Old Church in Dunlewy
The plan was to head up way north into Donegal and – since it is a long journey – sleep in the car, so I could stretch the trip in to two days. Once I’d gotten as far as Sligo the road conditions deteriorated rapidly, the snow and ice causing everyone to drive very slowly and carefully. I headed for Beltanny Stone Circle because it gave me something to aim for and went for a walk amongst the stones which I was in need of after the long drive.
I was going to head north from here to check out some locations I had picked out but due to the road conditions I surmised that I would spend too long doing that, so I decided to head to Dunlewy, which I had the most interest in seeing. So I tapped my destination in to Google Maps, as you do, and followed the directions, which very soon lead me on to a back road that was covered in snow. I passed a man who looked at me incredulously over the top of his glasses as I trundled past him in my Skoda Octavia, both of us knowing that my car wasn’t cut out for this.
I crossed a bridge only just wide enough for a single car and ascended a steep hill. Three quarters of the way up it was suddenly apparent that the car wasn’t going to make it. And even more suddenly the car started drifting backwards back down the hill. I stood on the brakes to no avail. I yanked up the handbrake but it made no difference. I was going at about running pace backwards towards a small and very solid looking bridge, watching the drama unfolding via the car’s mirrors.
Clutching at straws I elected to turn the car in to the hedge, thinking that it would bring the car to a halt, but on turning the wheel full lock I discovered that I had no traction whatsoever and the steering wheel just spun uselessly. There was nothing more for it but to aim the car as best as I could on to the centre of the bridge. If I managed to miss the concrete then I knew the car would come to a stop since bridges are usually flat.
And that is exactly what happened. I stayed put on that bridge for a little while, letting the adrenaline course through my body while I filled the air with some choice expletives. After a fairly long reverse I managed to turn the car around in the entrance to a farm and passed the same man who I’d passed not long previously. I raised a finger off the wheel in salutation and he gave me a gesture which I took to mean ‘and what did you think was going to happen, dickhead?’.
A closer look at the map revlealed that I could get to Dunlewy via Letterkenny and stay on the main road that way. However eventually I had to turn on to an R road. It looked pretty clear and busy enough with other cars so I headed off along it. But after a while it became apparent that I was now driving over a mountain pass, a thick blanket of snow covered everything in sight, which eventually included the road. The road stretched on for over 20km and at some point my Skoda joined another two unsuitable cars in a convoy. We soldiered on – one car in front, one behind me – all doggedly following the tyre tracks left by someone before us. Occasionally it would snow and the road would be even harder to see. My knuckles were the same white as the terrain as I held the steering wheel with both hands in a death grip. The view was spectacular, I don’t think I’ve ever seen snow like it in Ireland, but there was no way that I was going to stop the car until I saw some signs of life.
When I eventually got to Dunlewy I could see – although I already knew – that I wouldn’t be able to drive to most of the locations that I had in mind. I knew that I could walk to the old church situated in what’s called the Poisoned Valley so I parked the car at the side of the main road (I wasn’t going to risk driving down into the valley and not being able to get back out), slung my gear on my back and made my way.
My notes from a previous visit suggested that I walk down a path running along the outside wall of the church and take the photo from over the wall, but this turned out to be impractical so I had to climb over the wall with my gear. The sun was in just the right position and there was a really nice light, but they were difficult conditions to photograph under. Trying to balance the exposure between a black object and white background was made more difficult by the rapidly changing light conditions. And I didn’t have long to get what I needed before more snow came blowing in, snuffing out the light as it went.
It was at this point that I got a message from my wife informing me of a status orange weather warning in Donegal and Leitrim. Trying to sleep in the car in sub zero temperatures was one thing, getting stuck in remote Dunlewy was another. And since I couldn’t actually drive to most of the locations I had in mind anyway I decided to head for home, which took forever due to the conditions.