The plan for today was to have a nice relaxing day wandering around Sligo, to recover from our long travel day. The reality was that, due to the previously mentioned rental car snafu, Bob and I had to drive back to Shannon airport, two and a half hours away, to return one rental car and pick up another. It had to be back before 10, so this also involved a 6:45 am wake-up time — also not what we would usually prefer on our first day after a night of missed sleep.
Fortunately, due to being somewhat more rested and not stacked in the car like sardines with three miserable children and piles of luggage, the drive didn’t seem nearly as long and torturous today. It was exciting driving on the N17, the road made famous (to us) by a well-loved song by Irish band the Saw Doctors. We each drove one way, and exchanged the car without difficulty. Our new car is marginally larger so we have hopes that we won’t have to ride with our luggage on our laps. Both cars we’ve rented here have had the feature of beeping madly anytime you exceed the speed limit, so there’s little chance of us getting a speeding ticket.
By the time we got back around 1:15, the girls had only slightly roused themselves. Zoe and Lanie had made it out for breakfast and a short walk, and Nadia hadn’t even left our lodge. The weather was not entirely inviting — the blue skies of the previous day had given way to a steady drizzle. Nevertheless, we bravely got back in the car and set out for Knocknarea, a mountain a short distance away that was sacred to the people who lived here in 4000BC. The top is a huge monument of stones covering a tomb, supposedly of the legendary Queen Maeve.
The weather did not improve. By the time we’d climbed a bit of the mountain, we’d ascended into the clouds and the light drizzle had changed to a steady rain. The glorious ocean views that had been promised were nothing but gray mist. As a consolation, the trail was lined throughout with many cows and sheep, which proved to be considerably more popular with the girls than the cairn that we eventually reached.
After Knocknarea, we decided to forego additional outings that promised vistas, and instead headed to a nearby beach. Sligo is surrounded with beaches, famous for their large waves and popular with surfers. Strandhill Beach, recommended by the host at our lodge, was not short on drama. Sadly for Zoe, there was no swimming, but we could see line after line of breakers rolling in off the Atlantic and crashing on the shore. We took a walk along the water then went for snacks and gelato at the cute seaside restaurant that our host also recommended. This did much to lift dampened spirits.
Dinner was a pleasant stroll into town. Sligo is so beautiful and inviting. We walk in along the river, huge bright clumps of petunias hanging from every lamppost and charming footbridges stretching across. The downtown is vibrant and quaint, with any number of Irish pubs featuring live music and high-quality restaurants. Most of us were ready for bed after dinner, but Zoe and Lanie were intrepid enough to head out again for an evening pint.
