Day 18: Ardara to Glencolumbkille (16.2 miles)

A few days ago I drove this route with my husband Tim. I'd had a look at it on Google streetview but nothing had prepared me for how amazing it actually was. Bear in mind that we drove it in high winds and rain and it was still incredible. Today as I walked off from Ardara I did so knowing that it was going to be a challenging walk but also that it was sooooo going to be worth it.

Before I get into all that though I want to tell you about this morning before I left. My hotel last night was ...ok, I suppose ... but it didn't allow for interaction with anyone. There were only a few other guests and as far as I could tell only one member of staff (aside from the chef). So there was no chatting and no chance to find someone who might be going in my direction who could take my bag. I decided therefore to cough up for a taxi to take it to my next stop. Before I called the taxi I rang the hostel I'm staying in tonight just to make sure that it would be OK to drop the backpack there before I get there. Cliff, the manager of Ionad Siul, who has turned out to be possibly the nicest and kindest person I've ever met, quickly told me not to bother with a taxi which would be very expensive (around 30 euros) and that he'd come and pick the bag up himself. He just asked that I reimbursed him for the cost of the fuel. This was a 32.4 mile round trip and he offered to do it without taking a pause. I was overwhelmed and so thankful. One of the things that I'm continually impressed with on this trip is the lengths that people here will go to to help me out. It's humbling and it shows me every day how much goodness there is in people. So - problem solved!!

So off I set on my way. Because I was going to be staying in a Hostel which tend to be self-catering and I wasn't sure if there were any places to eat in the town, I decided to buy and emergency meal. It had to be lightweight, need little or no cooking and be a single portion. I bought a Pot Noodle. I also bought emergency rations of Toffee Crisps. The man in the shop also converted all the change I'd collected into a 10 euro note and a 2 euro coin. My wallet was suddenly so much lighter!!! Provisions purchased, I set off.

About a mile and a half out of town I turned off the ever present N56 toward the Glengesh Pass. As always the road started to rise before me. It took me past a primary school where the children were having a PE lesson teaching them soccer. It was a glorious day to be outside. So glorious, in fact, that I was sweating a brick with all my waterproof kit on. I had to stop and take it off. So my orange poncho and my trousers were put away in my small backpack. I carried on. The road got narrower and steeper. The hills to either side of me were dappled with sunlight and cloud shadows. They looked like impressionist paintings.

As the road started to corkscrew around and become even steeper I found some evidence of cycle racing. All over Donegal on the narrow, hilly back roads there are starting points for 5KM and 10KM races painted on the road. This particular race had a lot of painted encouragement for a Danish lad called Mikkel who the artist was encouraging to GO to ERRIGAL! It's nice to have cheerleaders Mikkel.

I passed tiny thatched cottages and lots and lots of sheep. Sheep are very jumpy. As soon as they see you they start running. One sheep knocked another sheep over and then trod on him to get away from me. So unnecessary! I have become quite fond of sheep and all their adorable lambs. Last night when I was ordering my dinner there was roast Donegal lamb on the menu. After all the little chats I've had with lambs over the last 10 days I couldn't bring myself to eat one, so I had chicken instead. I haven't had any conversations with them.

At the top of the pass I stopped at a viewing point to look back at where I'd been. It was stunning. I sat on the wall and ate one of my Toffee Crisps and drank some water. It's a nice thing to just stop and look and appreciate what you've achieved.

When my break was over I continued on up for another wee bit before the road flattened out and I found myself back on a far expanse of bog. The Crocknamurrin Mountain Bog is vast and it went on for miles and miles. It was also very peaceful with only the sounds of invisible birds chirping and the occasional rumble of a passing car to be heard.

This was quite a long section of the walk, but aside from the occasional dip it was largely quite flat. Eventually I climbed again but this time at the top I could see the sea in the distance. It was another four miles to Glencolumbkille but it was now in my sights. The rest of the way was down, down, down. About a mile and a half out of town, as I was coming to a T-junction, a car pulled up beside me. The window rolled down and a friendly voice from inside asked, "Are you Jane?" It was Cliff from my hostel. He introduced himself and asked if I needed anything. He had my backpack and he'd put it in my room for when I arrive. "You haven't got much further to go now," he said, "you're nearly there!"

When after 6 and a quarter hours of walking I finally reached my destination, Cliff welcomed me warmly. He told me my bag was in my room and that he'd be happy to drop it to my next B&B tomorrow. What a gent! He showed me around and asked if I had any plans for dinner. I said that I had hoped to get something to eat in the village but it didn't look like anything was open. I was happy to eat my emergency rations. He then surprised be completely by saying that he'd be cooking for the staff at 6 and I'd be more than welcome to join them. Of course I said "Yes please!" The thing is, when you're walking, as soon as you reach your destination, your feet basically refuse to work until the next day. I fully expected to pay for this dinner but Cliff said that he was cooking anyway so I might as well join in. He's my hero.

After I'd rested a bit and showered I came downstairs to eat. For the first time in nearly 30 years I watched a bit of Home and Away on the telly. I'm sure I recognised some of the faces! Dinner was delicious. I ate with the two young people who work at the hostel. I had a great conversation with Cliff about the walk and Donegal. Cliff took over looking after the place in August last year and for the first time since it was built kept it going the whole way through winter. So much of Donegal closes out of tourist season, it's unusual to find a place open throughout the winter. He and some of the local businesses are organising a committee to help promote the town and try and keep interest in the place year round. I really do think there's a market for it. I love getting away to the seaside in the winter. However if the infrastructure (shops/restaurants/pubs/entertainment) isn't there to support visitors, it's unlikely that they'll come. It was a good old chat. At the end he told me that he was going to Killybegs on Wednesday and he'd be passing my next B&B and the one after that so if I liked he'd move my backpack a further down the road again. How completely AWESOME is that? Cliff  is the best!

Today I really landed on my sore feet.


AWESOME!


Total mileage: 242.4 miles