Friday morning sees us negotiate the late morning London traffic on our way north to Chester. Six and a half hours later we arrive at Olly and Sheren’s in Christleton and it’s a quick hello then a drive into Chester where we celebrate Olly’s good news with a cocktail. Then to our go to restaurant The Olive Tree and a couple more cocktails in a great little bar attached to Olly’s tailor’s shop then a wander home along the canal in the evening sun. A great start to our holiday and hopefully the last of the traffic jams. At least for a week.
Saturday we don’t see Olly as he has a coach to catch to Wembley (sorry Olly) but we briefly see Sheren before driving up the Wirral to Birkenhead. With a great view across the Mersey to Liverpool including the new Everton stadium we board the ferry and hang out in our luxurious cabin with the odd wander along the decks and watch the Cup Final (sorry Olly). Beautiful weather and a calm sea sees us glide into Belfast where we disembark and drive to Veronique and Barry’s beautiful house near QUB. We chat away over dinner and drinks until time for bed.
Sunday is another glorious day. I’ll stop writing that as every day this holiday was gloriously sunny. After a slow breakfast Debbie and I wander around and laze about the botanical gardens before going into the Ulster museum and seeing the display about the Troubles. Just to remind us that Ireland’s history is not far away despite the peacefulness of today. After a lovely walk along the river with our hosts and their dog we then walk into town for a lovely Asian meal and drinks in a couple of pubs and traditional Irish folk music played by enthusiastic youngsters who just seem to turn up and play. We chat with various folk who Barry knows before an interesting taxi ride home with Bobby Apples. A great night.
After breakfast we say our goodbyes and drive to Larne and then up the beautiful coast road which is mainly right next to the sea. With the occasional rise above the cliffs just to give us a decent view of the coastline and a couple of detours inland into the Glens of Antrim we enjoy views across the sea to Scotland and the Isle of Islay and the Mull of Kintyre. We stop off to clamber around Dunseverick Castle ruins which is deserted then on to the not so deserted Giant’s Causeway which is still impressive to clamber over and also the big stacks that are still in the cliffs which go up like cathedral organ pipes. After a meal consisting mainly of different types of hummus in the pub (£10 off if you park for £10 in their car park) we go on to Port Rush and check into our B&B hosted by the interestingly attired Timothy. We while away the late afternoon on the beach where I take a dip, it’s damn cold, then wander around the harbour and up to Ramore Head whilst the sun starts dipping down.
Tuesday we think we’ve caught the sun yesterday on the beach but not burnt just reddened a little. After breakfast we drive west stopping for a stroll along the long and deserted Downhill Beach. What a gem. It’s hotting up, which I won’t tell you about for future days. At Magilligan Point we chat to a school bus driver from Derry who tells me the history of The Walled City and how to avoid banshees, and why I should. Too late as I saw them in 1978 with Siouxsie Sioux. We then get the ferry to Greencastle and we’re now in the Republic on the Inishowen peninsula where we’ll spend the next few days. We drive through beautiful countryside to the most northerly point in Ireland at Malin Head where we picnic overlooking the sea and the white stone words of 80 EIRE indicating planes in WW2 were over neutral Ireland and not over the UK. Then it’s southward to just past Dunaff where we settle into our lovely thatched cottage at Tir na Sligo. It’s set on its own with various interesting outhouses. The countryside has a lot of derelict cottages which I assume are too small and damp for modern tastes as most of the housed are bespoke and large. Where cottages are renovated they are whitewashed with the doors and stonework around the windows picked out one bright colour, red, green, yellow and blue seem to be favourites. They are all thatched and our cottage instructions say to just use the turf fuel provided and not to put sticks or paper in the fire in case lit pieces go up the chimney and down onto the dry thatch. I wonder how cottages in England cope with that risk. After dinner we sit outside supping wine in the balmy evening air until gone 10.30 when it’s still light as day simply drinking in the view of the mountains and watching the swifts as they fly acrobatically around us and the fields. A few crows in a flock don’t seem to worry them neither the odd seagull passing by.
