After waking in Sligo we hit the breakfast buffet and quickly fueled ourselves for a new day. Arriving at the car we discovered I had inadvertently parked under the local flock of birds' favorite tree and found the car dotted with their calling cards. Following a good windshield cleaning and refueling on the car we drove to Lough Gill. Arriving at the lough we found dense woods, along with a large rock formation named Dooney Rock to explore. After our short hike we were back in the car again and made our way up Donegal Bay through Yeats country, passing the ever present and uniquely recognizable Ben Bulben mountain. First noticing Ben Bulben in the distance as we arrived in County Sligo the previous day, we found the grand mountain would be a companion for much of our visit to the Irish northwestern coast. As we arrived at Boa Island we saw a sign for Caldwell Castle and decided to investigate. Parking in a lot surrounded by lush forest, we followed the footpath through the dense growth. After a several minutes of hiking we arrived at the castle and were surprised to find it almost completely concealed beneath a thick carpet of foliage. Signs surrounding the castle indicated the ruins were on the verge of collapse save the dense growth holding the castle together. Soon we arrived on Boa Island and although the sky was blue and the landscape lush, we were disappointed to be unable to locate the ancient Janus stones that dot an old cemetery, so we continued our journey north into County Donegal.
Donegal is a short trip from Boa Island but our next destination lay far beyond the city. After passing by Donegal Town we navigated west along Donegal Bay's northern coast, passing alternating views of coastline and the large fingers of land that point into the bay at regular intervals. Beyond the town of Killibegs the landscape became more rugged as we neared our goal, the Slieve League. Passing through Teelin, we soon arrived at the lower parking lot and decided to stop there and make the mile hike up the craggy coast on foot to Europe's tallest seaside cliff. Along the way we found ponds, bogs and lakes dotting the rugged landscape and many herds of sheep grazing along the way. As we neared the top of the road we found an old military watchtower, now abandoned, on a lower seemingly isolated level of the cliff. We then arrived at the Slieve League, whose cliffs rise 2000' from sea to the top and follows the coast for several hours' hike. We met some fellow visitors who described the ridge's trail as taking six to eight hours to complete. They informed us that at one point the trail on the high, rocky ridge, named "One Man Pass", is too narrow for two hikers to pass each other. Kate and I chose the short, wide trail up the the ridge's beginning and stopped on the way up for our picnic lunch. Following lunch we continued our upward hike and were amazed as the blue water and sky seem to mix into one as we gazed down on Donegal Bay, with County Mayo and the Atlantic Ocean in the distance. This was literally one of the high points of our trip. We then made our way back down to the road, which we followed back to the car, then drove back to Donegal Town.
Arriving in Donegal we were lucky to quickly find an afternoon parking spot in this bustling town. We parked and headed into the city, arriving at town center first, we then browsed through some shops and eventually found a cafe for afternoon tea. Once refreshed, we moved to Donegal Castle and explored the castle ruins and grounds first before moving into the renovated main structure. Kate decided the furnished castle would easily accomodate her, and was pleased with the location as well. Leaving no stone unturned during our tour of the castle, we made our way back to the car to locate our night's lodging. We quickly found our B&B on the outskirts of town and took a brief respit before returning to town for dinner and further exploration. Our hostess explained how her B&B occupies their family farm, although still a working farm, is not as active as it had been. The farm still had livestock and limited planting, was only a fraction of what it had been.
Returning to town we conducted short search for dinner. Forgoing the aptly named Shamrock Chinese, we instead settled on a pleasant bistro and soon we were enjoying a satisfying meal. With dinner and desert finished we hit the streets and strolled past churches, clubs and boutiques in the neighborhoods before arriving at town center once more. We then found a quiet pub to enjoy a pint before returning to our room. On our drive back we spied a unique neighborhood and decided to investigate before returning to our nights' accomodations. This particular neighborhood was surrounded by a large lough and had many large, stately homes and an old stone ruin of what seemed an ancient plantation. With our curiosity satiated we returned to our room where a good night's sleep awaited us.
To see the rest of the pictures go HERE.
Donegal is a short trip from Boa Island but our next destination lay far beyond the city. After passing by Donegal Town we navigated west along Donegal Bay's northern coast, passing alternating views of coastline and the large fingers of land that point into the bay at regular intervals. Beyond the town of Killibegs the landscape became more rugged as we neared our goal, the Slieve League. Passing through Teelin, we soon arrived at the lower parking lot and decided to stop there and make the mile hike up the craggy coast on foot to Europe's tallest seaside cliff. Along the way we found ponds, bogs and lakes dotting the rugged landscape and many herds of sheep grazing along the way. As we neared the top of the road we found an old military watchtower, now abandoned, on a lower seemingly isolated level of the cliff. We then arrived at the Slieve League, whose cliffs rise 2000' from sea to the top and follows the coast for several hours' hike. We met some fellow visitors who described the ridge's trail as taking six to eight hours to complete. They informed us that at one point the trail on the high, rocky ridge, named "One Man Pass", is too narrow for two hikers to pass each other. Kate and I chose the short, wide trail up the the ridge's beginning and stopped on the way up for our picnic lunch. Following lunch we continued our upward hike and were amazed as the blue water and sky seem to mix into one as we gazed down on Donegal Bay, with County Mayo and the Atlantic Ocean in the distance. This was literally one of the high points of our trip. We then made our way back down to the road, which we followed back to the car, then drove back to Donegal Town.
Arriving in Donegal we were lucky to quickly find an afternoon parking spot in this bustling town. We parked and headed into the city, arriving at town center first, we then browsed through some shops and eventually found a cafe for afternoon tea. Once refreshed, we moved to Donegal Castle and explored the castle ruins and grounds first before moving into the renovated main structure. Kate decided the furnished castle would easily accomodate her, and was pleased with the location as well. Leaving no stone unturned during our tour of the castle, we made our way back to the car to locate our night's lodging. We quickly found our B&B on the outskirts of town and took a brief respit before returning to town for dinner and further exploration. Our hostess explained how her B&B occupies their family farm, although still a working farm, is not as active as it had been. The farm still had livestock and limited planting, was only a fraction of what it had been.
Returning to town we conducted short search for dinner. Forgoing the aptly named Shamrock Chinese, we instead settled on a pleasant bistro and soon we were enjoying a satisfying meal. With dinner and desert finished we hit the streets and strolled past churches, clubs and boutiques in the neighborhoods before arriving at town center once more. We then found a quiet pub to enjoy a pint before returning to our room. On our drive back we spied a unique neighborhood and decided to investigate before returning to our nights' accomodations. This particular neighborhood was surrounded by a large lough and had many large, stately homes and an old stone ruin of what seemed an ancient plantation. With our curiosity satiated we returned to our room where a good night's sleep awaited us.
To see the rest of the pictures go HERE.
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