The Waters Edge hotel was a boon to the weary traveler. Except no breakfast was available until 10 am. Not good for those of us who want to get on the road.

So, we thought we were being clever by leaving early to hunt down a tasty breakfast somewhere down the road. Little did we know, it was a decision we’d come to rue. But I’ll save that story for later.

First stop of the day was the town of Ramelton. It is a pretty little place.

It is the birthplace of David Gallaher, the first All Blacks captain. The sculpture in his honour, “Forged in New Zealand,” stands as a testament to his legacy. I made sure to take Andy to visit the small park and capture a photo of my two kiwis.

We continued on. You would think a town the size of Letterkenny would have an open cafe. Nope. On to Buncrana on the R238. Which was devoid of buns.  Leaving Buncrana we turn off onto the Westbrook road. This is a bit twisty but the best was to come. It disappears into the moors and turns and climbs into the Gap of Mamore.

This is a fairly short but idyllic motorcycle road. Staggering views, hair pin bends, narrow and twisty. It has it all. We stopped for photos. How can you not when confronted with such beauty.

Photos never do it justice though. But the memories they provoke in the years ahead will. I had to take a little rest. Andy had his camera ready. Of course he did.

We continued the descent on the north side.

The road continues into the small village of Clonmany. At last! A Lavazza coffee sign. We stopped. We had breakfast. Well brunch really. A lonely local took pity on us and sat down at our table. Uninvited. We got a potted history of his life. You can guess it was not the stuff of legend. We gave the “oh really’s and wows” at the required time. He left us for his large scotch and lager at 11am. Just a lonely sole needing an ear. We ate. We moved on. 

Rejoining the R238 through Ballyliffin we turned north on the road to Malin Head. Passing the aerials of the Malin Head Coastguard radio station, the road becomes slow going. The raw force of the wind tries its best to push us off the road. It twists and ducks over and around rocky outcrops before climbing to Malin Head.

The wind screams. The sea is white and foaming. The very next minute, blue skies. We take shelter behind the lookout post as the next wave of rain and wind pass through. You cant go into the shelter. It smells like a Napoleonic toilet.

The rain is lashing and all we can do is grin. We have succeeded in getting to the most northerly point of Eire. We recall Old Head of Kinsale at the southern end where the fog shrouded the view. A seat to take a rest looks out over the boiling sea. Beside it is this.

It was raw up there. We got our photos and moved on.

Descending down from the high point at Magilligans lookout, we drop down into Inishowen head.

We view the lighthouse and Stroove beach before heading through Greencastle. Our journey ends at the Redcastle Hotel.

As I type, my valet Andy has procured two pints of Guinness. We are celebrating the fact that we have all but completed the Wild Atlantic Way. Tomorrow we cross the border into Northern Ireland.

I can’t tell you how much a decent breakfast sets you up for a day on a motorcycle. The weather the past few days has been a concern. Considering we are into August you would be forgiven for thinking we were into Autumn already.

A large area of low pressure is circulating NW of Ireland bringing blustery winds and rain. It is almost stationary.

We set off from Bunbeg and headed north on the R257. 

The road was exposed to the raw wind blowing straight off the sea.

We stopped in a lay-by at Brinlack to take a photo looking back over the bay. White-painted cottages dot a barren landscape. There are no trees anywhere. It’s tough going on the bike. Just before the small town of Gortahork, to add some interest, we take the N56 south. It’s a bit of a dull road, but it takes us to the shores of Lough Nacung. Here, we turn east onto the R251.

Now this road is a beauty. We did nip into a lay-by to get the wet weather gear on. The road was headed to the right of the volcanic peak. It was very gloomy.

Ahead, there were some very ominous-looking clouds over the peaks. The road winds its way up to around 285 meters above sea level before dropping down into the next valley. Here, we turned north onto the R256 on a narrow and twisty road over the moors.

The heavens opened heavily and we had to slow right down. as visibility was limited and the road became a little slippery on the bends. At Falcarragh we stopped under the shelter of a petrol station. We got a coffee and hoped that the rain would pass through. 30 mins later it had abated enough for us to continue without getting too wet.

At Dunfanaghy we turn north and climb up the narrow and winding track to Horn Head. The wind increases dramatically as we climb and pull up in the at the top of the climb.

Horn head is an old look out post dating back to Napoleonic times. Also, a more modern but run down post exists. It got cold very quickly in the biting wind. The roar of the sea rises up from below the cliffs. The wind makes talking hard.

We took our photos and retreated back down the track and set off for Creeslough down the N56. Here we turn onto the R245 and make a stop at Glen Drumlackagh to rest. It gave us a chance to snap a photo of Doe Castle. Once the home of the ruling McSweeney family it is now a national  monument.

The road continues its journey north. It winds its way around Loughs and inlets. Never straight. Always winding to Fanad Head lighthouse. It was rare to get above third gear on these roads.

Whilst having a coffee a family came to admire the bikes and we get talking about where we have been. A general chit chat about our past route. One of them is chewing on some Dillisk. I have no idea what it is. They offer us some to try. It is air dried seaweed. It is delicious. It is supposed to be a delicacy in this region.

I love these interactions we have with people we meet. 

As we ready to leave, the heavens open once again. This time we don’t have the wet weather gear on. The result is inevitable. We get wet. Oh well. Not much to do but carry on. 

The R268 now follows the coast and passes Ballymastocker beach or strand, as they are called here. It’s a stunning strip of sand. The road then climbs through a series of hairpin turns up the hill behind the beach to a viewpoint above. We stop to take some photos.

The road now drops to sea level. It follows the coast all the way to our final stop at the Waters Edge hotel in Rathmullan. As we park the bikes a large rain cloud rolls in. Just to keep us on our toes it rains on us as we make a dash for the hotel door with our bags.

The day has been a fairly technical ride. Coping with buffeting winds and rain again has made us both tired. It is unfortunate that the weather has been so poor for the time of year. But that is Ireland.

And it came to pass. All night long the heavens did their best to turn this area of Ireland into a lake.

A decent breakfast of eggs benedict warmed the cockles of our hearts. We donned the wet weather gear. We had a rain window of around 3 hours. During this time, we needed to reach our next accommodation in Donegal.

I had to cut the itinerary down to a quick dash of 140 Kms. I hoped to arrive before the frontal system.

There was one thing I wanted to show Andy. I know he is a bit of a war historian. I had seen an old concrete hulk anchored in the river here on an earlier visit.

You can read more on this strange craft here.

It was time now for the dash to Donegal. No time to stop for photos. With dark clouds all around us and spots of rain already on our visors it was fingers crossed now. There was a strong and buffeting wind from the south. We had to ease off on the speed for safety. No time to stop at the Yeats grave of take in the mountains to our right.

We arrived at the cottage of Patsy. He is the port of Killybegs pilot. I met him two years ago when I brought my ship into the harbour. He we were back then.

His cottage is charming. I mentioned back then my will to do the Wild Atlantic Way. He offered his place to us and what a boon it is.

Not 30 minutes after we arrived the rain really started to thump down. It has not stopped since. We made it just in time.

We shall have to wait and see what tomorrow brings. Hopefully this system will have moved through and normal service can resume tomorrow.