Up the Coast..

Not a very successful nights meteor spotting, although i did see a couple early on, the cloud was quickly in, and I spent the next several hours going in and out of Wally, and wandering the dark beach looking at the stars, as they appeared and disappeared under the clouds, until finally about 3 a.m. I was caught in a really heavy downpour, and so retired to bed !  This is what it could have been like …http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2390275/Perseid-Meteor-Shower-images-captured-astronomers.html 

The sky was a lot clearer by morning, even sunshine popping out, although the wind was quite strong, with a poor forecast, and so I packed up and headed further north, or at least that was the plan, until I saw the sign ‘Deserted Village’ and so drove there..to Slievemore, at the foot of a mountain of the same name, where a deserted village lies abandoned… http://www.achilltourism.com/deserted.html lots of stone houses are there, it was used as summer pasture houses, up until the 1850’s when it was abandoned after the area was bought by someone (as usual, a long story…) Remarkably most of the village is almost complete, only the turf sod roofs having collapsed, but most walls still being upright and the lanes still being evident, although the bog is trying to reclaim it…even the village cemetery is intact, alongside the new one

I then carried on driving off Achill island, and along a road to Bangor, along the coast, not very remarkable, apart from the great towering quarry.. then continuing back through Ballina, and on towards Sligo… I turned off the main road some distance from Sligo, ending up in a lovely cove on the bay of Sligo…and all alone ! The waves were crashing onto the shoreline, along a great sandy bay, deserted apart from myself ..and Wally , the threatened rain had still not arrived, and so after having lunch, I wrapped up and went for a walk along the beach.. I did consider staying the night, but decided to carry on into Sligo, trying to find a mountain that had been described to me by a couple in Achill campsite..I didn’t quite find that (yet) although I did find the wild Atlantic coast again, and eventually Glencar waterfall,http://www.sligowalks.ie/?pagid=glencar-lake-and-waterfall  where I’m now parked next to Glencar Loch, facing East and hoping for a clear nights star gazing over the Loch !… but it’s raining again…here’s hoping , Goodnight !