On the Sunday of ourĀ little tripĀ Into the West, we decided to head further north along the Fanad peninsula in Donegal to Portsalon.
Portsalon beach
Being a traveller of an incidental nature, I hadn’t really looked at the route. After checking out of our hotel, we just got into our car and followed the road signs. It was only when we started to notice that the coastal road was winding further and further up the side of Knockalla mountain, that we realised it was rather precarious in some places as we looked down at the steep drop to the sea on one side! Working on the basis that what goes up must come down, we carried on (we had no choice in any case) and soon the road started to descend. We were soon rewarded with the most beautiful views of Portsalon beach.
Once voted the second most beautiful beach in the word by The Observer newspaper, it is a long and broad stretch of golden sand with panoramic views to the sea beyond. It was just after 11am when we got there, to find that we had the beach all to ourselves. With the bracing wind in our faces, we walked along just trying to take it all in. To be honest, we felt rather lucky to be there. It felt like we had reached the edge of the world.
Unforgettable views
However, as we turned round to walk back to the car a while later, it was the view then that truly captivated me.Ā This was the Donegal I had envisioned in my mind. Mist rolling in over the hills, rain sweeping across the mossy green fields, a landscape raw and beautiful, enchanting and unforgiving in equal measure. It didn’t matter about the rain, I just wanted to capture the scene and remember the moment.
We returned to our car, wet and windswept, but so thankful that we had made the effort to visit this beautiful place. And although we are home now, I think I left a little bit of my heart there and I can’t wait to return.
”I stopped on a lonely bog road one winter’s afternoon to ask the way of a man who was stacking turf at the road’s edge. ‘Where will this road take me ?’ I asked. ‘This road’ he said, will take you wherever you want to go. Mike Harding, Footloose in the West of Ireland.
Have a lovely Wednesday and stay safe in the snow !
Paula x
Oooh, beautiful! It doesn’t seem to matter what the weather’s doing, Donegal always looks amazing. Glad you enjoyed your trip! š
Oh it was lovely. Thanks. Everything I had hoped for š
Glad to hear it… And isn’t it lucky you went when you did? I’d say getting around will be difficult there this weekend!
Yes so lucky. I wouldn’t fancy driving up there this weekend. Hope you are surviving ok.
Yes thanks… It was a good excuse to stay inside and get some work done! š
Sounds like a beautiful beach to visit, it looks so peaceful. I sometimes think the mist rolling over the hills makes the landscape look more dramatic and atmospheric than it does in the sunshine. X
Yes, I think that’s very true. Remind me again what sunshine is ? Lol
āŗļø Itās been a very long, dark and cold winter, hasnāt it? Itās not stopped snowing here all day, and met office just issued a red warning for our area. X
These photos have captured my heart š
Oh thank you. I tried to capture it as best as I could to show the beauty of the place š
That looks just perfect. I so need to go there š
Yes, I would definitely recommend a visit š
Very nice pictures of a great piece of scenery – and seen at its best in rain and mist!Portsalon beach was one of our frequently visited “happy hunting grounds” in Donegal. At one end (now probably vanished into the sand) were the remains of a four-engined bomber which did a forced landing there during the war. At the other end was the famed Edwardian Portsalon Hotel.=- a place full of atmosphere. Is it still there? Des.
Hi Des. No, the hotel wasn’t there. From checking on Google, it looks like it was demolished sadly in 1991. Looks like it was a great hotel.
Thanks for your reply. In that case were lucky to see it on our last visit in 1990. My earliest memories of the hotel go back to visits there in the 1950’s with the North West Mountaineering Club (NWMC). The owner, Mr. Barton I think was his name, was a formidable man (postmaster and harbourmaster as well) who set his own standards but did not object to our draping our wet gear over the large fireguards as we waited for dinner at the end of an outing. There was a bookcase in the lounge, the most recent item being an “Army and Navy Stores” catalogue of 1910. It was all too quaint to survive into the present century Des.
It’s a shame though..it looks wonderful in the old photographs.