Discovering Donegal

 Today's adventures took us on the road to Glenveagh National Park located in the northern area of County Donegal. The drive was relatively easy, and we didn't even get lost this time! Well, at least not driving.  We arrived at the Visitor Center, looking for a detailed map to help us on our quest for the castle, and the only thing I could find was a picture on the wall, so I took a photo of it on my phone.  

It did not, however, show one exactly how to leave the Visitor center to access the path, and there were busloads of people shuffling in through the doors, allowing no mercy for us to escape.  So, after a bit of a run around, we finally did manage to find the path to start the 4 kilometer walk to the castle.  We could have taken the bus, but then, we would have missed so much beauty along the way. 

Scenic vistas.

Beautiful lily pads floating in the lough.

A few stags.

And, finally, the entrance to the castle grounds which feature two dog statues, each holding a basket. 

and the castle directly in front of us!

We walked to the round tower on the grounds and climbed up the stairs for a different view.

Then, around the corner to the back side

which featured a small garden to the right.

Then, we ventured along the grounds to the walled garden in the back. 

It was loaded with dozens of beautiful blooms.

From there, we began the hike to the viewpoint, which I must say, was pretty challenging.  There were 67 steps at the bottom, that led to quite a steep walkway until we finally got to the top.  Pretty amazing view, isn't it?

I was lucky to have carried these hiking poles that Marty had bought me for Christmas.  Believe me....they certainly came in handy as the walkway had some pretty steep inclines to have to maneuver. 

All of the hiking warranted some tea and scones, of course. 

Just what we needed to make the long trek back to the visitor center!

From there, we headed out along the Wild Atlantic Way again, stopping at a few vantage points to enjoy the scenic views.

We were quite surprised to see a Coffee hut at this viewpoint!  Obviously we didn't need that, so we continued on our way.

The Wild Atlantic Way wove us in and out of little villages along the coast, and we occasionally stopped and popped out to take a quick look as we drove along.  It was a pretty amazing sight, for sure. 

The tide was out, so no leaping salmon to be seen.

And a different village with yet another view leading to the Atlantic. 

And, finally, the road down to Inver on our way back to the B&B.  It was especially spectacular since the sun decided shine for the rest of our day!

Dinner was once again at Dom's pier, where Marty had reserved a table overlooking the bay, also enhanced by the sunshine.

We stayed and listened to some local musicians play some Irish songs, only this time, they were more folk music than ballads.  There was quite a crowd in the restaurant as there are two weddings locally tomorrow, and people were already celebrating!  So, we headed back to the quiet of our B&B which really is a welcome haven.  

Yet another fabulous day to add to our adventures.  Hope you enjoyed following along.