Day 3: Culdaff to Malin Head.(19 miles)

Today was my first day going solo. I missed having Tim backing me up. The backpack was heavy and I wore it for about 5 hours. I don't understand why it hurts one shoulder and not the other. I've checked that it's straight and balanced, I've loosened it and I've tightened it - nothing helps except sitting down when the ache gets unbearable and taking the strap off my shoulder, then I can go on for another mile or two before it starts again. This walk is teaching me a lot about my body, its quirks and foibles and what it's not willing to put up with. For instance - all the issues so far have been with the left side of my body. My left foot is prone to blister but not my right and my left shoulder doesn't tolerate the backpack but my right does.  I appear to be lopsided. I have no idea why or even what I can do about it now, but I will have to sort it out before Easter.  I had a look across Lough Swilly today to the side I'll be walking on the next leg.  The mountains look way bigger!

Getting back to today, I left Culdaff at about 09:45 and headed north toward Portaleen, a lovely little fishing port and village. It was 90% uphill to get there - the other 10% were the deep, steep downhills that crushed your spirit as you realised you had to go back uphill again.  

This is the road that took me down into the valley to the town.  The mountain straight ahead was the one I was going to have to climb over.  The road first took me around to the right where it climbed a little to where I took my first rest stop. Right opposite a lovely village school, the children of which were just coming out for their morning break, was a shop/petrol station called Lafferty's where I was able to use the loo and buy a cup of tea. The woman in the shop was very friendly. She was from Malin Head herself, (so she was), and she gave me loads of advice on my route and where I could pick up supplies. I enjoyed sitting on the steps outside sans-backpack with the sun shining on me, drinking a cuppa and listening to the kids play. I needed that bit of zen because the climb that came next was something else. The road went around to the right of the mountain you can see there and up and up between that one and the next one. What you can't see there is how long it was before it turned to the left again and went west along a very straight but very high road.

The natives were very friendly and very beautiful.

 And, of course the views were to die for...

I kept going along this high mountain pass for many miles before I finally turned north toward Malin Head and I could see the sea again.

I arrived at the B&B at around three and checked in. My back ached and I had grown a disgustingly huge blister on the tip of my left toe. I was shown to my room and flopped onto the beautiful, soft, comfortable bed.  I was in a bad way.  I knew that the walk around the headland itself was going to be heavy going and the thought of doing it tomorrow with that backpack on was just too much.  I did a bit of emergency first aid on my blister, wrapped it with gauze and an absorbent bandage, put my shoes back on, took some water and my camera and off I went to get that part of the Way out of the way before I set out tomorrow.

I couldn't cut this bit out because Malin Head is the most northerly point on the island of Ireland.  It is also called Banba's Crown.  Banba was one of three mystical sisters who vied with each other to have the country named after them. Eire won but Banba was given Malin Head as her crown. There is a very odd castle at Banba's crown which appeared to be a Norman castle that had been given a complete concrete render.Very odd!

Malin Head itself was very windswept and barren but the views were lovely,

 

and there were a few interesting houses on the way up there.  This cottage, I thought was very beautiful.  A traditional thatch cottage like this is quite a rarity these days.  I love the way the thatch was secured using wires that were then anchored to the pegs that run along the cottage just under the roof line.

 And it had an added curiosity - an old postbox built into the wall.

I thought I was about halfway round when I reached the Head but actually the route home, which, of course, wound around upwards in corkscrew bends was another 5 miles.  The sun was starting to set already so I walked at breakneck pace to get back before dark.  All the streetlights were already on as I finally made it through the door. Knackered. Utterly knackered.  I managed a long hot shower and was just about to go have some dinner, when my family face-timed me.  It was a tonic to see their faces and hear their voices. I miss them so much! It gave me the boost I needed to put my shoes back on and get some food.

It had been a long, long day but I feel I achieved a lot. Donegal is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been to.  I'm so glad I came.


Total miles to date: 46.8 miles.