The unexpected naturist

I don't know whether I would call it a 'highlight' of my recent trip to the Sheep's Head, but it was one of the more memorable moments.

To escape the indoor fug I sauntered to Doonin pier, a very pleasant short distance from my kind host's house, where I began to chat to a friendly fisherman about normal things, eg fish. He pointed out a small shoal of grey mullet. The conversation turned to swimming, and he told me how he couldn't swim but would like to do so. I shared my thoughts on my own learning experience, after which he volunteered to show me a few interesting geographical facets of the rocky outcrop. At first we had a very pleasant walk around the bog, over the granite, past the sheep bones etc, then onto the most picturesque tiny secluded bay imaginable. The colour of the blue-green water was phenomenal, and the way it framed the sea and the land beyond was dreamlike. Gorgeous.

This is a very secluded bay and the fisherman (who is a builder by day) told me that it's a place for naturists. I could well believe it. It seemed a terribly peaceful spot, only disturbed by the birds, who sounded angry we were too near their homes. He asked me if I minded if he took off his clothes and vacant-me thought he just meant his shirt. Unfortunately, he meant more than that. I tried to ignore his lack of apparel for a few paces, suppressing my urge to giggle which I feared might have given him a wrong signal. But after a few moments, I summoned up the courage to tell him to put them back on again in my best English voice: 'I'm sorry, but it's freaking me out, do you mind ... ?'

Trying to forget what I had glimpsed, a rather difficult task, I concentrated on the amazing rock formations, the cavernous drops, the displaced boulders, the two white bollards marking Concorde's flight path for America. It was very educational.