On Thursday we packed lunches and headed out for a walk up Sky Road. It turned out to be a nice walk in the countryside, but not what we were expecting. We also learned that we've been spoiled by the shore walk here in Moville, where we can walk peacefully at the water's edge without dodging lunatics behind the wheels of cars and large trucks. The traffic along the Sky Road really made the experience less pleasant than it otherwise would have been--and we were there after tourist season. I can only imagine how bad it would be during the height of the season. In spite of the traffic, it was a good walk.
We passed many animals living near the edge.
There were a couple of castles around.
At the top there is a small area with a couple of benches, a couple of picnic tables, an information board, and a sign to let you know where you are--the wavy design on top is the logo for the Wild Atlantic Way (WAW). We lived along the Wild Atlantic Way in Killybegs and do again here, and there we were on a different part of the route this time.
We ate our lunch up there and after we'd finished, a van pulled up and the tourists tumbled out. 'Where you from?' one guy asked in a southern US accent. 'Moville,' I started, planning to add that this is in Co Donegal. He cut me off with, 'Mobile?!?' 'No,' I said, 'MoVille, in County Donegal.' 'Oh,' he said, laughing, 'I had you pegged as from Alabama.' 'Nnnnoooo,' I said. The tour guide started talking about how beautiful Donegal is and compared Slieve League to Cliffs of Moher, where the group had been the day before. Slieve League is better, in his opinion. Cliffs of Moher have been given the tourist trap treatment and for me that makes them less appealing anyway. But that has not happened to Slieve League yet although it may. That truly is a spectacular place--highest sea cliffs in Europe and an amazingly beautiful spot.
Anyway, they had less than 10 minutes to look and take whatever photos they wanted before the tour guide hustled them back into their van and drove them away. we stayed up there for a few more minutes and then started the 4 mile walk back to the apartment.
I seemed to notice the plants more on the way down.
The owner of this B&B thought up a clever sign--this is across the street from the sheep and castle pictured above.
Nice view of town on the way down, in spite of the haze--the mountains are quite spectacular. the tourist info highlights the fact that Sky Road is coastal, but for me, this was the most breathtaking view on the walk.
After our walk we went back to the apartment and put our feet up. I finished the book I was reading and left it on the pile that was already there. The next morning we gathered our stuff and caught the 9:15 bus to Galway to begin our journey home. It was a lovely few days and we are glad we went. One thing about being there was how much it made me appreciate my own little patch of the planet in Moville. There's no place like home!
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