Stage 16 of Coastal Run: Muff to Culdaff (Inishowen Peninsula, Donegal)
Remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet
(Stephen Hawking RIP 14/3/2018)

Saturday 14 April 2018 (56k or 35miles)

I’m not sure if that Stephen Hawking’s quote above is really a good idea for running. A runner should always look down at their feet and watch what’s ahead, as I discovered today as I was struggling through the rough hills and terrain on Inishowen Head! 

I’m on my own now. Helen and Sean have other adventures going on (some long run in London next weekend!). It was another early start, leaving Bangor at 6.50 and arriving in Muff at just about 9.00am. Definitely no sign of a hard border here, just a big sign that says ‘Welcome to the Wild Atlantic Way’. In reality I’ve already been running along the north shore of the Wild Atlantic since we arrived in Ballycastle back in January (Stage 13)

Me with two new (non-running!) partners - slight resemblance to Sean and Helen.

 Maureen had kindly offered to drive me to Muff and the plan was that we’ll meet later in Culdaff where we’re staying the night. Well, it didn’t quite go as planned but more about that later! So Maureen, Brian and I stop for a quick photo before I start today’s run. It’s the longest Winter I ever remember but it’s a beautiful spring morning today in east Donegal as I begin my coastal journey around the Inishowen Peninsula.



Me and Brian at Derry/Donegal border

 I realise I have to run on a fairly busy road for the first 20k until I reach Moville. At least for most of the way the road is wide and there’s a kind of off-road mud trail that I can run on. As I get near to Quigley’s Point, I’ve got lovely Lough Foyle closely on my right hand side.

It’s about 11.00am as I arrive in Moville (or ‘Bun an Phobail’, which means ‘foot of the Foyle’). I stop to buy a bottle of water and slowly walk through the town.

Moville: Yes I'm definitely in Donegal

 I continue running north and follow the coast road to Greencastle. There’s a lovely coastal walk that takes me off the road at Greencastle (by the way this was the third Greencastle I’ve passed on my coastal journey so far). Back on the road again, it’s quiet but I still decide to head down to the beach at the strangely named, ‘Eleven Ballyboes’. The tide is out fully now so I can run along the strand for a while. I have to come back onto the country road again and after a few miles I arrive at Stroove/Shroove Lighthouse and the beautiful beach at Cornashamma Bay.

Shroove Lighthouse, N.East Inishowen



Cornashamma Bay

 I have a wee (standing) break here in front of the beach and Lighthouse before I tackle the tough climb up the Inishowen Loop.

I get chatting to a German couple who are having a picnic beside their camper van. They tell me they’re doing the Wild Atlantic Way. ‘’So am I’’, I say and explain exactly what I’m doing. They think I’m crazy and suggest that I should get a bicycle!

German tourists doing Wild Atlantic Way

Nearby, I admire the sculpture ‘Sruibh Brain’ (or Sroove Bran) which was coincidently drawn by another German called Holger Lonze. The sculpture depicts a rough sea crossing hundreds of years ago. Apparently this is the exact place where Saint Columba (Colmcille) left Ireland on his way to the island of Iona.  

Drawing by German artist at Cornashamma Bay

  

Inishowen Head and Inishowen Head Loop

It’s a long, tough climb at the beginning of the Inishowen Head Walk (or Loop as its called). I pass a cyclist who says ‘you’ve covered some fair ground today’, which gives me some encouragement. It’s a perfect day for cycling too and I’ve seen quite a lot of cyclists since I left Muff. Eventually the narrow road up the hill turns into a rough trail. It’s so quiet now.

Although I’ve got the sea closely on my right hand side (as always!), I’m at quite a high altitude. There’s no wind, no rain and there’s a pleasant warm sun on my back. The Inishowen Loop itself is a trail that winds its way back down to the Lighthouse, so I have to be careful that I leave the Loop when I get to the top at Glenane Hill. I knew this was going to be a tough manoeuvre (leaving the trail at the right place) but I find the correct narrow path that takes me west over the hills towards Kinnagoe Bay. It’s about 1.15pm now and so far today everything has gone perfectly!

This narrow path I’m running on is getting muddy now and even flooded in parts (after last weeks rain). Eventually the path comes to an end and I have no alternative but to head through the heather, bushes and long grass. It’s a slow process now as I tip-toe my way through this rough terrain. I’m even stumbling too as it’s hard to get a proper footing and my feet are getting quite wet.

