The Wild Atlantic Way – Cnoc Fola – Watching the Daisies Skip to content Watching the Daisies Life Lessons on the Importance of Slow Home Meet the Author Contact Disclaimer Beekeeping Book Reviews Environmental Awareness Inspirational Memoirs Personal Development Travel Memoirs Donegal – The Coolest Place on the Planet The National Geographic Traveller Award Beach Walks Culture Gola Island Tory Island Sea Kayaking and Sailing Traditional Crafts Walks Wild Atlantic Way Wildfires Gardens The Healing Power of Gardening My Donegal Garden Donegal Garden Trail More Irish Gardens Scottish Gardens International Gardens Gardening Hints and Tips Self Healing Fibromyalgia Dr Edward Bach Feng Shui Grief, Death and Dying Meditations Additional Self Healing Tips Self Publishing and Marketing My Self Publishing and Marketing Journey Blogging Tips for Authors Marketing Tips for Authors Travel Bali Bosnia Greece Ireland Scotland The Wild Atlantic Way – Cnoc Fola July 12, 2017 82 Comments I planned to take you to an island this week but the ferry never left the pier due to rain, rain and more rain… Feeling rather downhearted, I pondered on a suitable alternative, and after a trip to the local library followed by a coffee and slice of cake, the sun came out. The Wild Atlantic Way So we are now travelling along a small stretch of a 2500km Irish tourist initiative known as “The Wild Atlantic Way.” First stop is a view over the islands to the west, including the island I had planned to visit. Furthest away lies Arranmore, followed by Cruit, Owey, Gola… The Islands Cnoc Fola Next we travel towards Cnoc Fola meaning “Hill of Blood,” – “a rocky headland that turns rusty red at sunset,” – as written on the signs at this “Discovery Point” for the Wild Atlantic Way. Cnoc Fola Looking backwards, the islands are still visible: The Islands as seen from Cnoc Fola Moving on, we pass lots of peat bogs with another headland called Horn Head in the distance. Peat Bogs Tory Island We can also see Tory Island. It lies 9 miles off the coast, and is the most remote inhabited island off the coast of Ireland. St Colmcille founded a monastery on Tory in the 6th century. Although the island is often pounded by the mighty Atlantic, it still has a thriving community. Tory Island A ferry takes visitors to Tory from the pier at Magheraroarty. A stunning beach runs alongside the pier. Magheraroarty Behind the beach, lies an inlet with a view of the flat top of Muckish Mountain on the horizon. Muckish Mountain A traditional thatched cottage makes another ideal photo opportunity. Sadly, there are very few remaining. Thatched Cottage Brigid P. Gallagher is a retired natural medicines therapist, passionate organic gardener and author of “Watching the Daisies- Life lessons on the Importance of Slow,” a holistic memoir dedicated to the art of mindfulness and healing from debilitating illness. She lives in Donegal, Ireland – an area of outstanding natural beauty. Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/r5GCjaetgZk Twitter: https://twitter.com/watchingthedai1 Facebook: https://facebook.com/watchingthedaisies/ Goodreads: https://goodreads.com/author/show/16119226.Brigid_P_Gallagher Like this: Like Loading... Categories: Wild Atlantic Way Tagged as: Arranmore, Cnoc Fola, Donegal, Gola, Owey, Thatched Cottage, The Wild Atlantic Way, Tory Island Post navigation The Garden in June 2017 Kila at Glenveagh Castle 82 Comments » globalhousesitterX2 says: July 12, 2017 at 5:40 am We would love to see more of Ireland. Love those thatched houses! Pity about the weather! LikeLiked by 1 person Reply watchingthedaisies says: July 12, 2017 at 6:44 am Thank you. The weather keeps us green but the sun is back again and everything looks well. LikeLiked by 1 person Reply globalhousesitterX2 says: July 12, 2017 at 7:00 am That is what we say back home in New Zealand 🙂 LikeLiked by 1 person The two girls in the city says: July 12, 2017 at 5:57 am A beautiful place to visit… I am a travel blogger and I would love if we stay connected here is a link to my blog https://valoniapiresblog.wordpress.com LikeLiked by 1 person Reply watchingthedaisies says: