Binevenagh/Castlerock/Downhill Day Tour

Alas, another solo journey over the fields of lush green and fluffy, wooly sheep...

(Everyone else is really missing out!)

The Belvedere

This particular destination actually happened somewhat by accident. You see I have yet to buy a map so I am basically driving by guess.  Before I leave the house I look up where I want to go and take a picture of the map.  The roads here have names but they aren't actually signed, so often you are just at the whim of the roundabout arrow signage.  Usually I do well until I am approximately half way to where I want to go and then referencing the picture I took there is a great lacking of any detail from which to make good navigational decisions.  At this point I am saved by brown signs 

pointing the way to (an I totally love this expression) 

Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.  

Not that they are pointing to the specific area you had intended to see in the first place.  I was originally planning to go to the Giant's Causeway, but since I figure that's probably the only place I'll ever get any company on my outings, I was quite happy to go elsewhere, so happening upon wherever I might end up was just fine; and that place was the lovely Binevenagh/Castlerock/Downhill area.  

The Bishop's Gate is one way to enter.  

I did not end up going this way myself, but rather by chance through Castlerock instead.  

Castlerock was apparently made famous by the two train tunnels (the longest in Northern Ireland, 

and maybe all of Ireland, too) but it is it's charm and character today that 

attracted all those who knew where they would end up arriving ;)

Just look at the beach!  

The sand was soft and fine, but the water, frigid.
In the distance is Mussenden Temple perched upon the outcropping.

I walked the beach and enjoyed the little streets of the village while licking 

a delicious honey comb chunk ice-cream cone.

I couldn't resist such an intriguing flavour!

An Easterly View

There were even surfers albeit the waves weren't worth it while I was there.  

I spoke to a surfer who was leaving to try another location and he seemed quite miffed 

I did not know that Northern Ireland was well enough renowned for surfing.  

But then again he'd never heard of surfing in Canada either.  So there.

Although I have my eyes peeled for leprechauns, 

this area really had me hoping for gauzy white cladden princesses with flowing red locks adorned with a wreath of leaves being carried off by knights in battle-worn armour on horseback.  

I didn't see any of course.

The Downhill Demesne, is nearly a castle and quite in ruin.

For some reason I did not take any photos of the mansion... (nor did I count the windows - 365 - one for every day of the year it's said) maybe because I was just enjoying myself as I passed through the roofless rooms imagining what may have happened within years ago.

The house met it's fate with a fire sometime after housing RAF ladies and gentlemen during WWII.  

It seemed much older than that to me though...

Mussenden Temple - Library of Dreams!

My favourite building was the Mussenden Temple, which was not a temple at all but a library.  

What a fantastic idea to have such a building with it's walls lined with books right at the edge of a cliff high above the crashing waves of the sea.  What a perfect location to read or study or think!

 

I did note that sadly it does not seem to possess any way to be heated, which is not surprising since it's modelled after a roman building where chances are the ambient temperatures are quite pleasant, but what an ommission in a cool and wet climate!  

It is now occasionally used for weddings.

People should sing is here since just my footsteps had lovely acoustics!

As I was getting sand all over my own car I overheard a mother saying irritatedly to her child 

"Watch out now, I did just finish hoovering the car yesterday!"  

Oh how I do love the vocabulary around here!

I did find my way home easily enough.

A sea cliff covered in nesting birds with caves down below.  

While lying on my stomach on the cliff's edge, with my head peeping over, 

views of caves took me to the marvelous world of Enid Blyton and the Island of Adventure, 

and I almost wondered if I'd see Kiki or be told to wipe my feet.  

Then I remembered with a wicked grin, how my mother would shriek if she saw me stretched 

out like this so close to the precipice!

P.S. Demesne is pronounced 'demain' and means just the same as domain.