by YAAAAAYAYAYAYAYAYAY!
GOD today was SO COOL. Ireland with the fantastic weather and clouds AGAIN! My dad’s Irish family are assholes from top to bottom, but maybe the fatherland has recognized I’m here and shown me a good time? Whatever is going on, it was the perfect day for perfect weather.
The route today is known as the Inishowen 100, a scenic drive along the coast of the Inishowen Peninsula. It’s part of what Ireland’s tourism board has decided to call the Wild Atlantic Way, a coastal route that traces the entire western edge of Ireland.
Clouds Are Cool (still)
Yeah, listen, Ireland has stepped up the cloud game on this trip and IT IS FUCKING AWESOME. I don’t care, I stopped and ogled clouds, and took pics of the clouds. You know why? Because
So here are a bunch of kick-ass looking clouds from today:
This one line of clouds off in the distance was so cool, I had to do a manual panorama shot to get all of it in the frame. You can’t zoom on my camera’s panorama feature, but I have Microsoft software that will stitch together multiple photos into one single pic.
Also, at one point a line of storm clouds marched across my path, but luckily they were headed their own way and didn’t end up threatening much of my trip.
Is Bluery A Word? Like Greenery?
Okay, so, that was a lot of clouds. Sorry not sorry. But this was a coastal drive, so there were also a bunch of awesome coves and lighthouses and beach spots. And often there were fields with sheep and cattle grazing right up to the cliff’s edge into the water. Gorgeous.
Seriously though, this one beach was absolutely gorgeous. You can see in most of these pictures how crystal clear and stunning the shades of blue the water is. So I took a video of the waves rolling in and once again just stood on the beach and soaked in the scene. Well. I stood on these really cool rocks. Not the sand. Gross.
Top Of The World
Malin’s Head is the northern-most point in all of Ireland, so I of course had to go see it. You drive out to the point on a single-lane road and park in the tiny little ten-car parking lot. There are a few different trail options to go out onto the peninsula and take in the views. The northern-most view is actually kinda boring. It’s fine. It’s some coastline and the North Atlantic.
But the really cool part was the walk out to Hells Hole, and a little beyond. The official trail ends just before Hells Hole, this slash in the cliffside where the waves rush in violently. I did not have the necessary footwear to attempt a better view into Hells Hole.
But I did then proceed off the official trail onto the footpath (which you are warned is precariously close to various cliff’s edges and to proceed with caution) and continued onward to the best part of the day (and one of the best parts of this entire trip).
The path went on to the final plateau looking out over the coolest jagged rocks and perilous cliffs I’ve ever seen up close. I’m once again at a loss of words for just how cool it was. And the best part was, at 4PM in the afternoon on a Saturday, I was somehow entirely alone at this farthest reach of Ireland. So I just stood there for about a half an hour, listening to the waves, taking pictures, and just soaking in the majesty of my surroundings. I got a little sunburned actually.
I mentioned yesterday that I get annoyed when there are people or human-made things in my photos. The Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge was awesome, but there were 50 other people there all chattering and exclaiming about the experience. Which is fine, I’m not totally a misanthrope. But the absolute silence of this moment at the apex of Ireland with just the wind and the waves was something else entirely. I fucking loved it.
Mind The Gap
Heading back to the hotel in Belfast, I ended up driving through the Mamore Gap, a little highway through some mountains. The road signs said the road was closed for construction, but I checked Google Maps and the way around was several more hours. So I drove on, hoping I’d somehow luck out. And I did! The traffic cones were all stacked to the side of the road and parts of the switchbacks looked freshly paved. Success!
Road Sheep
At some point the farmers of UK & Ireland really should just tear down the ugly fences on the sides of the road, since they don’t seem to stop the sheep from breaking free and crossing the road at least every other day of my drives. But no real complaints, they are adorable.
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