Summer Holiday Day 4: Beaches of Donegal

In the morning we visited Dooey Beach, just a short drive from our accommodation. A huge flat beach, it was almost entirely deserted. We have had a kite in the boot of the car for ages and this was the perfect time to try it out. Orla had a great time flying it.

Back to the Airbnb for lunch then a drive north to beaches around Bunbeg. We parked next to Donegal Airport and walked along side of the runway fence to get to the rocks of Carrickfinn Beach. These were awesome rocks, and Conor was in his element, exploring and climbing on the rocks.

Originally we had planned to climb Mount Errigal today but it was far too windy.

From the audio recording:

Day 4 began with tea on the deck, enjoying the morning sun, although it got quite hot. Afterward, we headed to 'Dooey Beach', a massive, flat beach with perfect conditions for flying a kite. “We walked along it and I walked holding a kite that we’d had in the boot for like, ten years!” It was such a long and windy beach that flying the kite felt like walking a dog: "If a dog occasionally crashed headfirst into the ground."

After a relaxed lunch back at the Airbnb (with a business call thrown in), we drove to another beach near 'Bunbeg', right next to 'Donegal Airport'. We walked along a quiet path and over some dunes to find an incredibly pristine beach: “The most unblemished beach I’ve ever seen... just pure white sand.” We explored the rocks, finding clear pools of seawater, mussels, sea anemones, and even barnacles. “I saw one of the barnacles moving!”

We tried to do a loop around the dunes but were thwarted by a herd of cows and had to turn back. After making it back to the car just in time to avoid a group of schoolchildren, we drove back, listening to 'Rutherford and Fry'.

That evening, we had a classic meal of frozen pizza, chips, and 'Haagen-Dazs Belgian Chocolate' ice cream. "Frozen pizza, chips, and ice cream—probably the healthiest meal ever." We read another folk tale, 'Salty Butter', and ended the night with 'Derry Girls' and 'Father Ted', which everyone enjoyed, especially Conor, who found 'Father Ted' hilarious.