Day three

Day three dawned far too bright and far too early for our liking. We spent most of the morning driving, headed for the Cliffs of Moher. The weather had held up thus far, but it was set to change, albeit temporarily. We stopped for lunch, with Team Nerd as we were quickly becoming congregating in a pub around two small tables. This led to the now-infamous 'circle of trust' incident (which is understood by fellow team members, but is too long-winded to explain here). Suffice to say I was left with a circle and Grasshoppa lost hers.

The weather by this stage was turning grey and misty. We'd hoped to have it clear off before we arrived at the Cliffs of Moher, but it was to be the one single disappointment of the tour. The cliffs rise up to 214m where we visited, but visibility was down to 2 or 3 metres or so. Ridiculous! The wind was whipping around us, and we were hit with rain and spray from the waves below. It was insane, and yet loads of fun. The best picture of the cliffs in the end was a picture of a picture - taken inside the visitor centre. Oh well, I'll just have to go back again!

The spectacular and wondrous Cliffs of Moher. Or not.

Ghost cows!

Trying to cross the path - more difficult than it should have been!

The picture of a picture - the cliffs as they should have looked.

From the Cliffs of Moher (and from Cliff the puffin's first appearance - perfectly timed) we continued north to the Burren. This is a huge (250 square kilometre) area made up mainly of limestone with crevices in it that allow the growth of Arctic, Mediterranean and alpine plants side by side. It's amazing to see it spread out in all directions. We wandered around here for a while, exploring the various plants and bugs and things that we could see. Eventually though it was time to move on, headed for Galway, after a pit stop in a tiny town whose name we never knew.

Heading out to explore the Burren.

The Captain taking a moment.

The Captain and Grasshoppa.

We were spending the night there, on the same night that the Volvo Ocean Race was in town. It was utter madness, but lots of fun. The usual shenanigans made their presence felt - group dinner, followed by a couple of pubs, lots of Guiness, lots of giggles and this time, the need for a designated wingman for a certain Grasshoppa who was wearing a hardcore pair of beer goggles!