On our final day, which was expected to be another 25 degree C scorcher, we once again headed for the Northern Irish coast. Yes it was cooler, but there are limits; 17 degrees C with a cool wind wasn't called for! The sun did eventually break through the fog, but the cliffs of Binevenagh never revealed themselves! Magilligan point was cool, in both senses of the word! From my point of view it was really good to see such a wide variety of shells on the tide line and accumulating at the back of the beach. We didn't explore the dunes on the point as we didn't have time and the MOD's red flags were flying. The geomorphology of this area is fascinating too as the low lying area that goes from the spit to the base of Binevenagh (the old sea cliff) is a raised beach plain with a series (150+) ridges, with peat deposits between them. I visited the cliffs earlier in the year, looking for the rare Arctic-Alpine plant species they are home too (click here).
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| Definitely cool... |
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| Black Guillemots under the pier. |
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| The Ferry coming back from Greencastle, Co Donegal. |
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| The tideline... |
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| Compass Jellyfish. |
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| Finally Donegal came into view... |
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| Plenty of Sandwich Terns in the channel. |
And at the back of the beach....a spectacular soil profile, representing a dune slack from basal sand, through peat, marl, fossil soil and capped by further sand. Click here for more information.
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