Puffin Season on Rathlin Island- A Day Trip with RSPB NI and Kintra Boat Tours

RSPB NI recently invited me to a unique and exclusive viewing of the puffins at Rathlin Island!

If you already follow my work, you’ll know that I’m greatly inspired by nature, and puffins happen to be one of my favourite animals. So I was absolutely over the moon to receive such a special invite!

Rathlin Island is Northern Ireland’s only inhabited offshore island and it plays host to the distinctive birds every year. This rare opportunity allowed me to witness the beauty of Rathlin and see first-hand, the crucial conservation efforts led by RSPB NI.

Sadly, the puffin population has fallen by half in recent years. A major cause is predation by invasive non-native species that inhabit the island, especially Rathlin’s population of rats and ferrets.

However, things have been changing. IN 2021 LIFE Raft (Rathlin Acting for Tomorrow) got the go-ahead. The £4.5 million conservation project is designed to safeguard Rathlin Island’s internationally important seabird population and other wildlife. Over five years, the project aims to protect Rathlin’s threatened seabirds and ground-nesting birds through a programme to eradicate brown rats and ferrets. With its focus on natural heritage and community, the initiative will also help Rathlin Island’s economic recovery following the impact of Covid-19. The project is deeply rooted within the local community. Livestock will will also see benefits from the removal of non-native species. The project is also creating new jobs on the island.

LIFE Raft is just one of the projects RSPB NI are undertaking to protect, support and enhance the Rathlin Island community and its unique environment, including taking actions to be carbon neutral by 2030!

During the event; we had the chance to experience the spectacular sights of Rathlin’s renowned ‘Seabird Centre’ by sea, home to Puffins, Guillemtos, Kittiwakes, Razorbills, and more. We also got to have a look at the famous upside down lighthouse from the sea!

I’m a big fan of lighthouses and have actually been inspired by one of the lighthouses on Rathlin Island before. I think I’m definitely going to have to illustrate the other lighthouses on the island now as well!

I know this is a boring topic of conversation, but we were so lucky with the weather on the day! It felt like a holiday on a beautiful Mediterranean Island and seeing little flashes of orange beaks flying around us, landing in the sea made it an incredibly special day.

Kintra Boat tours made the most of the dry day and surprised us with an extra little excursion to the other side of the island on our way home! It was incredible to see more dramatic scenery and we even saw lots of seals too.

The seals were much more willing to have their photographs taken than the sea birds! I think I might need to invest in a better camera lens for the puffins next time, but I’m still just so delighted to have seen the sea birds up close in action!

If you would like to find out more about conservation on Rathlin Island, follow the links below…

RSPB NI

LIFE Raft

My Giant's Causeway Mighty Hike for Macmillan Cancer Support

I set myself a little challenge for the summer recently… I’m going to be doing the Giant’s Causeway Mighty Hike (full marathon) to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Care at the end of June! It’s something that means a lot to me and of course most of you as well I’d say, so please DONATE if you can!

Unfortunately, Cancer very much runs in my family. I lost my Nana Maggie to Breast Cancer when I was just eight years old. More recently, I lost my Granda Danny to Sepsis, which was a side effect of treatment for Prostate Cancer. Even more recently, my Aunty Cheryl and Granny Dolly were diagnosed and treated for Breast Cancer. And most recent of all, my Aunty Fiona (who is also my godmother) was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma.

It’s a lot of people, but I couldn’t be feeling more excited and pumped for the hike! It’ll definitely be tough in places, but I’m originally from the Causeway Coast and the marathon route is actually my old stomping ground! It’s just the perfect place to show respect and support for my family.

I recently set up a JUST GIVING PAGE to accept donations. All donations over there go directly to Macmillan Cancer Support. Thank you so much if you’ve donated already. I’ve been blown away by the response! £250 is the minimum amount I need to raise in order to take part in the Mighty Hike, but I would obviously like to raise a LOT more in order to make a difference!

Please please please donate and share my page if you can folks! It would just mean the world to me.

