Return to Blueberry Alley - One giant leap for dessert

Click on this image for our track in Google Maps

At last, the penultimate group of visitors from the linear progression I have been hosting all summer have left, and I can now return to more serious matters!

These more serious matters, as it turns out, are the one activity we have yet to have much of a chance to exert this season: wild blueberry picking.

Speaking of which, if there's one piece of wisdom I shall ever want to impart upon you, it would have to be the following: Never stand between a man and his desserts!

The place where we collect sits at the foothold of the second peak in this picture

Sure it may be a bit rainy these days, with the sun setting a bit earlier than we'd prefer, but the prospect of juicy blueberries, which we've been missing for a long year now, is more than enough to help us throw all caution into the wind and rush out in order to seek what we hope will be a most bountiful crop.

But before we get to the main course, and since those are also plentiful, we do make a welcome stop on our way up to hunt for some blackberries, since they are throwing their welcoming (yet thorny) arms at us, from the bottom of the valley.

Perhaps this is the place to confess that, while I don't miss many things about France, one of the few I do miss are the wild blackberries that anyone living on this part of the continent would be able to collect from all matter of hedges, towards the end of summer. Sadly, that up north, the weather is oftentimes too mild for sweetness to have had a chance to properly settle in. Not that you can't find tasty blackberries here too, but they are much harder to come by...

And the same often goes for blueberries, though, of course, you'll be hard pressed to find blueberries in France, except in the mountains. Not like here, where they really are all over the place, though, again, not always as sweet as one might like 'em to be.

Thus, to noone's big surprise, this season has indeed brought as bountiful a crop as we could hope for. Plus the short rain we've had earlier should ensured that they have been ready-washed for collection.

But first, before we get to the place where we expect the most appropriate set of conditions, we pass Lough Donnell, ever its peaceful self.

Lough Donnell

From there, it's the usual path towards LoughSalt Mountain, which we only climb halfway through today, as we soon encounter exactly what we've been looking for:

Tada!

Did I fail to notice the arrival of rainclouds or even the passage of time while I was feasting on juicy berries, and ended up having to climb down in the dark? Why, no, not at all...

"I really can't see what would ever make you think that..."

And thus, with dessert safely stored (inside our belly) we can head back home, with just a hint of bluish-red around our lips, while making a plea to the Dagda that next year's crop might be as abundant as this year's...

Suggested Sound Track

• ORESAMA / Ginga

Why oh why am I currently enjoying this little tune so much?

It's been proving to be providing your here protagonist with the same propensity for prevalent predisposition as profiting from a profusion of wild blueberries produce, which isn't a small feat!

Additional pictures

Craigfadda at dusk - Mind over matter

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Even though this is an after-work walk, this time, you get some pictures.

The things I'll do for you...

This evening, we set of to Craigfadda, which is another one of my regular after-work picks, particularly in the summer. I mean, what's not to like? It's isolated enough for our taste, with a climb that's not so short that it'll leave us wanting for more, and it does offer some great views from the summit, especially at dusk. Plus, if we feel like walking some more, we can always press on towards Craigcannon or the wind turbines.

A lone evening path, just the kind we like

With the clear evening skies, and the sun setting fast, it's not too long before we start to harvest exactly what we've been looking for:

The view towards the west

Furthermore, we arrive at the top at the precise moment where the sun is disappearing behind our good old friend Muckish:

A late-winter sun disappearing behind Muckish mountain

The days may still be short, but there's still some good sights to be had, especially as we find a delightful first crescent moon during our climb down. And of course, as we do so, we take our usual small detour to catch a glimpse of Lough Anny, since we've always had a weakness for this small yet inspiring lake. Too bad there's a new fence in our way, as we wouldn't mind taking a stroll against its shores, like we used to do in the past...

But while we are coming down, we also have a bit of fun with these birds, landing a few metres on the path in front of us, then flying right back out as we get close, only to land again, a few metres further, as if to playfully guide us. Birds around these parts certainly seem more intrepid than the ones I've encountered elsewhere...

