Days 6 & 7 - Glencolmcille to Ballintoy
Day 6 – Glencolmcille to Ballintoy
We awoke early in Glencolmcille the day after climbing to the top of
Slieve League shrouded in a dramatic drizzle-mist. Despite this, we all decided to put on our swimsuits and brave the cold ocean waters to swim in the beautiful cove at Malin Beg.
Leon, our colourful and friendly hostel host at Glencolmcille was originally from South Africa. Another distinct accent. We all loved getting to know his 18-year old parrot (whose name escapes us right now) and chihuahua Minky. Apparently, the parrot could speak 400 different words – wow!
After a hearty breakfast of porridge, toast and fruit, we
set out for our first stop in Derry (officially Londonderry). We had a quick picnic
on the lawn of the tourist office and then set out to walk along the fortified walls
of the historic city. We learned that the city received its Royal Charter in
1613 from King James I and funding from the London guilds, hence the name Londonderry.
The name remains a source of some controversy. We wished to have more time here
to understand more about the Troubles which affected Northern Ireland in the
1980s and 90s. Nevertheless, we could see how the fortifications essentially
divided the city into traditionally Protestant and Catholic sectors.
While walking the walls, we overheard a passionate tour
guide proudly explaining in her very distinctive Northern Irish accent how her own
two children were enrolled in integrated schools with children of many
backgrounds. In modern Ireland/Northern Ireland – as in Canada – recent waves
of immigration have brought people from all over the world.
Following our brief stop, we continued on to the town of Bushmills
(home of the famous whiskey distiller) to pick up our groceries for the night. While returning
to our parked cars on the main street, a vehicle clipped the side mirror of
Andrew’s car. While our car was unharmed, the other man’s vehicle lost its side
mirror. The man stopped, got out and was clearly unhappy. Coincidentally, André was closest
to the man, who to our surprise first spoke French.
He said, « Cette
voiture n’est pas bien garée. » (This car
is not well parked.)
To which André replied
without hesitation, « Cette voiture est très bien garée. » (This car is very well parked.)
We think the man was more shocked than we were, as he turned
around, got into his car and that was the end of it. While we felt badly about his broken mirror, we could not help but break into gales of hilarious laughter!
We turned towards the lovely Northern Irish coast during the
“golden hour” and got out to admire White Park Bay just before arriving at the
lovely Sheep Island View Hostel in Ballintoy. Dinner – which was a full team
effort – consisted of delicious spaghetti and Caesar salad.
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| White Park Bay - one of many stunning views along the Antrim coast |
Day 7 - Ballintoy, the Giant's Causeway, Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge
Without a major drive to do, we had a leisurely morning.
Some of us took the time to grab a bit more sleep and enjoy a hearty breakfast.
Mid-morning, we all met in the hostel’s living room area to discuss
the shape and focus of the nighttime vigil – the most eagerly anticipated part
of the pilgrimage. In preparation for the evening events, each pilgrim was asked
to pick a particular reading from among a diverse set of passages from Christian
and other faith traditions to guide their later meditations.To get some fresh air and clear our heads, we went for a walk in Ballintoy, and came upon some locals playing soccer in the park. Naturally, we joined in!
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Soccer with some locals at Ballintoy
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Following lunch, we headed to the amazing Giant’s Causeway.
This UNESCO World Heritage site is a 60 million-year-old geological formation
consisting of over 40,000 pillars of basalt rock formed in a volcanic eruption.
As the rock cooled, it contracted and fractured much like mud in a drying lake
bed. The popular name has to do with the legend of the Irish mythological
character Finn MacCool and his epic battle with his Scottish rival. We are told
that Finn won the battle, but it does make us wonder what they say in Scotland
where similar rock formations occur about 45 km across the water. Hmm…
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Mary directing Cheryl to park on the "verge" near the Giant's Causeway (noting the signs not to park on the verge)
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The "Six Pack" at the Giant's Causeway
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The amazing geological formations of the Giant's Causeway
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More amazing geology at the Giant's Causeway
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Part of the legend of Finn and his causeway to Scotland
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Posing on the pillars of basalt
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As the sun settled into its glorious golden hour around 5:30
p.m., we also visited the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge only 1 km from the hostel.
This rope suspension bridge links the mainland to a dramatic rocky island which
once served as a salmon fishing post. Sadly, the salmon have disappeared from
the area presumably due to overfishing. The technique described on the
interpretive panels was fascinating: the fishermen would cast nets out around
the island, then winch their boats down the cliff to go out and collect the
catch. It sounded like tough work to then winch the fish-filled boats back up and
then haul the catch back across the rope bridge.
Our glorious day at the Giant's Causeway and Carrick-a-Rede set the
stage for the night vigil on the beach at Ballintoy.  |
| Crossing the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge |
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| Should we have gone out this far? Perhaps not, but it makes a good pic in any case |
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| The dramatic crossing to the rocks |
These photos are amazing. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteLove these pictures! the "six pack" on the cliff pics are really fun. Would love to cross that rope bridge too! Lillian
ReplyDeleteIt looks as though it has been an amazing trip so far! I hope that your trip has really given you all the opportunity to feel a spiritual connection to a new area of the world, to each other and with yourselves.
ReplyDeleteWill you be encountering the Papal visit at all? I imagine the religious climate in Ireland is quite interesting at the moment given his visit.