Before You Go, Blog, Experiences, Grab a Bite, Uncategorized

Irish Explorer Bus Tour: Day 3 – DONEGAL & SLIEVE LEAGUE

June 20, 2018 /

The last couple of days, we’ve stayed in Donnegal in this hotel called Mill Park. The hotel is okay, but it seems like each guest has some little thing that could be improved. One couple didn’t have any pictures hanging in their room, one said they had to maneuver the toilet a special way for it to flush, and for us – and many others – we could not connect to the wifi, and if we did the connection was very weak and did not last long at all. They’re little things, but sometimes they are what determine your experience in a place. For us, ample access to some decent wifi is almost essential when we’re trying to maintain a travel blog. Is it the end of the world if we can’t get one up in time? No, but it would still be nice to be able to, you know?

So anyways, yesterday was our third day on the bus tour around Ireland. We got to ride out to the Slieve Leagues in County Donnegal, which if you haven’t heard of them, here’s what you need to know.

Slieve League in Gaelic translates to “grey mountain”. They are one of the highest sea cliffs in all of Europe, and are the highest accessible sea cliffs in the country.

Sean and I were both excited to see this magnificent area. Unfortunately, one of the downfalls of being on the bus tour is that we only were given 30 minutes to enjoy the view. It didn’t give us much time to hike up them, but we both were determined, so we ran as far up as we could, and when we got too out of breath, we climbed quickly.

Getting to the first overlook was amazing. The cliffs look like something out of a magazine, and you just want to sit there and admire them for as long as you can. We were truly bummed that we had such little time to be there, so we strongly recommend making this one of your stops when you visit Northern Ireland.

Driving back down, we stopped at this little shop/cafe to have some tea and scones. (Read that Irish coffee and scones.) You may be tempted to shop for some souvenirs and gifts while you’re here. If you find something you just can’t come home without, the people are very nice and we would definitely recommend giving them some of your business. But fair warning, you’ll want to wait to buy some Irish wool garments at Triona Design Co./Tweed Visitor Center in Tweed. (About 30 minutes away from the cliffs.)

A little back story – Sean had tried and tried to tell me that I should wait to purchase a sweater until we came here because they actually manufacture them in the shop. I am very stubborn, though, and was worried I would not be able to find one that I liked there. I had my eye on a sweater from the first shop, but they only carried it in a medium. It was a little big on me, but I decided to buy it anyways. I was happy with my purchase until we sat down and one of the couples next to us was talking about how they stretch once they’re worn. My heart instantly fell.

When we arrived at the Tweed Visitor Center, where we were to have a tour of their shop and see how the clothes are made, I walked in and the first item that caught my eye was the same sweater I was wearing. They had hundreds of different sweaters and jackets, and they, of course, carried mine in the size I actually needed. I wanted to cry. i know that’s a bit dramatic, but I had just spent a decent amount of Euros on this item, and wasn’t completely happy with it. I don’t know why I have such a hard time listening to Sean’s advice, but I just do.

So, anyways, we walked in towards the back of the store where we were greeted with (some more) Irish coffees, and the woman who owned the shop began to teach us the process of turning the wool into the beautiful garments. We’ll end up doing a whole post about this shop and how they’re items are made.

After we watched the men using the looms, she brought us over to a replica of a typical Irish country cottage from 300 years ago. The cottage was inside the store, and she told us it was the same size cottage they would have lived in at that time, raising a family of up to 13. She showed us where the ladies would sit by the fire and knit, make dinner and eat their potatoes and freshly churned butter and milk in the center of the room. Everything the owner told us had been passed down from her own grandma, whose picture hung above the mantel.

After the tour, I headed straight over to where my sweaters were being sold. I tried on the small and was heartbroken to find that it fit so much better. At that moment, a woman from the store came up to me and saw me wearing the sweater. She told me how it seemed to fit much better than the one I was previously wearing. I sadly explained to her that I had purchased mine elsewhere, and that they had lacked my size. Without missing a beat, she took my sweater and ripped the tag off of the small. “We can do favors,” she said, and let me take the small sweater. In that moment, I was so blown away by the kindness of this woman, and the level of customer service in which she provided. It’s not something you really experience much of back in the states, it seems like.

To show our appreciation, we took our time looking around the store and found some items to take home with us from this special little shop in Tweed. We spent a good amount of time chatting up the two owners, who were some of the most kind-hearted people we had ever met. We strongly suggest making this a stop when you visit Ireland.

At the end of the day, we headed back to little pub called Nancy’s in County Donnegal. they had some excellent food and beer, but what really stood out was their Guinness cake. Just trust us. Chocolately Guinnessy cake with a whipped frosting so light, it’s just like the foam on the top of the beer itself.

The pub owner, Charlie, brought everyone over samples of their Irish moonshine. as he handed them out, he warned that they were to be sipped, not shot. Sean, having missed that part, gulped it down and immediately you cold see his eyes gloss over haha. If you could just smell the amount of alcohol in that moonshine, you would understand.

Yesterday was definitely one of our favorite days so far in Ireland. Today we arrived in Galway, and as I write we’re getting ready to head out to explore some of the local pubs.

Look forward to sharing our experiences here. XOXO

Read our experience on day 4 here.