Day 39: A peaceful moment

Day 39 - Monday, April 30th 2018: Rathmullan to Portsalon 20 km / Total 855km, 12°C, sunny

I woke up in a very misty forest. Strange atmosphere, very mystical! The exit of the woods was just aside Rathmullan Town where nothing was opened in the morning for breakfast. Two workers who saw me in the street asked where I was walking from so early. I couldn't tell them from the woods, so I just said: "from here". They asked no question apart from where I was going. That's what people usually want to know: where I'm coming from and where I'm going. I'm just a passenger. 

During the night, the Lough disappeared into the mist. And slowly in the morning, it got up in the sky, and let the sunshine again. 

The Coastal road was beautiful, with almost no one (why such a big traffic jam on Sunday and nobody on Monday?). The few people I met told me "lovely Day!". It was indeed. 

I found a rock along the road to sit and took a break. It was a very peaceful moment, looking over the blue Lough, with Dunree Head and Urris Hills in front of me, with blue sky, the sun shining, and only the sound of the wind. Zen. I think this was exactly what I was looking for.

Then I reached Ballymastockerstrand, where I had a wonderful view above the beautiful beach. 

At the campsite front desk, no one. So I just chose a place and put my tent. I came back to the reception later and paid. The guy offered me a shower. I still wonder if it was generous or because I smelt so bad that he really wanted to be sure I was going to shower.

After that I was very hungry, I really wanted to find a place to eat. A local man outside the camping advised me to go to Portsalon, crossing the Golf course, and then to follow the beach. Unfortunately once there; everything was closed, even the Golf Club House didn't serve food. I end up at the pub and had a piece of pizza as a snack, with a Guinness, enjoying the view, and watching some teenagers jumping into the water (crazy people). 

Then I walked back 4 km along the beach and went back to the campsite. There I met a French couple with their motorhome, back from Scotland, which they found wilder than Ireland. It's true, there's a higher anthropization of the landscape here, everywhere you can see, Human dominates Nature. And they agree with me on two points: it's hard to find a place for wild camping here and the sides of the road can be really full of garbage!