July 12, 2017 at 6:44 am Thank you. I shall pop over soon. LikeLiked by 1 person Reply Miriam Hurdle says: July 12, 2017 at 7:21 am I love that trip you took me through. I especially love the cottage! Thank you for sharing, Brigid! LikeLike Reply watchingthedaisies says: July 12, 2017 at 8:10 am My pleasure Miriam. I wish more old cottages had been preserved. So many have been torn down to build modern homes. A great shame. LikeLiked by 1 person Reply Miriam Hurdle says: July 12, 2017 at 9:48 am It happened everywhere! I don’t understand why! LikeLiked by 1 person Smorgasbord - Variety is the Spice of Life. says: July 12, 2017 at 8:14 am Reblogged this on Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life and commented: Brigid Gallagher takes us on trip up the Wild Atlantic Way.. there are many islands of the west coast of Ireland and some are inhabited.. Quite blustery and they get the first of the transatlantic weather but amazing places to visit with lots of wild life.. Join Brigid as she heads up the coast with some photos of the islands… LikeLiked by 1 person Reply watchingthedaisies says: July 12, 2017 at 8:51 am Bless you Sally. 😍 LikeLiked by 1 person Reply boundlessblessingsblog says: July 12, 2017 at 8:29 am Superb pictures, Bridget and would love to see this place. Awesome post. LikeLiked by 1 person Reply watchingthedaisies says: July 12, 2017 at 8:50 am Thank you Kamal. I hope you get your wish. I shall bake a cake for you if you visit.😊 LikeLiked by 1 person Reply boundlessblessingsblog says: July 12, 2017 at 8:52 am Oh thanks so much Bridget and will definitely try to come and will eat your fabulous cake. Have a great day. LikeLiked by 1 person watchingthedaisies says: July 12, 2017 at 10:22 am 😊 LikeLiked by 1 person neilsonanita says: July 12, 2017 at 9:40 am Lovely post Bridget and beautiful pictures. I feel as if I have been on the journey with you! Thank you! Anita. LikeLiked by 1 person Reply watchingthedaisies says: July 12, 2017 at 10:24 am Thank you Anita. I hope to take riubd more places this summer. I have a few posts on the area in my tab Donegal The Coolest Place on the Planet. 😊 LikeLike Reply Osyth says: July 12, 2017 at 1:17 pm I’d I were to describe paradise this would be it. May the winds blow, may the rains pour- nothing spoils such Heaven (except mankind and mercifully he seems to be appropriate and kindly here) LikeLiked by 1 person Reply watchingthedaisies says: July 12, 2017 at 1:19 pm Thank you Osyth. We are used to all types of weather in one day here but today the sun is shining brightly.😊 LikeLiked by 1 person Reply Steph McCoy says: July 12, 2017 at 2:22 pm Oh my gosh, such beautiful views Brigid! These photos are breathtaking. LikeLiked by 1 person Reply watchingthedaisies says: July 12, 2017 at 4:07 pm Thank you Steph. I hope to take you on more local tours in the next few weeks. 😊 LikeLiked by 1 person Reply Steph McCoy says: July 12, 2017 at 5:53 pm Now that would be lovely.💗 LikeLiked by 1 person balroop2013 says: July 12, 2017 at 2:40 pm Awesome pictures Brigid…what a lovely place to visit, so serene and relaxing! Thanks for the pictorial journey dear friend. I enjoyed it. LikeLike Reply watchingthedaisies says: July 12, 2017 at 4:08 pm My pleasure Balroop. I shall show you more of my homeland soon.😊 LikeLiked by 1 person Reply usathroughoureyes says: July 12, 2017 at 4:36 pm So pretty. I remember with detail when in Ireland how they would farm the peat fields. So much beauty in your region. LikeLiked by 1 person Reply watchingthedaisies says: July 12, 2017 at 5:35 pm Thank you. The peat is cut much less these days. It is such a lovely sight seeing it drying in the sunshine. I love the smell of peat fires. My neighbour burns it.😊 LikeLiked by 1 person Reply usathroughoureyes says: July 12, 2017 at 5:37 pm I wonder why its being cut less. Are other fuel forms more promoted? LikeLiked by 1 person watchingthedaisies says: July 12, 2017 at 6:09 pm It is really labour intensive. So people don’t have so much free time to cut and turn it. Also they tend to use oil or gas instead. LikeLiked by 1 person usathroughoureyes says: July 12, 2017 at 9:13 pm Interesting. Thank you very much for answering this for us. We did notice when there how labor intensive it was… back breaking. LikeLiked by 1 person inspirationpie says: July 12, 2017 at 4:48 pm Thank you for the tour of the Wild Atlantic Way! Beautiful pictures 🙂 Jo-Ann LikeLiked by 1 person Reply watchingthedaisies says: July 12, 2017 at 5:35 pm My pleasure Jo-Ann.