Sunday, 23 June 2019

Stage 32: 23/24 June 2019: Portnoo/Naran to Ardara – total mileage over 2 days, 42 km (or 26.3 miles)

Running around Ireland - strictly by the coast - and once a month since Feb 2017.

"The echo of your fiddle lingers on the breath of the wind." (inscription on 'Fiddler' statue in Ardara)

With other commitments on Saturday, this time the stages were on a Sunday and (a very short one ) on Monday. Once again, I had Maureen and Brian to keep me company on the long journey from Bangor to Donegal. I decided I would do a long tough 32k Stage (Portnoo to Ardara) on the Sunday and leave a short 9k run (from Ardara out to Loughros Point) for Monday morning.
Portnoo - or to be more exact, Naran.



So I started where I finished in May at the beautiful beach in Portnoo and headed west towards Dunmore Head. (btw Dunmore is the same name of my mother’s home village in Co. Galway. My mother would think I was totally mad running around the coast!).
Another gate to climb over!
This was a really tough (and rough) stage. The trouble with going off-road in this country is that you can never really depend on the coastal path.  One minute you’re running along a nice trail and next moment you turn a corner, the path has disappeared, faded away or you have to climb over a barb-wire fence. Having said that, it’s always great when you come across a nice remote sandy beach that few people have made the effort to discover! 
Near Portnoo Pier

A wee castle at Portnoo Pier
Anyway, heading west from Portnoo/Naran, I soon came to Portnoo Pier. There were beautiful views across Gweebarra Bay and to nearby Inishkeel island. (last time with the the low tide I was able to to reach the island.)

From Portnoo Pier I continued along a very narrow and grassy path but soon the path disappeared and suddenly I came to a fence which I climbed over. I was pleasantly surprised that the coastal path seemed to continue for a mile or two after that. I had planned to stick by the coast and circle Dunmore Hill but what I didn’t realise was, that the hill came almost all the way down to the sea. 

Following the sheep up Dunmore Hill
I ended up having to climb Dunmore Hill. Still the views are amazing and I’m now quite close to the island of Roaninish which I can clearly see stretching out in the sea in front of me. (apparently there’s a lovely film made about Roaninish called ‘The Secret of Roan Inish’) I slowly descend Dunmore Hill and  soon get close to the coast again. 

Dunmore Hill
Eventually in the distance I could see a rough rocky beach and I spotted a trail at the end, which I knew, would bring me up to the main country road by Kiltooris Lough.
I passed the Lough on my left side (which apparently has a good stock of trout!). At the other end of the Lough is O’Boyles Island. 

I realise I’m not too far either from O’Boyles Fort (built on an island in the middle of Doon Lough) which was the scene of the murder of Conor O’Boyle, killed by a rival family member in 1530 (better not tell my son Conor about this!)

Anyway, I keep running west along this road until I came to a right turn which takes me down towards Dawros Head at the western end of this peninsula. Eventually the road comes to an abrupt end and I climb over a gate and head left/south, cross-country towards the coast. 

Near Dawros -always nice to see a stile



I follow this coastline and it’s hit or miss again for the next four or five miles with a mixture of nice coves, beaches, bog-land and lots of sheep! Soon I come to the lovely Trawmore beach and afterwards a longer and even nicer beach, Ballinreavy strand.
Ballinreavy Strand
 At this stage I’m getting hungry – it’s a long time ago since I had breakfast in Bangor (about 5.30am) but even more urgently I need a drink – I'm so thirsty now! I realise it’s 2.00 and the Ulster Football Final had just kicked off (Donegal beat Cavan, I hear later!) so another reason why there’s nobody about today!
After leaving Ballinreavy beach there’s a lovely path through sand dunes. I’m running along here when I spot two couples walking. I stop to ask them for a drink and almost devour their supply. One of the men seems to recognise me and it turns out I had met him briefly in Portnoo when I was there in May. He is Philip McDonough’s brother! Philip ran with me during Stages 30 and 31. These things only happen in Ireland where everyone knows someone who knows you!
With Stephen McDonough

