Tawnylust Lodge and The North Leitrim Adventures

Thanks to Denise Sallee, California for this wonderful blog on her adventures in North Leitrim

SUNDAY, MAY 19, 2019

Tawnylust Lodge & the North Leitrim Adventures

Several years ago,  I was fortunate to find myself living for a year in the wild and woolly hills of North Leitrim, Ireland.  This month I returned there, taking my daughter and her husband.  We stayed at Nuala McNulty's self-catering apartment Tawnylust Lodge - the exact spot where I lived for the first four months of my year-long residency.  I could not have chosen a better spot to nest and to fall in love with the best-kept secret in all of Ireland!

No matter which direction you look from Tawnylust Lodge the view is spectacular ~ 

The apartment has a patio and a large picture window - the perfect vista for daydreaming.

You are surrounded by green pasture land, and stunning hills.  The sky provides an endless and changing panorama.  Truly, a feast for the eyes and solace for the busy mind.

There is so much to explore in this area and Tawnylust Lodge is the perfect home base!

Fowley's Falls near Rossinver is a lovely walk through the woods.  The nearby Organic Centre is the perfect stop for tea or lunch and a look around. Pick up some healthy food and fix a meal in your self-catering apartment at Tawnylust Lodge. 

Everywhere - under the trees, behind an ancient rock, - nature reminds us all of what is truly important in life and allows us the chance to reconnect and nourish our heart and our soul. 

The nearby town of Manorhamilton, with its impressive castle, great pubs and a cafe is well worth a look. Just outside the town is a wonderful forest area, Milltown Woods, with a picnic area and easily accessible walks along the Bonet River.

Sligo, located not far from Manorhamilton, is a bustling and fun town.  The Garavogue River is the heart of this town which reaches toward the Atlantic Ocean.  It was also a favorite haunt of W.B. Yeats who gained much of his inspiration in and around this area.

Surf's up!  Just outside of Sligo is Strandhill which offers an open vista of the Atlantic and the surrounding hills.  And, yes, you can surf from here. For a more relaxing time, soak yourself in a warm seaweed bath while you listen to the waves and unwind at VOYA Seaweed Baths.  I've soaked there three times and brought a few visiting friends. It is a wonderful healing experience.

One of my very favorite spots near Sligo is Carrowmore ~ "home to the largest and oldest collection of stone circles and dolmens known from neolithic Ireland."  The perfect blend of our very earliest history and our mythology. 

At the end of a day's adventures Tawnylust Lodge is the ideal home to return to!

Photograph copyright Nuala McNulty



NOTE:  Unless otherwise noted, all images are by Denise Sallee, All Rights Reserved, 2019.

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WHO IS DENISE?

DENISE SALLEE

Artist, writer, archivist and deep soul diver. A journey about displacement and discovery and the passions of a creative wanderer.

VIEW MY COMPLETE PROFILE

Easter Walking Festival 2019

Walk the Leitrim and Fermanagh Hills this Easter

We are delighted at Tawnylust Lodge & Leitrim Landscapes Guided Walks to be involved again this year in the 27th annual North Leitrim Glens Hill Walking Festival and what a treat there is in store for you.

Cuilcagh Boardwalk

Walkers on Cuilcagh

Easter Saturday's walks are on the stunning Cuilcagh Mountain including the iconic Stairway to Heaven

Culicagh

Easter Sunday's Walks are on Glenfarne Plateau and a ramble in Glenfarne Demesne.

Rainbow Ballroom and Glenfarne Plateau

The wonderful Rainbow Ballroom of Romance is the venue for registration, food and entertainment. We've got it all sorted for you in Leitrim!

Glenfarne Demesne

Ladies Rest, Glenfanre

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE FESTIVAL CLICK HERE

Monsters, Myths, Mystical Mountains and Magnificent hospitality

The 25th North Leitrim Glens Hill Walking festival can be deemed a complete success

The 156 walkers and guides who donned their boots on Easter Sat 2018 in Leitrim were treated to stunning views over Glenade Valley. If walkers weren't breathless from the steep climb at the start, then they certainly were by the views that awaited them when they got to the top!

