The latest post has got to have been the most hilarious so far. Mike decided that there must be a shortcut to avoid the long walk across the beach . . .
Life’s never that simple . . . .
I arrive at 10:30am well in time to get to my stance before LW well that is what I thought as I get out of my warm car. I do not see any obvious patch to take me to the distant dunes. This should have been the point that i realise that in fact it was teh same distance as walking dwon the beach from the cut but heh I am stuborn and I am here and I am going to do it. Yea. So I move to the right and I am met with 6 foot high dead reeds, so yes I try to push through them. They are sitting in two feet of cold peatry water I amange about 150 m before I am near the point of exhaustion. Ok re-think lets move to the right away from where I think the Lough is as in fact I don’t have a clue any,more where it is. I am starting to feel clausophobic and have a bit of a mental battle for a while to stay calm. I develop a technique of pushing the reeds to one side and then squashing them down with my left foot. Envoiramnetalists would be appalled but they were the lqast thing on my mind as I was lost in this incrediuble vasteness of reeds. Eventaully and gasping for breath and near panic (I lost the mental battle) I stumble out into a ditch and a field on the other side but protected by a rusty barbed wire fence and a rather big brown Bull. This would have been another good point to have given up and re-trace my steps but no I had to push on didn’t I. I try and gauge the Bulls mood and he seemed procupied with eating so I took my chance to almost rip my waders on the wire mind they are Simms and I would barely notice the additional flow should I trear them.
My mood lifts as I can see teh dunes in the distance now. The field starts to get very ruted and then very boogy and then very deep boggy and I am having to lift my feet very high every step. my breathing gets heavier with each step and the sweat becomes a raging river down my back. I think I will pay for that later when stood in the surf. I resist the temptation to look at my watch as I can tell that LW has now become an impossible target. I push on to my next barbed wire barrier, I take this one like a marine on my back as it is too high to climb. I think I swore as I slithered like a fat eel underneath the rusty strands. On I go and the water gets deeper and the grass tussocks taller. Then I come across the stream which blocks my path.
I take soundings with my rod butt. The 6HM disspaears under murky peaty water, shite, no chance of getting across alive. But a chance look around and I see a glavanised steel bridge 50 soggy yards away.I re-trace my steps and make my very dry crossing my joy is killed about 30 secs later when a huge water filled ditch presents itself as another barrier. I do my dip stick depth test and my 6Hm takes another drink. I think I may have sworn again. So I again re-trace my by now very labored steps and search for a way around these water obsticles. I decide to follow the main stream but it meanders away from where I weant to go but I have no choice. Well I did I could have cut and run and faought my way back to the car but that was one hell of an horrendous journey and I could not face that.
But once again I have to re-travece my steps and yes cross teh previous ditch I had already forded but I could not find the same place and very where I tried it was too deep. I was too tired to swear and LW had long gone. I just wanted out of this bloody Bog fishing could go and screw itself. Best tide of the trip to. I tried to have positive thoughts, this could be a special pathway set by God so I don’t get to my orgoinal desination but have to go to another where a shaol of Bass will be awaiting my baited hook. I tried to sell myself this dream but told myself to f — Off. Then the reeds again barrd my path like bloody great triffids well at least if thye were Triffids my end would be quick. I fight way way through them for waht sems like an age and come out to yet more barbed wire. Yippee a sign of civilisation at least. I manage to climb it and whats this dejavu that bloody big brown Bull is just 50 m away. Shite shite I have just complated one huge big circle and there about 300 yards away I coudl make out teh roof of my car. Bollocks.