😊 LikeLiked by 1 person Reply watchingthedaisies says: July 12, 2017 at 5:38 pm Hi again. I went over to your blog but I could not leave a comment. Just in case you dont know about it. LikeLike Reply oldhouseintheshires says: July 12, 2017 at 4:56 pm ‘Breathe in the views” I shall Brigid, I shall. Such stunning views even though the weather is rainy. In fact, it definitely adds to the atmosphere and ruggedness of the views. Xxx LikeLike Reply Gabe Burkhardt says: July 12, 2017 at 5:19 pm Overcast skies make for cool strolling weather don’t they? And it looks like the rain delay led to a nice pre-journey snack. Win-win? LikeLiked by 1 person Reply watchingthedaisies says: July 12, 2017 at 5:40 pm Yes thats what I thought too Gabe. I had such a lovely day in the end. 😊 LikeLiked by 1 person Reply Alexis Rose says: July 12, 2017 at 5:43 pm Love traveling with you! LikeLiked by 1 person Reply watchingthedaisies says: July 12, 2017 at 6:11 pm Thanks Alexis. I will be doing more travelling soon. Nice to have you along. I have been accepted for Two Drops of Ink so I am very thankful. LikeLiked by 1 person Reply Alexis Rose says: July 12, 2017 at 6:32 pm That IS awesome! More and more people get to read your writing!! LikeLiked by 1 person paulandruss says: July 12, 2017 at 6:40 pm Thanks for the photo of Tory Island- home of the Formorians- Brigid. It is a place that has always haunted my imagination. All these photos speak of a genuinely magical landscape. Beautiful. LikeLiked by 1 person Reply watchingthedaisies says: July 12, 2017 at 7:25 pm Thank you Paul. I shall see if I can make a trip over this summer. I have visited twice before. 😊 LikeLiked by 1 person Reply noelleg44 says: July 12, 2017 at 8:20 pm Gorgeous, gorgeous. We are planning a trip to Ireland, maybe next year! LikeLiked by 1 person Reply watchingthedaisies says: July 13, 2017 at 7:42 am I hope you make the west coast. The Wild Atlantic Way is well worth travelling. So many people visit Dublin but the coast is rather special. LikeLike Reply Deb says: July 12, 2017 at 10:38 pm Well look what a trip to the library and a snack will get you! What a wonderful day you ended up having. Looking forward to seeing the photos from your Meadow of Shrubs trip too! xo LikeLiked by 1 person Reply watchingthedaisies says: July 13, 2017 at 7:45 am Yes Deb. I had a terrific day just the same. Hope to get to the islands soon. X LikeLiked by 1 person Reply Deb says: July 13, 2017 at 11:29 pm That will be so relaxing and beautiful. xo LikeLiked by 1 person thoughtsnlifeblog says: July 13, 2017 at 6:06 am Lovely post LikeLiked by 1 person Reply watchingthedaisies says: July 13, 2017 at 7:46 am Thank you Bella. 😊 LikeLiked by 1 person Reply thecobweboriumemporium says: July 13, 2017 at 12:12 pm Ohhhh Daisies, the photographs are breath-taking! Each one has a story going on inside the frame. Each photograph ‘speaks’ to me. I love them. Thank you so much for sharing them. If I were to choose my most favourite photo it would have to be the traditional thatched cottage. I could live happily, for the rest of my life, in a cottage like that. How sad it is that there are so few of them left now. I wonder why that is? What is taking those cottages from the land I wonder. Maybe they need to have protection orders over them, so that the remaining cottages have to be kept in a good state of repair – and a ruling that they can’t be knocked down in order to be replaced with something ultra modern. Thank you so much for these wonderful photographs and the education that we all get from reading your fabulous blog. Have a blessed day Daisies. ~ Cobs. x 💚 LikeLiked by 1 person Reply watchingthedaisies says: July 13, 2017 at 3:52 pm I am glad you liked this post Cobs. That wee cottage sits acroos the road from the sea. I think people want modern houses with central heating… I would happily live in a little thatched cottage like this one. 