Not a particularly good sleep. Heavy rain was noisy but worse the car rally has attracted the boy racers idiots. They were reving engines and wheel spinning in the FLTs car park till at least 3am and restarted before 8am. Apparently it's one of the biggest tarmac based rallies in Europe.
Weather today seems a lot more Irish, i.e. rain and drizzle. I left after 10am and almost immediately hit a road closure with friendly Guarda. The Knockdara Peninsula was effectively closed for the rally so I had to back track and rejoined the Wild Atlantic Way further along and near Carrickart. Took the windy single track Atlantic Drive to see great views off Ross Goil and over Dooey Beach.
A feature of the main Wild Atlantic Way route is the signage that keeps tempting you to disappear down some odd side road off to who knows where. The results can be great, if you can brave the uneven hilly twisted single tracks. A great example was the old watch tower at Horn Head dating back (as do most) to Napoleonic times. Often similar locations had coastal watch huts commissioned for WWII. Yet more walking over peaty cliffs. At least the rain stopped and it's a lot more comfortable clambering around without the sun. On a clearer day some views could be amazing.
Resuming my travels this area has been infested by the boy racers. Almost every big and small road junction has evidence of donuts. Indeed whilst walking Horn Head on the next hill you could both hear the screaming engines and see tell tale clouds of tyre smoke. The rally comes through this area on Sunday (I should be well clear), and clearly the sacrificed tyres are an important message.
I'm getting nowhere fast. On the single track third gear (of six) is high and even many of the R roads will only see 40mph as progress is interrupted by bends and stuff. These are turning into very long driving days.
The countryside both opened up but started to be hemmed by low mountains in the distance as the route started to turn southward. There was even a random set of standing stones by the over grandly named Donegal Airport.
After Ardura the route becomes more hilly and narrow as a pass leads up from Ballycashel through tight hairpins. It then passes through some very open and wild country with limited habitation, just as the heavens opened from a mega thunder and lightning display.
Just after 6pm I pulled up for the night at a great FLT spot of Malin Beg, albeit that the tarmac parking area has a fair slope. Somewhere down there is Silver Strand (Strand is often a meaning for beach), but in the rain I'm not climbing down the steps. There is even a waterfall in the distance.
Weather today seems a lot more Irish, i.e. rain and drizzle. I left after 10am and almost immediately hit a road closure with friendly Guarda. The Knockdara Peninsula was effectively closed for the rally so I had to back track and rejoined the Wild Atlantic Way further along and near Carrickart. Took the windy single track Atlantic Drive to see great views off Ross Goil and over Dooey Beach.
A feature of the main Wild Atlantic Way route is the signage that keeps tempting you to disappear down some odd side road off to who knows where. The results can be great, if you can brave the uneven hilly twisted single tracks. A great example was the old watch tower at Horn Head dating back (as do most) to Napoleonic times. Often similar locations had coastal watch huts commissioned for WWII. Yet more walking over peaty cliffs. At least the rain stopped and it's a lot more comfortable clambering around without the sun. On a clearer day some views could be amazing.
Resuming my travels this area has been infested by the boy racers. Almost every big and small road junction has evidence of donuts. Indeed whilst walking Horn Head on the next hill you could both hear the screaming engines and see tell tale clouds of tyre smoke. The rally comes through this area on Sunday (I should be well clear), and clearly the sacrificed tyres are an important message.
I'm getting nowhere fast. On the single track third gear (of six) is high and even many of the R roads will only see 40mph as progress is interrupted by bends and stuff. These are turning into very long driving days.
The countryside both opened up but started to be hemmed by low mountains in the distance as the route started to turn southward. There was even a random set of standing stones by the over grandly named Donegal Airport.
After Ardura the route becomes more hilly and narrow as a pass leads up from Ballycashel through tight hairpins. It then passes through some very open and wild country with limited habitation, just as the heavens opened from a mega thunder and lightning display.
Just after 6pm I pulled up for the night at a great FLT spot of Malin Beg, albeit that the tarmac parking area has a fair slope. Somewhere down there is Silver Strand (Strand is often a meaning for beach), but in the rain I'm not climbing down the steps. There is even a waterfall in the distance.