Walkers with Peek a Dha in the background

Walkers at the start of Saturdays walk overlooking Glenade Lake

When walkers took a break to breathe in the scenery, they were treated to the story of the monster of Glenade Lake, the Dobharcu and where the name Glenade came from - The Glen of Jealousy. Did you know that Peek A Dha means the cows finger?

The walk route took the group from the starting point on the lower side of Glenade Lake and followed a short climb to the escarpment, taking in views of Peek a Dha, Glenade Valley and the Sligo and Donegal coastlines and finished on the beautiful little mountain of Tievebaun. Covering 12 Km the group was well ready for a lovely meal in The Bee Park Centre, Manorhamilton followed by a film at The Glens Centre. It was lovely to welcome 37 walkers from the An Oige group in Dublin.

Where humans dare - Eagles Rock, Glenade

Sunday Walk;  Arroo Mountain and Trail Head

Well, it may not be everybody's idea of how to spend an Easter Sunday but the 158 walkers who left the comfort of their duvets early on Sun morning had absolutely no regrets. The wonderful hospitality at Aghanlish Community Centre at the start and finish of the Long and Medium hill walks and the ramble was just incredible. Homemade scones, a variety of hot drinks and gluten free options meant everybody was catered for.

Gluten Free Options at Aghanlish served with a smile and a large helping of Leitrim hospitality 

Tea & treats at  registration at Aghanlish Community Centre

Easter Sunday was also the inaugural walk of the new Arroo Trail Head. This stunning walk is the result of collaboration between the local community, landowners, Leitrim Development Company, Sligo Leader, Leitrim County Council and Leitrim Recreation Forum. Ask any walker that took the trail on Sunday and they would confirm that it was all so very worth while. What better ambassador to tell people about the walk than Glenade's own Colin Regan. Colin explained the process to the group of ramblers who took the trail and his pride in his native valley was palpable.

Ramblers setting off from Aghanlish

Members of An Oige group and locals with Colin on the Arroo Trail

Arroo Mountain

Iascin Lake

Colin Regan with Arroo Mountain in the background

Hot soup, homemade brown bread and sweet treats revived walkers afterwards at the former national school. The miracle of the loaves and fishes was repeated when twice as many walkers as estimated turned up but nothing was a problem to the women and men of Aghanlish Community. 

                                                        Members of the local community

Tasty treats to revive walkers

Ask any of the 150+ walkers who turned up both days what the highlight was and you'll probably get 300+ different answers. For one Swiss walker it was the absolute joy of spotting two Peregrine Falcons on Glenade Escarpment, for the co-coordinator of the Dublin An Oige group it was the softness of the border that enabled communication between their accommodation and transport company in Fermanagh with the organisers in Letirim to ensure a seamless weekend of activities and entertainment for them. For other walkers it was the personal achievement, one completing his first ever hill walk, another getting over an injury. Without exception, all were well aware of the feel good factor that a day in nature affords with benefits for body, soul and mind.

The North Leitrim Glens Hill Walking Festival is run by a dedicated group of volunteers from the Holey Soles Hill Walking Club and guides from Leitrim Landscapes Guided Walks. The support from local communities, landowners and sponsors; Trail blazers, Call of the Wild and Leitrim Co Council enable it all to happen. The guides who help from North West Mountain Rescue and Sligo Clubs keep everyone safe on the hills. The watchful eye of the Sligo Leitrim Mountain Rescue volunteers who are on call for the festival, make everyone feel a little easier in their responsibility to guests. The fantastic and ever enthusiastic PRO Dervilla Keegan is an inspiration to all. The economic benefit that the festival brings to the area is an added bonus with accommodation, transport, restaurants and pubs benefiting from the visitors. Long may it continue. Leitrim Abu!

Thanks to Evan Sweeney, Sheila O'Keeffe, Dervilla Keegan, Noirin Clancy, Paul Keogh and Nuala McNulty for the pics