😊 LikeLiked by 1 person Reply thecobweboriumemporium says: July 13, 2017 at 4:19 pm They never grew up in the times we did, Daisies. I remember getting up on a cold winter morning and having to scratch the ice from the INSIDE of the window in order to see what sort of day it was outside. We had no central heating, just a coal fire in the living room. You are I are made of strong stuff. We know how to survive without central heating. Like you, I’d be more than happy to live in the little thatched cottage like the one in your photos. love and hugs ~ Cobs. x LikeLiked by 1 person watchingthedaisies says: July 13, 2017 at 4:24 pm I remember those cold winters too and Jack Frosts beautiful patterns on the window panes. My late mum used to get up very early to light the coal fire so we could get dressed by the warmth of a fire before setting off to school. xBrigid LikeLiked by 1 person thecobweboriumemporium says: July 13, 2017 at 6:14 pm We didn’t realise that these were ‘hard times’, they were just life and how it was. Memories, even these ones, are such beautiful things. I remember that the promise of ‘an extra blanket on the bed’ meant my mums fur coat. I can remember feeling like a Princess when that happened. 🙂 Happy times. ~ love ~ Cobs. x LikeLiked by 1 person watchingthedaisies says: July 13, 2017 at 7:08 pm 😊 LikeLiked by 1 person Sharon, Leadership2Mommyship says: July 13, 2017 at 3:51 pm Just gorgeous Brigid. I really love the thatched cottage photo, simple structures are always so beautiful. I hope you are doing well. I had hoped to snap some nice beach photos myself, but a tropical storm ripped through Florida while we visited. We had one day at the beach, and of course…that was the day I decided to not bring my camera! Oh well…another time. I’m glad the sun came out for you. 🙂 LikeLiked by 1 person Reply watchingthedaisies says: July 13, 2017 at 4:00 pm Goodness. I hope you still had a lovely holiday. I have been doing a bit of re blogging to get some time out. I have a few scheduled posts written in advance now and shall take some time out in August as my sister will be visiting from Scotland. 😊 LikeLiked by 1 person Reply Sharon, Leadership2Mommyship says: July 13, 2017 at 5:49 pm That sounds like fun! I’m sure you both have a lot of catching up to do. And I think I may reblog and item or two myself. 🙂 Yes, I still had a very enjoyable visit. The weather cleared up enough for us to go outside, but the tides were just too strong for a beach visit. We could technically visit the beach, but had to keep the kids out of the water. Try convincing an 8, 7, 4, and 3 year old of that. Perhaps the older two would be okay, but my sister in law and I were not going to fight that battle. So we chose to avoid all together. We were happy with the pool. It was a nice beach house with a courtyard across the street and daily concerts and movies. So plenty of other activities. And we also visited various locations in Georgia, the Georgia Aquarium and then the Fernbank Museum were both really nice as well. I highly recommend for anyone who visits the Atlanta, Georgia area. Anyways, have a wonderful break Brigid! It’s nice to just stop and breathe in the world around us, as you well know. 🙂 LikeLiked by 1 person watchingthedaisies says: July 13, 2017 at 7:07 pm Sounds like the pool was a safer option. A beach house sounds great and you sure had plenty of entertainment. Reblogging is perfect for this time of year. We have earned a breather… LikeLike robbiesinspiration says: July 13, 2017 at 5:43 pm Hills of blood sounds really fascinating, Brigid. I absolutely love the thatched houses. LikeLiked by 1 person Reply watchingthedaisies says: July 13, 2017 at 6:37 pm Yes. I feel sad that there are so few left. 