We took ourselves off to Waterford City on Saturday morning to seek out the Street Art Festival but, with promises of a bit of sunshine and no rain, we drove on another 13km to Tramore Strand.
Well named, Tramore literally means Big Strand. Stretching around the bay for 5 kms, the beach is one of the most popular resorts in the southeast.
Alas, that promise of sunshine was exaggerated and the weather didn’t allow for lingering so we left the sun chairs in the car (well you never know…) and settled on a walk instead. There was no sense of the end of season in the resort though – the place was buzzing! Of course, the beach is huge so plenty of room for everyone!
Eyes left towards Brownstown Head…
If only that cloud would lift…..
Eyes right – a bit of sunshine brightening up the town and Newtown Head
The bay can be treacherous – in 1816, 363 men, women and children perished when the merchant ship Seahorse sank here. After the tragedy, the ship’s insurers, Lloyd’s of London, funded the erection of three pillars on Newtown Head and two on Brownstown Head as visual aids to help prevent further disasters.
Lots of grey stones banking up the back of the beach….
…except they’re not all grey of course….
There is another strand at the back. The estuary there is very good for beach angling.
The surf schools were doing a thriving business-
Never too young….
Yep – reminds me of me!!!
The wall offers great shelter for families…
….not too many in swimming though ….
There’s a fine promenade if you’d rather stay away from the sand…
Its warm enough for an ice cream…
….but we settle for coffee and toasties….
You can hang around and enjoy all the fun of the fair…
…or go for a cliff walk out towards Newtown Head..
Remember the three pillars at the end of the headland? On one of them stands the famous Metal Man. This three metre tall cast-metal sailor points out to sea. He is said to warn sailors away from the shallow waters by calling out:
Keep off, keep off
good ship from me
for I am the rock of misery.
Finally, it is also said, that if a woman hops backwards around the base of his pillar three times on one bare foot she will be married within a year!!!
