I headed first for Glenties,
birth-place of the legendary Jim McGuinness, and home of the current
county champions, Naomh Conaill. The only place open was a
shop/deli/cafe named after a woman whose name I forget, so I entered
hoping to find edible food. There was a hot counter serving various
options, but I asked the woman if I could have tea and a sandwich.
She said “no problem, what do you want in the sandwich”. I
settled for turkey, ham stuffing and cranberry sauce. It turned out
to be about the biggest and best sandwich that I have ever eaten, and
it came with a pot of tea and a plate of home-made chips, all for 6
euro. There was as much turkey and ham in it as you would eat for
your Christmas dinner!
Main Street Glenties
After that I headed for the heritage
town of Ardara, and took the turn for Loughros point. The weather was terrible at this stage, but I took
photos anyhow. I could see Maghera strand across the inlet, but too
far off to photograph through the rain.
View of Ardara
Rocks at Loughros Point
Then I looped around the bay to the
Maghera side to see the beach close-up. This was a disappointment, as
the weather had got even worse, and it was impossible to get a good
viewpoint without getting soaked to the skin, followed by pneumonia,
tuberculossis and other such ailments.
But, I got a good view of Assaranca
Falls, and got a photo which is technically sound, but the lens was
suffering under the weight of a hundred raindrops. That ended the
trip, as night was coming on and the wind was getting stronger.
Part of Maghera Strand on a bad day
Assaranca Falls through a very wet lens
The next day, I took the road to
Donegal Town, and stopped to photograph the castle, which was once
the headquarters of the O'Donnell clan. This clan was, of course, led
by the legendary Red Hugh. He is the subject of the well-known
Donegal song “O'Donnell Abu”, and is famous for his part in the
march to the (losing) battle of Kinsale. He was on the winning side
at the battle of the Yellow Forks in Fermanagh. He is also famous for
his escape from Dublin castle, by crawling through the sewers. He
died suddenly in Spain at the age of 30, and may well have been
poisoned by an agent of the English crown.
The O'Donnell's Castle in Donegal Town
I then headed for Killybegs, but, at
Dunkineely, I took the turn for St. John's Point. I didn't realise
that I had driven part of this road previously, until I saw a sign
for Castlemurray House Hotel and Restaurant. Some of my children may
remember going there for Sunday lunch hundreds of years ago, along
with my mother, who wasn't pleased by the bizarre opening time of
three in the afternoon! The road seems to go on forever, and worsens
as it goes, particularly for the final kilometre or two. The only
worse road that I have ever driven on is in the Monument Valley Park
in Utah, and it is kept that way deliberately by the Navajo Indians
so that tourists will hire them to chauffer them in their bockety
pick-up trucks. The final rough patch is almost worth it for the view
of the lighthouse, but the mud is so deep around it that it's
difficult to get a good vantage point.
St John's point Lighthouse surrounded by deep mud
But, on the way to the lighthouse,
there is an interesting beach, a ruin on a headland and a herd of
miscellaneous and very nosey cattle.
Beach near St. John's Point
Ruin on a headland near St. John's Point
Some inquisitive cattle near St. John's Point
After that, I retraced my route and
went on to Killybegs, where I got a few shots of the fishing fleet
just as the rain was restarting.
A section of the fishing fleet moored in Killybegs
The next stop was at the lovely
Fintragh beach which we visited now and again as children around
1960. Like the other beaches, it was deserted, but there was a lone
runner making his way through the sand dunes above the strand.
Fintragh Strand
After that I traversed Kilcar and
Carrick on the way to Malin More and Trabane Beach, also known as
Silver Strand. The scenery around here is really quite spectacular. I
stopped in Kilcar in search of food, and made a bee-line for a
premises which referred to itself as a tea room and restaurant. On
closer inspection, there was a notice in the window advertising the
fact that it was available for rent, and was now closed, possibly
forever. There was a young man sweeping out a pub on the other side
of the street, but he informed me that the pub, although open, did
not offer sandwiches or any other type of nutrition. But, he
suggested the local Londis, or a drive on to Carrick. Carrick is even
smaller than Kilcar, and has nowhere to eat! So, I repaired to
Londis, bought a sandwich and a cup of hot coffee, and dined in the
car.
Silver Strand is accessed by descending
160 steep steps in a gale-force wind; not as easy as it looks. The
sheep just ignore the steps and walk up and down the steep bank.
Trabane Beach also known as Silver Strand
Sheep may safely graze - high above Silver Strand
After Trabane Beach, I went back
through Malin Beg and Glencolmcille to Carrick, where I took the turn
for Slieve League. The road is surprisingly good; it looks like it
was recently resurfaced. It even has room for two lanes, a rarity in
Donegal for this type of road. Eventually I came to a car park and a
large gate barring the way. But, I opened the gate and continued,
having closed the gate again. Several miles later, I came to the end
of the line and had to park. However, the viewing gallery for the
cliffs is only fifty yards further on. Unfortunately, a fog had
descended on the area, and a large cloud sat on top of the cliffs.
But, I took some photos anyhow, hoping they would be OK, as most
photos of the Golden Gate bridge seem to have fog all over the
bridge. I also managed to climb right to the top of Slieve League.
This takes a bit of effort, but it is paved and has steps most of the
way. On a clear day, the view from the top would be remarkable, but
all I could see was fog and clouds and more fog.
Part of Slieve League from the viewing platform
The view from Slieve League looking back down the climbing path
Gloomy photo of Slieve League in the mist - without the gorillas
Watch this space. Some time in the
future, there may be a part III.