Eventually I make my way down closer to the sea towards the top of the cliff. It seems easier to walk here but there are trees near the cliff edge which hinder my progress. I can see Kinnagoe Beach so clearly in the distance now but I’m way up on the cliff top with trees and bushes blocking any advancement. It’s such a steep cliff too and I have to be careful as I struggle along to find my way out. I seem to be trapped up here in the hills, with no clear way ahead!

It’s the first time today that I’ve missed my fellow coastal runners Helen and Sean! I’m sure they would figure a way out.

Kinnagoe Bay seems so close but its so hard to get there!

In the distance I spot a stone wall and when I eventually reach it and climb over it, I see a flock of sheep that start to bleat like crazy at my presence. Yes I’ve finally reached civilization (a farmer’s field) and I can hear dogs barking too at my arrival. I run through a couple of fields and the farmer himself, having heard all the commotion, comes to greet me. He turns out to be a friendly man and explains how to get to Kinnagoe Bay. (I’ve come inland quite a few miles in my attempt to get down off the mountain)            

  

Kinnagoe Bay - La Trinidad Valencera (Spanish Armada)

As I’m running along the coast I’m always conscious of people who’ve come this way before. I’m thinking of those Spanish soldiers who perished (either at sea or later as they arrived inland) in 1588. After a failed battle against the English in a bid to overthrow Elizabeth First and Protestantism, the Spanish Armada fled north along the east coast of England and Scotland and attempted to navigate the north and west of Ireland. Due to extreme bad weather and primitive navigation charts many of the ships crashed against the Irish coast. One of their main ships, La Trinidad Valencera, came into Kinnagoe and sunk here in the bay. It was almost 400 years later before the remains of the ship were eventually discovered in 1971 by members of the City of Derry Sub Aqua Club.

Kinnagoe Bay where Spanish Armada Boat crashed.

It was reported that when Philip II of Spain learned of the disastrous result of the Armada expedition, he declared, "I sent the Armada against men, not God's winds and waves".

Anyway, back to April 2018. Remember the farmer who he had given me directions to Kinnagoe Bay? At this stage I was still exhausted after my earlier exploits in the hills. It now seemed a long way down to Kinnagoe Bay and anyway I had seen enough of that beach from the cliff top. So in my wisdom, after I left the farm, I decided to stay up on a higher road and head directly to Culdaff. This was a big mistake and yes, I could have done with Helen and Sean again at this stage! That higher road I was on was not taking me to Culdaff. It was taking me all the way back to Greencastle! It took me a while to realise this. It wasn’t until I got to high ground that I could see the sea in the distance. Somehow, something looked strange but I carried on anyway. As I got a closer view of the ocean, it looked as if there was another beach across the sea .....and then it dawned on me. That beach across the sea was actually Benone Strand. I was heading downhill towards Greencastle and the Foyle Ferry. It was now 3.00pm, I had run 46k already today and I was back near the spot I had reached at about 12.00 noon earlier. (so just like the Spanish Armada - bad navigation was to blame!)

The road not taken (in fairness there weren't any signs where I needed them most)

I couldn’t believe what had happened. At Kinnagoe Bay I was only 11k from my finish point at Culdaff! I should have been arriving at 3.00pm in Culdaff as originally planned! I decided (eventually) to ring Maureen and she kindly came to meet me in Moville which was only 5k away. I still had some energy left to run the 5k to meet her and Brian there. 


CULDAFF Village Green

Sunday Morning 15 April 7.00am (the day after!)

I suppose the good news was that I was only 11k away from Culdaff when I took that fatal wrong turn yesterday. Maureen, Brian and I were staying the night in Culdaff (with the Lynch’s at Ceecliff B&B) and so on Sunday morning I decided to get up early (before breakfast) to complete the Culdaff-Kinnagoe section of Stage 16. For this one occasion I kept the sea on my left hand side! Maureen and Brian followed me later in the car and we met at Kinnagoe Beach.

Arrived at Kinnagoe Beach - just one day late!

PS.  I was talking to Stephen Mulvenna from North Down AC last week and he was telling me about a run he did called “Running For Rescue”, a one-off charity run/walk for the dual purpose of raising funds and expressing public gratitude to all those who assisted in the search for Dr. Deirdre Donnelly O’Flaherty who went into the sea at Kinnagoe Beach in 2009. It’s such a magical and peaceful place here at Kinnagoe and I’m thinking this morning of Deirdre and her family.  

Total distance to date: 680k or 425miles

Next two stages: Friday 4 May: Culdaff to Ballyliffin and Sat 5 May: Ballyliffin to Buncrana - that will complete the Inishowen Peninsula.    

  

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