Suggested Sound Track

Lyrically influenced by The Beatles and à propos, yet cryptic enough for my taste. This song fits my mood for tonight, even if I still have a stronger preference for some of the other tracks from Everybody Loves A Happy Ending:

• Tears For Fears - Ladybird

Additional Pictures

Great views of Inishowen and Fort Dunree

A backlit Muckish

Croaghnadownies at dusk - A place to see the stars

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Another one of my year-round quick-walk destinations and, on occasion, a place where I go see the stars, especially in late autumn or late winter (with a preference for the former, since it's not as cold then)...

Tonight is one of those, mostly because I thought I could use a break and also because the late afternoon clouds happened to part in exactly the right manner to make this dusk walk fit its intended purpose.

Besides, low light walks do take a completely different dimension, and the view from the top of Croaghnadownies at dusk, with vistas of Ards, Rossguill and Fanad, are known to soothe even the most cold-hearted wandered. With a day that went from bad (rear flat tyre on the bike, just one day after I fixed a flat on the front one) to worse, and where nothing of value was being accomplished, it was an easy decision to go see the stars rather than try to spend yet another hour, banging one's head against the wall, all to accomplish nothing...

And stars we did find! First to appear at our impromptu rendez-vous was Sirius, due south, winking at us in an especially scintillating way. But then again, it's not like Sirius is that far (only 9 lightyears, which is a cake walk on the cosmic scale). Turning to the the west, a bright Venus also joins, whose light effortlessly manages to pierce through these late long clouds that are so rudely trying to stand in her way. And not much longer after that, Orion, pointing its nose as the first constellation to finally reveal itself in full.

From there, things only got better, even though eastern/northern stars and constellations did happen to take longer to appear, in these dimming skies, than their southern counterparts.

Sure, it may be windy and quite chilly up there, but it's not that bad a place to be, when surrounded by such a fine crowd. Plus the climb down in darkness (no moon today) is great fun. Maybe some other day, I'll talk about the times I used to walk alone, full speed ahead and very late at night, along empty Parisian boulevards... with my eyes closed.

All this to say: walking in complete darkness is awesome!

Thus, with the isolated valley sheltering us somewhat from the light pollution, we are free to get our fill of stars long before we arrive back at the car. Maybe this day wasn't a complete waste of time after all...

Suggested Sound Track

I dunno. I could probably find something not too committal, that mentions stars...

Or, if you insist, we can go full commit, with SHA-1 and everything, and with some John Wesley.
It is true that I may relate to John's obsessive songwriting nature possibly a bit too much at times... In that case, since there's nothing more for me to say, let me hit you with:

• John Wesley - Star

Ballyhoorisky Point - Just when the days start getting longer

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At last, a clear evening after work, in March, where we can get into our classic "after-work" rotation, in order to preserve what little amount of sanity is still ours at the end of winter...

Just felt like walking along the coast today, even more so as the evening skies were particularly clear, and Ballyhoorisky Point, at the western top of the Fanad peninsula, has to be one of the nicest spots to enjoy a seaside sunset. Then again as people around these parts will be quick to tell you, the skies are always clear above Fanad, so why pass the opportunity?

One note of warning though: because it's another after-work walk, I'm gonna keep the views all to myself, which means no pictures. Besides, it was quite late, so photos wouldn't have done justice to the place anyway.

But with the days finally getting longer, it is definitely nice to be able to go back to our after-work schedule again, even if the amount of time we can spend walking has to be shortened somewhat. Can't wait for the shift into summer mode that's going to take place around April, where, all of a sudden, evenings start to take a completely different dimension. I don't think people living south of 52.5°N latitude quite grasp how different springs/summers in these northern parts are, compared to further south, and especially the ones we have at 55°N, with the super-long evenings and stunning midnight sunsets. I for one certainly hadn't imagined that the difference would be so striking before moving here. And of course, as a hillwalker, I wouldn't change it for the world, even with the flip side of the coin that are the shorter days in winter.

Not gonna comment much on this walk either. The waves were mostly what I was looking for and my contemplative mood got satisfied with what it got at the point. Also picked some good sights of Tory Island's cliffs in the fading light, which is always a plus, and with a drive back where the first stars appeared, we're not even going to complain that there weren't any seals to be found in the creek today. Besides, it's not like seals around these parts are anything but elusive in the first place anyway...

Suggested Sound Track

• Vanessa Carlton - Afterglow

Would I use this otherwise well crafted track simply because it contain the lyrics: "Just when the days start getting longer"? Watch me!