Wednesday has a bit of cloud over the mountains to the east of us but it is soon burnt off by the sun. It’s our first real day of rest and after a very lazy breakfast and a bit of reading in and around the house we wander down to the rocky shore for more lazing around reading and snacking on crisps. Blissful. On our way back we chat to a couple of locals including a slow cyclist and his dog. Needless to say that everyone we meet is very friendly. Nearly everywhere we stop if there’s someone there too then we’ll get chatting whether they are very local or just up for a few day’s relaxation from Derry which many are from. It’s easy to dream of this way of life and in some ways I envy the locals but there again I do wonder if I’d want everyone around to know all my business which they must do in such a small community. Each to their own and it’s lovely to visit such a place like this. With the heat of the day and needing some forgotten supplies we drive over the magnificent Gap of Mamore with it’s spectacular views back to where we are staying, it’s hairpin bends, it’s magic road and the shrine at the top which was unexpected although I guess predictable. On to Buncrana which is the nearest town but less than 10 miles away. We wander around and it’s a pleasant enough place but seems to lack grocery stores. There are a lot of rainbow pride flags, as we’ve seen in other places, and a beautiful mural. The churches seem to have embraced pride too which seems to be a big departure from what I probably prejudicially would expect. I guess Ireland has progressed socially a long way since I first came here in the 1980s. There are loads of bars here too, as there are in all towns and villages, indeed you wonder how they can survive. I guess the Irish drink a lot. We can’t as I’m driving and apparently the drink drive laws are very strict even out in the sticks. We drop by Dunree Head and fort but as the car park closes at 6 we loiter only a short while before going home for food, drinks and as it gets dark to watch The Banshees of Inisherin which is in of itself a dark little tale.
Thursday we decide on a little excursion to the bit of coast opposite us to the west. It’s up over the Mamore Gap and test that the magic road works in both directions. It’s a bit like the cyclist’s false flat (I’m talking inner tubes here) speaking of which we’ve seen precious few so far. Today is very different as at times we can’t move for them. Literally. We see a tandem approaching the bottom of the Gap as we go up it so good luck with that you two heroes. On to Buncrana again to catch the Lough Swilly ferry (yes, of course someone has covered up the S on a life buoy) across to Rathmullin. There are a peloton of cyclists (collective name) crossing with us who seem to be in an organised cycling group but don’t all cycle together. Therefore not a peloton once off the ferry to be strict about the definition. Anyway, we faff about in Rathmullin and then find ourselves behind the cyclists all the way up to Fanad Head and it’s lighthouse tea room. We lunch in the lee of the wall and by the time we finish most of the cyclists have reached us. Impressive given the terrain but I guess Debbie and myself do a fair bit of meandering indeed went inland to Glenvar over the hills and up into the moors to the west coast. A lot of the high points are flat moors very much like Dartmoor or Exmoor but with bigger mountains around. We go back down the east coast stopping off at Portsalon then going further along the beach to Ballymastocker beach and sit in the dunes. Another long magnificent and near deserted beach. If the weather was always this good and the sea was warm the dunes would be dug up for hotels, bars and night clubs so perhaps good that the weather can often be wet and windy and the sea is freezing cold. We follow the coast road south passing the tandem, Chapeau!, going back through Ramelton / Rathmelton and into Inishowen at Letterkenny which is a typical looking town with lots of bars and seems to be thriving. Main roads home where Debbie cooks a lovely meal and we catch the last warmth of the sun in our suntrap stone table and benches. Gonna miss that mountain view and the swifts. It’s chillier tonight so we cosy up inside reading next to the turf fuel fire.
