the world beyond the wall

We woke to heavy rain, it had rained all night and showed no sign of stopping. We had a day out planned, both of us needing a change of scene and a break from our daily routine, and we had promised ourselves a month's worth of those once the wedding was over.
By lunchtime cabin fever had set in. I looked at the weather maps and there was a suggestion of it clearing from the west so I said lets go anyway, and sure enough before we reached Goleen the rain had cleared and the mist was lifting.

We went to Barleycove first and let the dogs have a good run and snuffle among the rabbit warrens. Then we set off to find Three Castle Head, having heard a lot about it but never having made it there ourselves. There were sheep so we had to leave the dogs in the car, but the path seemed quite clear, across farmland at first then up over the mountain. The rain came in then, squally and stinging, and himself wimped out and went back to the car leaving me to find my way on my own. I couldnt see too well in the rain so missed the path and had to pick my own way up the very steep hill but I was determined to find it having come that far.
Eventually I met up with the path again and after a few ups and downs there suddenly were the three castles in front of me. Wow.
And then the skies cleared and the sun came out.
The wall between the castles is slung across a narrow strip of land between sheer cliffs on one side and a lake on the other. Beyond the wall (where this was taken) there was no wind, the grass was lush and high and the hillside was purple with heather. And it was so peaceful. I sat there for a long while in the sunshine watching the rabbits and birds. Across the water flocks of black-backed gulls were chilled out and quiet on the lakeshore. I felt as though I had wandered into another world and I didnt want to leave.

But I had to of course. Walking back I was reminded of this article, I became suddenly aware of the music of the wind shivering and whispering through the tussocks, the dip and sway of dancing grasses and I was stopped in my tracks by a sudden intense wonder at the sheer aliveness of the world around me.
A moment of magic.