Day 49: High cliffs and empty sky

Day 49 - Friday, May 11th 2018: Malin Beg to Slieve League 20 km / Total 1079 km, 13°C, misty and sunny

There was still some strong wind when I left the hostel, at the beginning of my walk, but then I turned east and I had to face it with the rain. My shoes and trousers got quickly wet. When I saw the Mill Woolen Factory I decided to get in and have a little break. The lady asked me the usual question "how are you?" And I couldn't answer anything else than "wet". She gave me a cup of tea which was very welcomed. There was beautiful tweed in that shop and lovely clothes made of Aran wool. If I didn't have to carry my bag I would have buy one. I even wonder if I couldn't send a warm tartan shirt to my uncle. 

Then I walked a little road with the back of Slieve League on my right-hand side. I saw a farmer looking for his sheep with his border collier dog on his quad, funny. Some lost tourists asked me how to get to Slieve League and I showed them on the map. Despite that I'm not a local, I still have the face of the person who can help you and knows your way, here in Donegal or in Paris or in Moscow! Incredible!

Initially, I booked a hostel in Kilcar, but I realised it was too far away if I wanted to visit also Slieve League. So in Carrick, I made a stop at the B&B which was quite cheap, took a room, dropped my bag, had lunch and then walked to Slieve League. On the way, for once I could touch and feed a poor little lamb left alone. While in the morning the weather was cold (7°C) and wet, in the afternoon it was hot and sunny. And finally, I had a great view of the cliffs, one of the highest in Europe. And the view above Donegal Bay with Ben Bulben in the long-distance was outstanding! It was funny because it was exactly the view of my Facebook page cover photo, which I chose months ago without knowing where it was, and the light was exactly the same. Amazing!

To get back to the B&B, I asked for a lift, as Slieve League is a dead end. A German couple agreed to take me back to Carrick. The guy told me he liked this place because there's no plane in the sky (he's living close to Frankfurt, so big airport), no trace and no noise. And he was right, it's hard to find such a sky nowadays.