😊 LikeLiked by 1 person Reply grammywritesblog says: July 13, 2017 at 8:28 pm Lovely post! Now I want to go back to Ireland! LikeLiked by 1 person Reply watchingthedaisies says: July 13, 2017 at 9:16 pm I hope you get your wish. More posts on The Wild Atlantic Way to come… LikeLike Reply Sumith says: July 13, 2017 at 10:19 pm That cottage looks Beautiful! Each and every photos looks beautiful. Hope you had a great time. Nice post Brigid LikeLiked by 1 person Reply watchingthedaisies says: July 13, 2017 at 11:28 pm Thank you Sumith. The cottage seems to be a favourite. 😊 LikeLike Reply Sumith says: July 14, 2017 at 6:10 am I love cottage holidays in country sides😍😍😍 LikeLiked by 1 person rabbitpatchdiary.com says: July 13, 2017 at 11:34 pm those pictures are just beautiful! LikeLiked by 1 person Reply watchingthedaisies says: July 13, 2017 at 11:44 pm Thank you Michele. 😊 LikeLike Reply Rhonda Sittig says: July 13, 2017 at 11:43 pm What beautiful rustic country Brigid! You live in an amazing place. Thankful to get to see it all… Hope you have more country walk ahead this summer! xoxox LikeLiked by 1 person Reply watchingthedaisies says: July 13, 2017 at 11:47 pm Yes. I have more outings planned. I had a lovely one today with my sister. Hope to get to a few islands before summers end. X LikeLike Reply Rhonda Sittig says: July 14, 2017 at 10:43 pm Hi Brigid– how do you get to the islands?? Ferry?? Isn’t it nice to have a sister close by? Mine lived overseas for 6 years and just came back some months ago. I love having her close. This week we are baking a slew of cakes for a family baby shower together!! Hope we get to see more pictures of your adventures! xox LikeLike watchingthedaisies says: July 15, 2017 at 7:35 am Hi Rhonda. Living quietly this weekend. We get to the islands on different ferries. Hope to visit a few soon. Enjoy that baby shower. It won’t be long till the wedding now… LikeLike Rhonda Sittig says: July 17, 2017 at 9:36 pm Sounds lovely Brigid– We were home most of the weekend too– went to friends’ house for dinner on the deck last night–good talk into the night. hugs Brigid!! LikeLiked by 1 person Di says: July 14, 2017 at 7:15 am Hello Brigid, What a lovely journey through the rugged coastline with you. It may have been too challenging for the ferry but your stunning captures paint a beautiful broody scene. Glad you were able to visit a garden that means so much to you. 💕💕Di LikeLiked by 1 person Reply watchingthedaisies says: July 14, 2017 at 9:25 am Thank you Di. I had a terrific day. I felt like a tourist! More day trips to follow… 😍 LikeLiked by 1 person Reply Di says: July 14, 2017 at 10:23 am That’s wonderful Brigid… I’ll see you in your next post 🌹💕 LikeLiked by 1 person watchingthedaisies says: July 14, 2017 at 10:50 am 😍😎 LikeLiked by 1 person Frogend_dweller says: July 14, 2017 at 7:51 am Very beautiful, in spite of the gloomy, overcast weather. Hope you didn’t get soaked on this alternative walk! The photo of the Islands is wonderful. LikeLiked by 1 person Reply watchingthedaisies says: July 14, 2017 at 9:26 am Thank you. It dried up completely although the clouds hung around. 😉 LikeLike Reply flyingthroughwater says: July 19, 2017 at 9:12 pm These images just take my breath away. 🙂 LikeLiked by 1 person Reply watchingthedaisies says: July 20, 2017 at 8:01 am Thank you Nikki. I am doing a wee part time staycation and pretending I am a tourist right now. 😉 LikeLike Reply Pingback: The Wild Atlantic Way – Tory Island – Watching the Daisies Bernice says: January 5, 2019 at 2:43 am Seeing a Thatched Cottage in person would just be awesome!! LikeLiked by 1 person Reply watchingthedaisies says: January 11, 2019 at 11:08 am Hi Bernice. Sadly, there are very few thatched cottages left in Donegal. I love to see them maintained. LikeLiked by 1 person Reply Bernice says: January 12, 2019 at 5:46 pm Oh that is really sad! They are beautiful! LikeLiked by 1 person Leave a Reply to robbiesinspiration Cancel reply Enter your comment here... Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: Email (required) (Address never made public) Name (required) Website You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out / Change ) You are commenting using your Twitter account. ( Log Out / Change ) You are commenting using your Facebook account. 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