Stone Fort of the Grianan of Aileach
It was a wet day when we went up the hill where the Grianan of Aileach is. I was still getting used to the weather there in Ireland, basically cold and wet all the time, however, it was worse when you go up to higher places. The Grianan of Aileach is basically a stone fort, naturally forts need to have a good vantage point, and what better vantange point that the top of a hill. Unfortunately, this will also expose visitors to the fort to the elements. It was cold and very windy up there. The dark clouds were already starting to gather in the area and I think it would be raining soon. There was a carpark in front of the entrance but we were delighted to see the view from the carpark itself. At that time, visibility was still okay and we can see quite far into the distance. It seems that they really chose a good spot to build the fort.
Wooden Path Up the Grianan of Aileach
Fortunately for us, there was no entrance fee to see the fort. The entrance basically consisted of a mere gate where you just excuse yourself in. The area was surrounded by chicken wire presumably to keep animals inside or outside. There was a smaller gate to let people in the premises. The path up the Grianan of Aileach wasn’t particularly nice. The first part of the trail was stony until it turned into a wooden path. I assume this was built for safety reasons. I can only imagine how many people have already slipped in this area since the weather here is always wet. Already, I can feel some rain falling down of me. I don’t think I will be getting blue skies here, probably a very rare thing to see in this part of the world.
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