What keeps the grass so green in Ireland is the rain and the west coast gets a lot of it. So, I knew that there would be time for us to get wet.

It was quite cold and rainy day when we entered the Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry, once described by National Geographic as ‘the most beautiful place on earth’. As we were climbing a winding road to the Slea Head and then to cross over the Conor Pass at about 400 metres above the sea level, the views disappeared. They must have been glorious, so we missed a lot. But, as nice it would have been to pass through this ancient landscape on a bright sunny day, driving through it in a drizzle and low clouds provided a very different experience – trilling and a bit intimidating.

Steep rocks on one side and the awareness of a downhill on the other. Limited visibility. The winding road sometimes so narrow where two cars cannot pass. A few sheep here and there.

A gloomy mood would be the only thing with which I could compare this incomparable drive. But the weather has actually added to the experience rather than taken away from it.