8
Inishowen & Lough Swilly.
There is a coastal fort at Dunree with guns that command the mouth of the Swilly, it is now a museum and children play with the guns and sit on the barrels. Below the fort is a large beach and then a headland with a path to Leenan. As you climb the hill and look back to the west this is what you see. The fort is on the other side of the headland on the left and across the Lough is Knockalla.
Further round the coast is the 'Isle of Doagh' which may have been an island at some stage but not for a very long time. There is a wide stretch of flat land connecting the Isle to the mainland and here there is more evidence of strip farming. The Isle itself is a lovely place though very windswept and inhospitable for the most part in severe weather. Pick your day and it's rugged wildness and wide open spaces can be very pleasant.
A cottage on the sheltered south-east corner of the Isle. Last time I saw this it appeared to be for sale, I hope the new owner appreciates it suitably.
Just along the road there is a group of houses and farm buildings in typical west-of-Ireland style built close to the track in a sheltered corner. I write 'sheltered' but look at the shape of the tree; it has a permanent lean to the east away from the constant battering from the Atlantic winds.
