Take a break in the wild oasis of a Mayo bog
COUNTRYVIEW
WITH more and more people taking to ambling, walking, hiking and biking, many favourite haunts are becoming overpopulated, so that those seeking a bit of seclusion find themselves surrounded on all sides, even by those of like mind.
The Lough Lannagh circuit was never as busy. It is exceedingly pretty and is almost as fine a local walk as any town in the country has been blessed with.
We look forward to further extensions, for the potential there is enormous.
Rehins Wood is another popular spot. On a fine day we find an almost endless stream of human traffic that makes alone-time nearly impossible.
It is fine to offer a cheery greeting to one's neighbours. In fact, it is bordering on rudeness not to do so.
But sometimes we need a break from the chorus of 'Good Morning!'s. We need room to pause, to meditate, to contemplate, to look around and break away from the whirlwind that life has become.
Enter the Clogher Bog loop walks.
The Clogher Bog is a wild oasis surrounded by farmland. Situated only five miles from Castlebar town, it is easily accessible, with free parking available at Clogher Community Centre and the nearby heritage centre.
There are a number of loop walks to choose from, each of which lead you back to the place from which you set out, with no need to retrace your steps.
The shortest is about 3km, and can be completed in an easy half hour, while the longest, at 8km, might keep you busy for two hours or more.
But why hurry? The entire bog complex is filled with interesting things.
At present, dragonflies and damselflies vie for attention with the sand martens not long fledged from their nests in the peat banks. Even today a female hen harrier was sighted nearby.
These large and scarce birds of prey are dramatic hunters of other birds and small mammals and to spot one over the bog is a rare treat.
One thing that caught my eye as I walked around was the amount of wild carrot growing alongside the well tended pathways.
Wild carrot is thought to be the ancestor of our cultivated varieties of carrot. Indeed, the smell is similar, and the stems and flower heads do have a carroty taste.
There is a potential problem with consuming wild carrot, in that it looks similar to the deadly poisonous hemlock. There are enough differences, though, to help us safely differentiate between the two.
For one thing, the smooth-stemmed hemlock grows to a height of six feet or more, while our hairy-stemmed wild carrot reaches a maximum height of only three feet.
And the flowers of wild carrot differ from those of its deadly lookalike, in that they have a few darker centre flowers in the middle of each cluster, or panicle of white ones, whereas hemlock does not.
The carrot even has a rather small and woody carrot shaped root, which is tender enough to eat if harvested from a young plant.
On more mature plants this becomes woody and inedible. Because it still has a fine flavour it was once added to soups and stews before being discarded when cooking was complete.
Another name for the wild carrot is the bird's nest plant. This comes from the shape assumed by the ripening seed clusters - when you see them you will understand why.
The seeds have long been used to treat just about every disorder suffered by the human family. They do have a strongly medicinal taste. Save them for winter and enjoy them in tea.
There is much more to enjoy in Clogher. Best of all, there is yet plenty of room in a world most have forgotten.