Sunday, August 28, 2011

halfway up the hill

Along the Atlantic Drive on the way to Doeega, I spotted this place, and it called to me for a walk.


You cross the road and climb over soggy saturated bogginess, to the haven of short grass beyond. The water runs off the hills a lot, little channels open up in the peat to let it pass through - I was glad of my borrowed wellies, while sadly wellieless, Olivia stayed in the car...


 This wasn't the top. We didn't make it that far. This was more of an off to the side bit. The hillside meanders around the place, with little outcrops of rock.




And there's a view, back out to sea, sparkling.


The wind is strong, but it's warm when the sun comes out - it poured rain the night before, so everything was wet, but it didn't rain on us that day.


 The sheep path runs up a ridge that was built by some islanders, decades ago. Who knows how long? This place hasn't changed much in some time.



A sheep died. Bones and its skeleton were there too. Olivia was disappointed we didn't bring it home (!) but then said ugh!! when she saw the photo.


I think that must be the peak up there - it looked much farther away than it does in the photo! Next time, when the kids are bigger, and fully wellied, we will reach it.



Heather paints the hillsides of the island and gives it its famous purple colour, so captured by Paul Henry. The photo doesn't show you what I saw, the light, the tiny perfection of the purple jewels in the grass, the sunbleached, twisted trunk.

High up the hill, I heard water, looked  down to see a little sink hole, water rushing by, invisible under the reeds and grass that had grown over it. Music. Sadly, of course, you can't hear it or the rushing wind on the video. *Wait! You can! I just didn't realise the speakers were off! Duh.:)



6 comments:

Ms. Moon said...

Oh, how very lovely, Jo!

Janine Ashbless said...

Oh god, this makes me want to go back to Scotland. (I know, it's not the same, but it is ... so much)

Jo said...

There's no question it's similar - Braveheart was partly filmed in Ireland after all. I think Ireland's a wee bit more dinky though, in its scenery scope :)

Mary, I wish you could see it! You'd be chilly, though...

Rhi@FlourChild said...

Wow, what a beautiful spot. The few little bits of Ireland that I have seen I have LOVED and it's up near the top of our list of places to go back to. I love the barren-ness of it all (Aran Islands were one of my fave spots). And I am severely deprived of hills here in flat ol' Belgium. :/

I read this whole post waiting to see "brie", thinking that you must have had a picnic near the top, with a nice bottle of red and some crusty bread and cheese ;) Alas. Not so?
x Rhi

Jo said...

Ha, no, our picnics seem to be more on the sandwiches, crisps and ribena type of affair - and in this case, we had to rush back down to the girl in the car playing DS. But we did plan one at the top, for next year!

Rhi@FlourChild said...

Oh good! I don't think any *real* families have picnics of red wine and brie, anyway. We have pre-packaged dry biscuits and juice too. ;)