Ireland day 1373. Wednesday 02 July 2025- Malahide Relaxation

Today’s summary	A nice quiet day in Malahide. In the morning I went on a short walk and picked up some shopping while Val got on with some sewing. After coffee and biscuits for lunch, we walked over the hill to Portmarnock. Enjoyed refreshments on the beach which for once wasn’t too cold, then walked back along the coast. In the evening, watched some Wimbledon then had beers and a Thai takeaway for dinner.
Today’s weather	Bright, breezy, quite warm and mostly dry apart from a few spots of rain in the afternoon. Plenty of sun. Moderate westerly wind. Appx 18c

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): Summery walks in Malahide

Commentary

We had all sorts of theoretical plans for how we were going to spend today. But in the end, it turned out that all we really wanted to do was to have a day off.

So we didn’t rush to get going in the morning. And when we eventually did, I just went on a short walk and then called in at the shops while Val stayed in the flat and did some sewing. I spent a few moments down by the Marina watching the large (30cm+) fish circling in the shallow harbour waters. I have no idea what they were – they looked a bit like goldfish to me, but then again so do most things with fins.

Neither of us felt particularly hungry at lunchtime so a cup of coffee and some oat biscuits was enough to keep us going. Afterwards, as it was such a beautiful day, we took the path of least resistance and headed out on our favourite local walk.

So it was up through the Demesne and down to Portmarnock, pausing at the top of Paddy’s Hill to admire the view of the Mournes, standing out in the exceptionally clear air (Wales still elusive, though). Once down at the shore, of course we had to stop at the Spar shop to get some refreshments, which we duly enjoyed while sitting on the beach. For once, miraculously, it wasn’t freezing cold and it felt great!

Afterwards, a swift walk back along the sunny coast got us back to the flat just in time to open a couple of beers and turn on the Wimbledon (very good but the squealing and grunting seems a bit excessive to me). Now it’s time to continue the relaxation theme a bit longer. So probably I’m going to do some research on possible hiking destinations – well at least until the sound track from SW19 reaches match point.

Today’s photos (click to enlarge)


Down by the lagoon	Solar panels and the distant Mournes, from the approaches to Paddy’s Hill

A colourful afternoon on the way down to Portmarnock!	Ireland’s Eye with one of the rapacious razor-clam fishing boats in the foreground

Swim Ireland were out in force, by Low Rock. Presumably recruiting new members – an easier task on a day like today with ideal swimming conditions	*Ireland’s Eye, Howth and Lady’s Bedstraw (Galium verum)*

Lots of stormy clouds floating about, but they never really came to anything. At least not where we were