Friday is our last full day. It was a windy night but calm this morning and no cloud on the mountains just a few wisps in the sky. We drive to the nearby Glenevin waterfall reached by a short and shady path. Just the thing when it’s so hot out. We visit the Clonmany stores and post office, but not the many bars, before going on to our nearest beach at Leenan. To repeat myself, long, glorious and empty. I chat with a couple of blokes who have paddle boards, joke about the sea temperature and then how it’s fashionable to go cold water swimming which as one points out was just plain swimming to us back in the day. I do go for a dip and although hardly warm it is bearable for a little while before I feel my bones chilling. Refreshing though, as they say. I soon dry in the sun and although late afternoon we’re getting fried and there’s no shade so after our picnic so we head back home. After a hearty meal we walk round to the local bar which isn’t open in the week. Cis Farren’s Bar is pretty busy with a serious looking darts match in progress. It’s well stocked but I plumb for Guinness and Debbie her usual G&T. We chat to the woman running the bar then another woman comes over to ask if I’m called Jim. Trying to work out where I know her from she explains that she’s Gwen who I’ve messaged about the cottage as she manages it. We have a good natter then she goes back to her husband and friends. I ask the bar woman to buy drinks for Gwen and Brian as thanks for the stay. Then they buy us ones in return so it’s a few pints all in all. I have a chat with Brian, in the toilet as is the way with blokes, then out in the bar. We say our goodbyes to new friends and wander back home for a final G&T sitting in the late evening breeze listening to the sheep baaing and the cows lowing. An enjoyable last night of a thoroughly enjoyable stay.
Saturday sees us pack up and leave bang on noon. We stop off at the round stone fort of Grianan Of Aileach where we have magnificent views all around and over Lough Swilly and Inch island. Then into Derry which we drive into and decide to park outside the walls. We happened to have parked in the Bogside next to the nationalist mural of Che Guevara who’s last surname was Lynch as Irish blood in him. We walk up to the walls and as I looked down from the walls over Bogside I did wonder about the risk of parking a distinctive looking Mini with mainland plates which has Union Jack themed back lights. There again as everyone’s been so welcoming to us and there are numerous walking tours of the area I’m pretty sure it won’t be torched. Not sure my insurance covers acts of terrorism. Of course my brief worry was groundless and again maybe I’m still thinking back to the 1980s. We walk round the walls which are fascinating both for the long ago history and the more recent. In St Columb's Cathedral we have a personally guided tour of the museum by an enthusiastic and I suspect underemployed member of the church. Although much is obviously protestant he’s very keen to point out that all religions are pretty similar which is interesting. We wander further on thinking of lunch and as it starts to spit with rain (only a few drops which soon stops) we happen upon the Castle Street Social that serves a wide selection of vegan and gluten free meals. Delicious and reasonably priced it’s a great find. We walk back to the car, unscathed of course, and drive towards Belfast along the scenic route stopping off at a smallish natural inland lough for a walk in the heat of the day. As we’ve time we meander and stop off at a couple of villages before getting to Belfast port in plenty of time. Early on the ferry we relax in our deluxe cabin and fall asleep as the ferry gently bobs along in the Irish Sea.
Rudely woken at 5.45 by the loud speaker telling us that breakfast is served we’re nearing the mouth of the Mersey and by 7 we’re disembarked. We stop off for a quick drive around Port Sunlight where I came countless times for work and then it’s the long haul home M53, M56, M6 (not toll), M42, M40, M25, M4, Earls Court, home. Just so you know. Motorway and London traffic is a shock after a week of having Irish drivers stop politely in single track roads to let you through first. But we’re back home which is nice enough albeit a hot sultry close day and hoping the forecast rain comes sooner rather than later to clear the air. So a lovely holiday and whilst I’m not sure we’ll revisit Inishowen, maybe it was the Guinness talking in Cis Farren’s Bar, I’d love to visit the mid west around Galway which is meant to be beautiful. If more beautiful then Donegal then it’s a must.
Yes there's a lot of photos but it's difficult to strip any out. You will have to guess which beach or place they all are. Which may be difficult as they are not in any sort of order.
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