Day 31 - Westport to Donegal
We drove for an hour or so to reach Carrowmore Megalithic Cemetery, one of the most significant prehistoric landscapes in Europe. It is the largest and oldest collection of Neolithic tombs in Ireland, with over 30 surviving monuments dating back almost 6,000 years. We were taken on a tour of the stone tombs by a very knowledgeable guide who made the history of the area very interesting.
Many of the tombs have been destroyed or damaged by farming, while others are underground and there are no plans to excavate. The largest tomb was surrounded by a recently constructed stone cairn, the guide explained that though the tomb may have had stones over it, it would have been nothing like what they had built.
M had hoped that we'd timed our travel to be able to drive across the sand to Coney Island but when we arrived there was a car that appeared to be stuck, and there was water covering the sand, so we decided not to risk it. However, we did watch a small car come back at speed in a wake of water, another car took off for the island, a third started and then turned back.
After a look around Sligo we drove to Gleniff Horseshoe which isn't a horseshoe at all but a gap. On the right was the striking Benbulbin mountain with its sheer sides and imposing lines on the Sligo skyline.
We briefly stopped at an old mill site on our way to Mullaghmore Head, a famous surfing destination with some of the highest waves in Europe. However, today there was no wind so the waves weren't that large, but the lack of wind apparently made it good for another adventure sport - slacklining. We watched a guy hook himself up to an stretch of rope between the cliffs and make many attempts to stand up. He managed to get up a number of times but he couldn't quite stabilise after that. It was apparent he was getting more tired and it was taking him longer to get enough energy for each new attempt, regardless it was fun to watch and there was quite a group of onlookers by the time he called it quits.
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