A picturesque view of Donegal Bay
A view of the Slieve League from the bottom -- this is where we were headed
As we travelled higher up the mountain there were some spectacular views
Click any picture to view a larger version.
In the morning we drove out along the north side of Donegal Bay towards the Slieve League, a mountain range that meets the sea here, and which are officially the tallest sea cliffs in Europe. Fortunately (for the lazy), you can drive almost to the very top so you don't need to be an expert hiker to get there!
A picturesque view of Donegal Bay
A view of the Slieve League from the bottom -- this is where we were headed
As we travelled higher up the mountain there were some spectacular views
The following pictures were all taken from the viewpoint above Bunglass Bay, looking at the Slieve League cliffs. Unfortunately they don't do justice to the sheer scale of things -- the cliffs are almost 300m tall!
Bunglass Bay with the Slieve League towering over them
Bunglass Bay with the Giant's Table and Chair rock formation
The Slieve League disappearing off to the west
The Slieve League
Looking out from Bunglass over Donegal Bay
Returning from the mountains we came back via Donegal Town. We'd explored most of the town the previous night (which didn't take very long as it's a tiny place), but wanted to return to visit the castle.
Donegal Castle -- in reality a fortified tower with later manor house
Intricate stonework around one of the castle windows
The manor house built by the English lord who occupied the castle after the
Flight of the Earls
The roads heading south from Donegal towards Sligo go past some spectacular scenery.
A very flat-topped mountain
The same mountain from another angle, taking on an even more unusual appearance
More scenery
Beautiful wooded valley and mountainside
We made a short detour to visit a waterfall at Glencar Lough
Glencar Lough waterfall
Only one picture from this castle which I think was closed by the time we got here.
Ballymote Castle -- incidentally that's the hire car we had in the right of the picture
After Ballymote we pushed on through Co. Mayo to the small town of Ballinrobe, as it was conveniently placed for our plans for the next day. Like nearly all parts of the Republic of Ireland it currently seems to be undergoing a major property boom. However the developers seem to be as unimaginative as those in England and merely use the same half-dozen designs for all the houses everywhere. The picture below shows a new development of identikit houses that we found on the outskirts of Ballinrobe, but this picture could have been taken in almost any town in Ireland.
The identikit houses in Ballinrobe