Beautiful Barloge Creek

Roisín Delahunty and her husband MJ Walsh live in New Mexico at present but keep Swift, their Westerly GK24, back home on the hard in County Waterford

We first discovered Barloge Creek on our honeymoon. It is well hidden and, without our pilot guide and GPS, we would have sailed right past it.

Feeling adventurous, we slowly crept between the shady cliffs of rock which guard its entrance. Green wooded hills and turquoise water glowing in the sun lay ahead as the narrow passage opened out into a pretty anchorage. We dropped our anchor on a patch of sand and switched off the engine. In the sudden silence, we realised that the sight and sound of the sea were hidden by the bulk of Bullock Island which, along with a drying spit of shingle, forms the sheltered anchorage. Apart from one other yacht at anchor and some small boats moored on one side of the cove, we were alone. Toasting our first week of marriage with champagne in plastic glasses, we relaxed into the evening. Later, when brushing our teeth in the twilight, a family of otters emerged to play.

It is hard to replicate the magic of an evening like that but we tried our luck this summer, four years after our first visit. There were no otters this time but the anchorage was as peaceful and beautiful as ever. Although tempted to explore the adjacent Lough Hyne which connects to Barloge Creek via ‘The Rapids’, we confined our walks to the adjacent hills, admiring the views of the surrounding county of Cork. It is hard to imagine a better spot in which to anchor.