June 23, 2106: Belturbet, Ireland
It’s the one-week anniversary of my arrival in Belturbet, and I decide to take a break from exploring Turbet Island to explore the countryside instead.
It’s been sunny all afternoon, but it clouds over as I follow the road north into the countryside.
Just out of town, I decide to follow the road signs to Foalie’s Bridge. On the map, it’s just over an hour’s walk away, which makes it a good destination.
I pass what looks like a utilities shed with a most intriguing sign.
A few minutes later, I round a corner and a field suddenly opens to my left. I’m mesmerized by the sight of a swan taking off from a lake in the distance. The beat of its wings as it tries to lift off is louder than I ever imagined.
Just as the swan takes off, my eye is caught by a movement in the field. This donkey is as curious about me as I am about it!
I am truly out in the country now. The road I’m walking along is technically two lanes, but only if both cars pull right up next to the hedges on either side. The high hedges prevent me from seeing much in either direction, but I can hear the putter of tractors and cows in the distance.
The road is mostly flat, with some small hills, and curves every now and again. I come around one curve to find that I’m at the top of a hill, and that I can suddenly see everything around me.
This is the second lake I’ve seen so far, and I see several more during my walk.
I pass a couple of women out working in their yards; both seem surprised to see me, but are perfectly pleasant. Everyone is very friendly here – even though they don’t know me, most drivers wave as they pass me on the road.
I turn off just before I get to Foalie’s Bridge to see if Google maps is lying, and that there is in fact a through-path to lead me to the other road back into town.
Google is not lying, although I do get a fantastic view of the river and the new Riverrun housing estate that they’ve built just outside of Belturbet. If only a tributary stream and marsh weren’t between me and that new estate, I would chance it on foot to hook up with the other road.
Since I am not that daring, I turn back the way I came, passing all those lovely lakes and the two lovely women still at work in their yards.
The late evening sun is doing marvelous things to the clouds:
And I have a chance to take a picture of this funny sign on my way back. (There was no bull in sight).
It’s nearly 10 pm as I round the corner and head into town. Even though there’s another hour or so of twilight left, these birds have clearly decided it’s time to bed down for the night.
It’s been a long time since I’ve seen that many birds in one place. They sound cheerful, noisily chattering to each other and squabbling to find the best perch.
I pass a yellow rose bush just before arriving back in town. Yellow roses have been my favorite flower since I was a teenager, and it is auspicious that I see one now at the end of this countryside adventure.
Next up: exploring the Dublin Coast over the 4th of July weekend!
The Belturbet countryside does leave me a bit underwhelmed — the lakes didn’t have much character, at least via the photos, and the landscape somewhat passe. I’d think settling there permanently would be a bit depressing beyond the friendly people & occasional pub, but the locals apparently appreciate their land…
The blend of old & new is interesting — the “road” you followed was obviously first a walking path, then a horse/carriage road. Having to be prepared to “dive into the bushes” when a speeding car approaches might be a bit stressful!
The photo from the hill where you could “see everything” was the most comfortable — I could see waking to a vision of the fields and lake every morning.
Overhead photos of the area show its formative past, primarily results of the last glaciation. Ulster was the last to melt — the runoff plus glacial imprints are obvious.
The rivers are probably the most interesting — rushing waters, interesting foliage, etc. How’s the “insect life” during your walks — lots of mosquitoes & biting flies?
Ireland is very pretty, but if you’re looking for stunning, National Geographic “can’t believe that’s a real place” landscapes, this part of Ireland is not it. It is fun to round a corner and see a lake tucked in amongst the hills. But yes, I do think if I were to live in a place like this I’d have to remind myself to appreciate the beauty of my surroundings. You can see why the river is my favorite spot to photograph. 🙂
I haven’t had to leap into the bushes very often – mostly there’s only one car passing me at a time. I make sure to make eye contact with the drivers so they all see me, and everyone’s used to watching out for wildlife on these country roads anyways.
Not a lot of mosquitoes, thankfully, but lots of ordinary flies that from time to time find flying around me to be quite delightful. A shirt over my head usually dissuades them after a few minutes (although I’m sure I look ridiculous. But hey – it works!)
Not many deterrents for flies — DEET & similar don’t work.
Something that does work with flies circling your head, though it looks strange, is to tape a tall fern or feather (like a peacock feather) to a hat — the flies then circle the fern/feather, and not (your) face…
I enjoyed the “Beware of Bull” sign, spending a few moments contemplating whether the bull was “housebroken”, or merely “free range” around the yard.
Reminded me of a sign on a local house:
Forget the dog
Beware of human