shoreline. Video call with a friend in London at noon then in the afternoon Val did some gardening on our balcony and I had a video call with a friend in Houston. More lentil curry for dinner, then an episode of “Mad Men” before bed
Today’s weather	A mostly clear day with long sunny spells. Light westerly wind. Appx 19c

Today’s overview location (The blue mark shows the location of our route)		Close-up location (The blue line shows where we walked) (Click button below to download GPX of today’s walk as recorded, or see interactive map at bottom with elevations corrected): Dawn coastal walk

Commentary

There’s a strange camaraderie, it seems, among people who get up and about early in the mornings. Not being one of those people, I’d never really noticed it but today I did. As we started our 6am walk, the few people we did meet were cheerful, full of energy and always had a friendly “hello” to share.

But what on earth were we doing out at such an ungodly hour? Well, the answer is simple and obvious: jetlag. For reasons that I don’t understand, it actually seemed to hit us both harder today than it had yesterday. We were fully awake by 4am – if not sooner – and after trying unsuccessfully to go back to sleep, we gave up and had some tea and toast instead. It was still only 5 am by the time we’d had breakfast, so we just got up and went out.

We walked down the coast to Portmarnock again today – not that dissimilar to yesterday. It was peaceful and the rising sun over Lambay Island was beautiful. We didn’t hurry but still managed to get to the Spar shop in Portmarnock a few minutes before it opened. Anyway, the shopkeeper duly opened up at 7am and we dashed in to get our coffees then crossed over the road to enjoy them on the beach.

While we were there, Val – no doubt motivated by the numerous early morning swimmers out for a dip – decided to go paddling. She claimed to find it invigorating but I wasn’t tempted to give it a go. Once dried off, we ambled back along the coast – sticking to the shoreline as much as we could – admiring the fossils and sea thrift as we walked.

Later, back in the flat, at around noon I had a brief video call with a friend in London and after that Val dropped into the Museum to catch up with one of her colleagues. I, meanwhile, drove the Trusty Yaris to the petrol station to fill up. It was a great relief that the car actually started, after a month of enforced idleness. Then at 3pm I had another video call – this time with a friend in Houston. While I was chatting away, Val went to the garden centre to get some new plants to go in our balcony planters. She’s done a great job tidying it up, and it looks really nice now.

We rounded off the day with more lentil curry, and an episode of “Mad Men”. Then we will do our level best to stay awake until at least 9pm to try and guarantee a slightly more normal night’s sleep. Zzzzzz

Today’s photos (click to enlarge)


Looking back to Malahide from a 6 am peaceful Coast Road – it didn’t last, as the commuters started their journeys soon afterwards	Malahide Estuary – looking out to sea and the dawn. I rarely see the sun in this (easterly) position!

Lambay on the horizon	Our favourite Spar shop – essential coffee stop!

*Down on Lithostrotion* Beach – keeping an eye out for fossils**	Val contemplating the wide blue yonder

Well – we did find a fossil! Despite appearances, I think it’s a gastropod rather than an ammonite