Polly #2 Loved the Remote Beauty of Slieve League

I knew I should have paid more attention in school!

At least I understand the pictures!

My recent trip to Ireland was with my mother, and Polly #2! My mother had never been there, and had a pretty good idea of  what she wanted to see. First of all, we did an eight day bus tour that took us completely around the island, allowing her to see many of the highlights. After the bus tour is when the real adventure began! As we ended the tour, and said goodbye to our new friends, we rented a car and toured by car for the rest of our trip. I was the driver, and it was quite an experience. My mother wanted to concentrate the rest of our time in County Donegal, which is on the west coast of the island, and is very beautiful and picturesque, as well as remote! One place my mother really wanted to visit was Slieve League, which I have to admit that I had never heard of. Slieve League are the highest sea cliffs in Europe, and drop 2,000 feet into the Atlantic Ocean. Most people have probably heard of the Cliffs of Moher, and they are just as high and awe inspiring, but much more commercialized than Slieve League. I’ve been to the Cliffs fo Moher twice, and they are indeed beautiful, but also crowded with people, and much more expensive than Slieve League. As in many areas of Ireland, as we approached the Slieve League area, the roads were small, and very twisty and winding. We had stopped to take a picture, and before we got back in the car, a couple of tour buses made the turn to go to Slieve League. I told my mother that I was going to follow the buses, because they were wider than my car, and if another car was approaching from the opposite direction, I knew they’d have to navigate around the buses. This made me feel a little bit safer. We followed the buses and they pulled into a small gift/coffee shop. We also pulled in and decided to take a bathroom stop before going to the cliffs. As we looked around the gift shop, the bus drivers started to talk to me, and I found out that the road became even more narrow, and windy, so buses weren’t allowed to go any further. Because of this, their passengers would be shuttled the rest of the way in small mini buses. The drivers told me to be very careful, and even thought the road was not the best, that the view when I arrived at the cliffs would be worth the harrowing drive along the sea, with no barriers! This made me even more nervous, and I almost backed out of driving up, but they encouraged me and told me it was definitely something I should do. I’m really glad I took their advice, because it definitely was worth it! Believe it or not, when you get to a certain part of the road, you actually have to go through a farm gate that you have to open and close before going through, unless you’re lucky enough to have someone else be there to do it as you approach.

I think we're going the right way!

Which way should we go first?

There is a small path that leads up over the mountains, and offers terrific views of the sea and the Sligo Mountains. I walked a short way up the path, but my mother has health problems and can’t do a lot of walking. Because of that, I didn’t want to leave her alone and didn’t wander too far. I’d love to go back again and spend time hiking in the area. You can see Donegal Bay, and according to My Ireland Guide: at the terrifyingly high top of Slieve League, there is a small lake at eye level. A short walk will take you to the right of the amazing cliff face of Bunglas (which literally means end of the cliff) which rises over 306m above the raging ocean. One Man’s Path will take you to the summit of Slieve League but the climb must be approached with extreme caution as it is very dangerous. The ruins of a church with some early Christian hermitages lie near the pass. Returning from the summit by foot, one will pass the ruin of a watchtower at the end of Carrigan Head. This watchtower was constructed to defend the north-west coast during the early 19th century when there was the threat of Napoleonic attack. Walking on the eastern side of Slieve League there is a magnificent wilderness of rocks, streams and a deep rugged valley to your left. Slieve League was definitely worth the trip, and I hope you get the chance to visit there if you’re ever in County Donegal. I think that being in such a remote section of Ireland makes it into a special place, and I hope it doesn’t ever lose it’s wonderful charm.

What an amazing sight!

The clouds make the mountains look so mysterious!

Another dramatic view!

Can you spot the bird soaring over the water?

Don't get too close to the edge!

Hiking on the path

Don't they know they shouldn't be on the road?

Do you think they know I'm watching them?

He must not be afraid of heights!

Hey, wait for me!

He looks comfortable!

Be careful!

It would be fun to hike all over this area

It's a long way down!

A nice place to stop and get a bite to eat

A meal with a view!

A narrow winding road leads up to the parking area

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Tags: Polly 2