The thing about being in Ireland is that it is a country of extreme weather, you can be bathed in bright sunshine in the morning, and hidden in a blanket of thick freezing fog by teatime. It's like England in spring, all year round.
I was staying in a cottage, in a small village surrounded by the most amazing countryside od ever seen. The beaches on the west coast of Ireland amazed me. The purest white sand beaches I've ever seen, but devoid of people and cold. I saw a pure white horse standing in yhe shallows early one morning. A sight that was almost so stereotypically Irish that I wondered if an advert was being filmed there. It wasn't.
One day the fog hung thickly in the air. I had planned to go to a picturesque village in the hills called Sneem, but with the views hidden it seemed pointless, and with the hire car due to go back in a few days it seemed more sense to make use of it.
I remembered seeing a poster in a cafe about the Skellig ring, I'm sure I'd seen a picture underneath showing a neolithic stone circle, much like Stonehenge, so decided to go look for it. I drove to where I remembered seeing a road sign for it the day before, and set off on an adventure.
In the early 90's there was no Google Maps avaliable to me, and possibly even before sat nav. You'd go out with an idea, a rough map, and lots of hope that you'd find the right way.
I soon found the brown sign pointing right, with "Skellig ring" written on it, so following the instruction turned and continued on, looking for more signs.
The fog was beginning to descend more now, so I hoped we would find the monument before I got lost somewhere in a cow field.
After about five miles of travelling down the small winding round, I saw another sign pointing left. 'Skellig ring', so followed it.
I thought to myself It must be close now, I'd been drivimg for at least for half an hour.
On I travelled through the fog, signs pointing one way and the next, up onto high hills, and down into valleys.
I could see the tarmac of the road in front, and cars eyes on thr road refelting the cars hwadlihhts as i drove, but not much more.
After 2 hours I hadn't found it, and passed a cafe that looked familiar.
Had I see that cafe earlier today? Am I driving in circles?
But I carried on, I really wanted to see the irish Stone henge.
Another hour of driving and following signs led nowhere. Where was this ring? Did it even exist? Or is it a joke on gullible tourists like me?
I pulled up to a cafe. Defeated.
Maybe I'd driven past it somewhere in the fog?
I ordered some tea and food and sat there feeling beaten.
When the waitress arrived with the food, I asked
"Do you know where the skellig ring is?"
"Of course," she repiled, she looked puzzled.
"Where is it?"
"It's outside," she said and pointed to the window outside.
Had O missed it? Was I parked outside the very thing I was been looking for?
I looked out of the wondow, I couldnt see much because of the fog, but I could vaguely make out the shapes of trees standing in an open field.
"Is it over there in the field?" I pointed across the road.
"No, it's right there," she pointed just outside. I was confused. What was I missing here?
"Is it... some stones?" I asked nervously
"No, it's the road."
She went over to the counter and returned with a leaflet.
Which read, The Skellig Ring is an often-overlooked scenic drive/cycle that covers a breath-taking 50km...
It was the road! The fucking road I'd be driving on for hours WAS the skellig ring! The road I could barely see due to the fog, the famed beautiful views encapsulated under a white blanket.
The best views in the west of Ireland, and I'd seen absolutely nothing if it.
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