On the Other Side of the Mountain...

...was the Gladiators reggae tune I had on repeat while trekking through the various peaks of Glenveigh National Park in Northwest Ireland's County Donegal. This was the destination of my solo trip North to see the Town of Letterkenny and explore the park and its castle.

It was an interesting trip to say the least! It was a 4 hour bus drive North from Galway, but that alone was almost worth the trip. The route's half-way point was Sligo, where the sight of the Atlantic traded back and forth with huge Mountain peninsulas and islands, and surfers riding the waves in the bays. Heading North of Sligo, I passed through drumcliffe and the famous poet "Yeats Country," where the drive was similar to the Rocky Mountains (but much more grass). It was an amazing drive, and I started to get real excited for trekking through similar mountains at Glenveigh.

Unfortunately, the town of Letterkenny was somewhat of a drag - literally. The town is known for having the longest main street in all of Ireland - which it does - but there is not too much to see on it, except for a large historical cathedral and steeple that overshadows the city. I also found out, that the National Park itself, is not very close to Glenveigh - roughly 30km's away! Furthermore, to make matters even more interesting, my hostel was a ghost town! The first night it was just me and two Norwegian girls, who were not to keen on talking to me or giving me a ride to Glenveigh, and then the next night, no one was there but me... ever hear of the horror movie "HOSTEL"? yeah...

All was well though. I awoke early Friday morning, walked to the edge of town and then hitch-hiked to Glenveigh by a guy named Pat, who was heading to his friends to pick him up and go look at a boat for purchase. Glenveigh was a gorgeous park! The thousands of acres of land revolve around a famous Irish Castle and Garden overlooking a very large pristine mountain lake. The scenery was amazing! The park has the largest population of native red deer, and the theme was greatly noted in the small lavish castle. In fact, the last and longest owner of the castle was a millionaire who gained his fortunes by inventing the Gas Meter in the US! He entertained numerous celebrities and international dignitaries, including the famous writer John Knowles, who actually wrote "A Separate Peace" at the castle! After seeing the gardens and castle tour, I headed out on my own to trek through the park with no compass and a very poor park map. . . not smart, I know. Again, all was well. The park was gorgeous, and I went a long while on this road/trail that went through a large valley and glen following a river, and then crossed over the river to the side of the Mount Dooish Peak, through the Poison Glen valley, to Mount Errigal - the highest peak in the park. I navigated using the Sun setting in the West, and my goal for the day was just to head North, to reach a road and get home! It all worked out great, as I met a young Romanian, Paul, who was kind enough to drop me off in Letterkenny on his way to Dublin.

Overall it was a great trip, and very peaceful. Here is the link to view pictures, and see for yourself how beautiful the National Parks are in Ireland! The album also includes some photos from a castle across the river from where I train in Dangan, and from the Reggae Dub concert I went to that weekend.

I apologize for my lack of posts - expect more on Soccer matches and our trip to Barcelona!
Cheers!

http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=275418290/a=76959740_76959740/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish