Day 22: In the Glen

Day 22 - Wednesday, April 11th 2018: Carnlough to Glenariff Forest Park 25 km / Total 467 km, 9°C, cloudy

Easier to enjoy the landscape on a dry day. So that day I really enjoyed the Glens of Antrim Coast. The cliffs were high and beautiful, it was great to walk along the road, just between the cliffs and the sea, really at the edge of the island. Maybe it explained why I had this song by Francis Cabrel in my head most of the morning "J'irai m'asseoir sur le rebord du monde, et voir ce que les hommes en ont fait / I'll sit at the edge of the world and see what men have done of it". So the morning was pretty cool until Waterfoot. I tried to find a place to eat there and also in Cushendall, but there was nothing. So only biltong, and biscuits for lunch. Fortunately, Maggs cooked me a very good and big breakfast in the morning, which help a lot. The second part of the day, I had to climb to Glenariff Forest Park, where I booked my hostel. I think the Glen is an ancient glacial valley, formed during the last Ice Age. If there was the sea in that valley maybe it could be named fjord. So I had to climb to the top of the Glen all afternoon. It's good to change from the sea landscape and to be in a forest, cause, there were not many forests on my way until now, trees are not so many in Ireland apparently. I saw a red squirrel crossing my way (it changes from dead fox, dead cat, even dead lamb I can see from time to time). There are many waterfalls along the road. A woman stopped to ask if I wanted a ride. In fact, she was an employee of my hostel. I met her again later when I arrived at Forest Park. But the hostel was a little farther away in the mountain, lost in the could. Liz, the owner of the hostel was not there, so she sent me an e-mail, explaining to me how to get the key to getting inside, and where to let the money. There was only one other person in the hostel, Jörg, from Germany. He's hiking too, finishing his trip in Northern Ireland just after the Caminos of Portugal and Spain. For once, I was not anonymous in a hostel, and we could talk, mainly about politics in Europe, especially regarding the Brexit case. He was interested in my front bag, and I took his idea of making me porridge for breakfast in the morning. And at least, the place was dry and warm enough to finally make my tent dry.