and cousins!
I continue along the dunes and realise now that I’m running in an area called Sheskinmore which is one of the most important Nature Reserves in Ireland. I eventually get down on the shore again as the tide is almost at its lowest but I made the mistake of following the coast too far and missed the country lane up from the beach just before Ardara. I ended up tramping through a muddy beach and fields and finally and arrived on the country lane about 3km NW from Ardara. At this stage I was fading and needed sustenance. I stopped at the first shop (a Service Station) just outside Ardara and purchased a banana and yorkie bar. I slowly made my way into Ardara, exhausted after today's run!

John the fiddler welcomed me to Ardara
That evening Maureen, Brian and I went to visit Maureen’s cousins (Cathal and Sarah) who live in Meenacross (unfortunately they were away when I ran passed their house during Stage 30 last month). On the way to their house this evening we spotted one or two bonfires. Of course it’s St. John’s Night – 23rd June – an old Irish custom that’s still remembered in this part of the world. 
With Cathal and Sarah at Meenacross.
Cathal and Sarah serve up a beautiful pasta dinner and we have a wonderful evening. The expression ‘eating you out of house and home’ was never so apt this evening as I tucked into all four courses! We runners like to call it 'refuelling'!

Ardara and the fiddler on the road: Ardara is indeed a nice place and was voted best village to live in 2012 by the Irish Times. There’s a lovely little statue in the centre of the town dedicated to a fiddler, called John Doherty (see picture). Doherty (c1900-1980) was a Donegal fiddler from a long line of travelling tinsmiths, horse traders and musicians. His forbears are thought to have been in the service of the O’Donnells, one of the most powerful Donegal families, who fled their home at Castle Doe in 1607 during the Flight of the Earls.
Leaving Ardara 


Ardara to end of peninsula at Loughros Point  (Part B of Stage 32)

The following morning (Monday) was more relaxing. I decided that I would run out to Loughros Point (about 9k) which is the most westerly point from Ardara. Maureen agreed that she would meet me at the slipway at Loughros Point. I did contemplate trying to ‘rough it’ again along the shore but it didn’t look achievable. (we even checked it out the evening before!) Also, there didn’t seem to be much point in running back the same road again so I agreed (with myself!) it would be a one way run to the end of the peninsula! 






Heading to Loughros


After a wet start to the morning it quickly dried up and turned out to be a nice day. As I got into Loughros peninsula there were beautiful views south across Maghera Strand to the cliffs on the other side (it’s going to be hilly on the next stage!) At one point I could even see in the distance the spectacular Assarnacally Waterfall across the wide strand - something else to look forward to on Stage 33.
A sheep with a view

Looking across to Maghera Strand
Toward the end of the peninsula there was a junction. A sign pointed right to Tra/Strand and left to the Slipway where I had arranged to meet Maureen and Brian. There was small parking area at the slipway but in any case we had the area all to ourselves for the next couple of hours.
Cheeees - says Brian!

Maureen at Loughros Pier/Slipway








At the slipway I convinced Maureen and Brian to climb the grassy hill to the very top of the peninsula at Loughros Point. At the point we spot letters marked by rocks on the grass spelling out the word EIRE. 
Spelling out E I R E at Loughros Point
I had seen similar markings at Malin Head and Melmore Point and these have been here since World War 2 to indicate that Republic of Ireland was a neutral country. 

View from Loughros Point
Today Maureen, Brian and I have this magnificent view all to ourselves with the hills of Donegal stretching out in all directions and Maghera Strand with shrouded cliffs across the bay. Even the great Atlantic Ocean to our west is today, still and peaceful. 



Total distance to date: 1333k (833 miles)  

Next Stages: 3 stages from Ardara to Killybegs (via Glencolmcille and Slieve League): 26/28 July 2019.... and reunited with Helen and Sean who will join me for the first time since Stage 15.
 
Contact Gerry on gerryoboyle@outlook.com or 00 44 (0) 7725613308



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