Another change in the weather with the thick mist and drizzle briefly lifting then returning while we pushed ourselves up the hill from the village and coasted down to the turning for Ti Linn. Our tyres squished on the wet tarmac while skylarks chirped unseen in the low cloud. We reached the renowned coffee shop ten minutes before the 10:30 opening time and enjoyed some lovely cake with our coffee. They allowed us to leave our panniers so we could ride up unencumbered to view the Slieve League, nothing to do with football, it’s an anglicization of the Irish Sliabh Liag and one of the highest sea cliffs in Europe. We couldn’t actually see how high they were because of the mist. Since we had to retrieve our luggage, we thought we may as well have some more cake.
We returned to the main road and carried on through Kilcar for the lovely coast road, with frequent stops for photographs, lovely views of the outlying coastline. The last section was fairly busy as we approached Killibegs, a small but busy industrial fishing port and checked into the Ritz hostel. It was formerly a cinema, hence the name, but it was also the most upmarket hostel we’ve stayed in so comparisons with the London hotel are valid. It was tastefully furnished with a television lounge, internet access (and free wi-fi) and towels were provided. No washing up after dinner, the instructions were to put our used crockery in the dishwasher. The 20 euro each in a private room included a self-service breakfast comprising cereal, toast and tea/coffee.
The hostel is in the centre of the village. Killibegs itself doesn’t have much to offer beyond shops and bars but it would make a good base for exploring the area.