22/06/2024 Inisbofin ramble part 2

Our initial introduction to Inisbofin island was impressive, but our ramble to explore the back of the island brought us a glut of joy - our expectation of Donegal is always high, but all of its riches were rolled out in this Aladdin’s island. Let’s begin with what you can’t see- there are Corncrakes here. Not one or two, but a throaty, croaking choir, who turn it up to eleven when the evening falls. There is the heady scent of seaweeds and wildflowers in the air. The salty breeze whips the bog cotton into a frenzied jitterbug, and drenched grasses glitter brightly in a post-shower burst of sunshine. And as we round the shoulder of the island, straining for a better view of Tory island, the arc of a perfect beach comes into view - Tobar an Ghlasáin, white sands, green water, swatches of glittering pebbles artfully scattered here and there. We - Robinson, the Labrador and I- had this whole beach to ourselves. There was nothing for it but to get into that water! It felt like we had broken into a cover shot on a Greek island magazine. The sharp intake of breath doesn’t happen when you swim in Greece- it does in Donegal - but look at the bonuses- No people. No mosquitoes. No noise. No sharks. No litter. Just Balor, watching you carefully, and the hoarse Tom Waits-like corncrakes, singing you home. Enjoy
#donegal #findmyireland #rambles #corncrake #inisbofin
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