Lough Tay and Sunny Bray

On Sunday we couldn't bear to stay in and pack all day given the blue sky and warm temps. We headed into the mountains.

We had no map, so just headed toward Enniskerry and the Sally Gap.

It was gorgeous. We followed the ridge and saw gorgeous views of Sugarloaf.

We inadvertently stumbled upon Lough Tay (I'm a big believer in fate).

Lough Tay is a small scenic lake in the Wicklow mountains. The northern coastline of the lake is a sandy beach and forms part of an estate belonging to the Guinness family. The water of the lake filters through the peat in the hillside making the lake quite dark. This plus the white sand (which was imported) make the lake look like a pint of Guinness.

The philosopher Bertrand Russell wrote in his Autobiography:

"Twice I went with my Aunt Agatha to Ireland. I used to go for walks with

Michael Davitt, the Irish patriot, and also by myself. The beauty of the scenery

made a profound impression on me. I remember especially a small lake in

County Wicklow, called Lugala. I have associated it ever since, though for no

good reason, with the lines:

 

Like as the waves make toward the pebbled shore,

So do our minutes hasten to their end.

Fifty years later, when visiting my friend Crompton Davies in Dublin, I

induced him to take me to Lugala. But he took me to a wood high above the

lake, not to the ‘pebbled shore’that I had remembered, and I went away

convinced that one should not attempt to renew old memories."

Maggie was having a few girls over so I dropped Sheila off at the Bray Dart and Johnny and I wandered around Bray and went to a discounted Sea Life (check out this video of the little jellyfish) just to stay out of their hair (we also visited Seapoint as documented in the previous blog). Let's just say, the Irish do not waste nice weather.