I'll fess up.... I myself prefer Ingwe's.
Anyhoo....
Set out in intermittent rain today around noonish after sitting in a very friendly restaurant next to the harbor eating inexpensive food (here they call it the "Big Fry").
Typical Irish weather I guess, somewhat warm when the sun was out, but cold when it rained, at one point I was getting hit with actual friggin' sleet.
I stopped in at a small town and got a haircut. Funny thing happened when I got off the ferry; I seem to have lost the ability to understand spoken English. Anyhoo in conversation with the barber and his friends it came out that there was no camping or even hotels further along my planned route that day.
Ulster ain't Scotland, or even England, and I'm in the Belfast/Loch Neagh orbit - lots of higher dollar country homes. That and the intensively farmed land means there just ain't many places one can quietly setup a tent by the roadside overnight without drawing attention.
The barber quietly called around and found me a hotel room in a classic old hotel here in Maghera (pronounced "Maheraah" with a slight gutteral "g" in that "h" sound).
"The flags will be out in Maghera" today said one of the barber's friends, "lets burn 'em" said another, everybody laughed.
Checking in the hotel I see a number of armed Police standing in an intersection. A bit later I hear fifes and drums, the hotel concierge tries to discourage me from going outside and watching.
It was an Orange Order parade, the Prods. The barber and his buddies were most likely of Catholic roots.
Up the hill in impeccable military precision came the parade; the flags, the fifes, the drums, the rows of guys in suits and bowler hats, children among the band too. All were grim faced and dead serious. two sets of women and kids followed along the sidewalk, waving Union Jacks.
Massive indifference on the part of the townspeople, at least where we were, perhaps this is a Catholic area. Even the drivers being held up reacted neutrally for the most part, like we would if we encountered a slow-moving piece of farm equipment or something.
The parade passed and went off around a corner, a few minutes later the sound of sirens, unknown if they were related to the parade.
A few minutes later along comes another parade unit, equally serious, up that same hill, this one turning right in front of the hotel. A pack of maybe fifteen motorcycles following slowly close behind, a sort of security one assumes. Following them, a police cruiser, lights flashing.
Again, massive indifference on the part of the crowd, tho' two teenagers passed me were quietly cursing the marchers. Then an older guy started loudly heckling the parade, a Cop went and stood by him.
Sad thing was from my perspective; there were kids in that parade, and kids on the sidewalk too.
Anyways, about a 40 mile day today.
Gonna have to plan my route carefully here w/respect to end-of-the-day stops.
Birdwatcher
