Ireland day 0572. Sunday 23 April 2023- Spike Island *

Ireland day 0572. Sunday 23 April 2023- Spike Island

Today’s summary	A day in the Cork area, spent exploring Spike Island, just off the coast at Cobh. Thoroughly enjoyable, then to a very nice tapas restaurant in Kinsale for dinner
Today’s weather	Bright and dry with sunny intervals in the afternoon. Moderate northerly wind. Appx 11C

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): Spike Island

Commentary

(Summary blog only. Last full blog was Day 0368).

After a slightly less-than-perfect evening last night without water (as the result of a burst pipe in the road outside) we eventually managed to get washed at the house next door and escape to Cobh – about 45 minutes away along the coast to the east of Cork – for the day’s activities.

We had booked a trip to Spike Island – one of a number of islands in Cork’s fascinating harbour. By the way, the whole harbour area is uncannily similar to Falmouth, in Cornwall, England – with its mild climate, lush vegetation, and complex involuted coastal estuaries.

Spike Island is particularly interesting because it houses a Napoleonic-era fort which was later converted to a prison, which remained in use up to 2004. Nowadays, it is in the ownership of Cork Council which is fighting a valiant battle to prevent it slipping into dereliction. It was a thoroughly enjoyable visit, made even better by the sunshine which actually felt warm if you could find a sheltered spot out of the wind.

We walked round the outer perimeter of the island then headed up the hill for a much-needed cup of tea in the café, then explored the prison itself, and had a good look round the museum. All in all, it was an interesting and thoroughly enjoyable day out.

And now, this evening, we are walking over to a nearby tapas bar in Kinsale for dinner. Very much looking forward to it.

Today’s photos (click to enlarge)


We don’t seem to have much luck with water supplies at AirBnBs. The mains water pipe outside our house failed spectacularly last night which meant that we were without water from mid-evening onwards. Inconvenient but the water company were reasonably efficient and fixed it by 10:30 this morning. Phew.	Waiting on the “JFK Pier” in Cobh to get on the boat to Spike Island

Defensive armaments on the battlements of the fort	Slightly un-nerving model inmate in bed in one of the cells of the prison

Back on dry land with St Colman’s cathedral, Cobh, behind us	Enjoying refreshments on the terrace of the cottage. Full weather protective gear required!

Our guide discussing the finer points of the impressive fortifications