Along the Shores of Lough Eske

I grew up in in the city and the closest bodies of water were a polluted bay and even more polluted river. That’s to say that I never really knew what a clean and beautiful body of water is apart from those that I see in books or in television. In Ireland, bodies of water are plentiful and they are of astounding quality at least from my perspective. What is nice is that they are easy to get to so all I need to do is hop in to the car and drive. The Lough Eske in county Donegal is one of the first lakes that I have visited in the long, long while. Lough Eske is marketed as a romantic destination and there is even a old castle on it’s shores. I have been here a few times, most of the time to eat. These days of lockdown, there is no such thing as eating in a restaurant. This however gives me a chance to appreciate the lake for once.

The Lough Eske is surprisingly large. The Bluestack Scenic Route takes me around the lake and even right by it’s shores. It was tricky to find a place to leave the car since there was hardly any parking here. You can walk right up the lake and enjoy it’s waters. I get to appreciate these places more because of lockdowns. I probably got too used to staying at home that I almost forgot how exhilarating it is to be outdoors. This is a different part of the lake that I visited and it is very much undeveloped apart from the dirt road that runs right beside it. I would think that the hotels managed to get the best spots in the lake but this is not that bad anyway. In the distance you can see that there are boats for tourists, but of course with the restrictions, there are no tourists at the moment. Funny how it would take a pandemic of make you realize how beautiful simple things are.

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