DONATE HERE

Love,

Gemma x

Autumn at Tollymore Forest Park- A Visual Journal

Wales- August 2021

A very happy new year everyone!

2021 was another odd year wasn’t it?

A highlight of the year was our first holiday since the pandemic! We arranged to meet Hannah’s family in Charmouth for a lovely break together and we decided we would have a few little adventures of our own along the way. I LOVE planning road trips and off grid breaks (bit obsessed actually) and we were driving to Charmouth from Belfast, so there were plenty of exciting options!

I did lots of research and we decided we would drive to Wales and stop off for the night after driving down from the ferry in Scotland. Our final spot for the night was the quirky Boy John on the shore of Smuggler’s Cove in the Dyfi valley estuary.

I think I underestimated how long it would take to get to west Wales and there was quite a bit of traffic too. We were absolutely exhausted when we finally arrived, but what a spot and what a beautiful evening too! There was only one thing to do at this point… crack open the wine!

The wine may have hit us pretty hard after such a long day.

It was a bit odd to be staying somewhere that wasn’t home for the first time in so long. We felt compelled to wipe down all the surfaces that we were going to be in touch with. If we’d been there longer we would have definitely done a deep clean. It was pretty grubby in places, but I guess that’s part of the experience of staying in an old boat!

We settled in for the evening and it didn’t take long to feel cosy with the woodburner and more red wine on the go.

A huge perk to the accomodation was that it was pet friendly. We couldn’t have imagined going on our first holiday in so long without our little Frida! She absolutely loved exploring all the new smells and secret nooks of the boat. The three of us spent a little bit of time under the stars together later that night and it was magical.

We explored more of the boat the following morning. Frida wasn’t too keen on climbing the ladder to the top deck!

I absolutely loved it up there and couldn’t resist taking a little moment to do a very quick sketch.

Frida definitely preferred going for a walk in the beautiful area around the boat. It’s a UNESCO Biosphere Zone and is said to have some of the most outstanding natural landscapes and habitats in the whole of Europe. We all certainly approved!

We had a very soggy doggy on our hands after our walk. We hate seeing her cold, so we wrapped her up in our sleeping bag. She was very grateful and had a well earned snooze after all her exploring.

With Frida all tuckered out, it was the perfect time to set off on the next leg of our road trip down to Charmouth. All three of us would love to have stayed longer and explored the area a bit more. I was quite blown away by how tropical west Wales appeared in places. We drove through some wonderful little villages too. One was so wonderful that we had to stop and squeeze in a quick pint to see us through the next part of the drive!

Wild Swimming in the Mountains- Bloody Bridge

We had the most wonderful day swimming in the mountains recently.

We decided to visit the Bloody Bridge area, as it’s great for taking in the sea and mountains. It’s also a suitable spot for our little pup Frida.

It was Frida’s first time going for a walk on cliffs and it was like watching a little mountain goat. She also swam for the first time! We were two very proud mummies.

We had such a great day.

Murphy and Bailey

Meet my newest greetings cards stockist everyone! The absolutely brilliant Murphy and Bailey in East Belfast!

I don’t know who is more excited about this, myself or our little pup Frida! I reached out to Murphy and Bailey not long after Frida became a part of our life and to my delight they agreed to stock my pet themed cards, as well as commission a series of postcard illustrations based around Murphy and Bailey!

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I couldn't resist dropping the cards off in person and bringing Frida along for a little nosey. She enjoyed a puppiccino or two while she was there, loved all the attention and of course we bought her lots of great new bits and bobs too!

The shop is just stunning and so quirky. I really wanted to reflect this and do it justice in my illustrations.

This was one of those lovely occasions where I could just picture how the postcards would look right from the start, so very little design time went into these early sketches.

I loved seeing the designs come to life in the artwork. All of the postcards have been an absolute pleasure to work on… dogs, scenery, architecture, a bit of culture (my favourite things) and all for a fantastic local business!

You can find Murphy and Bailey on 65 Belmont Road, East Belfast. They also have a beautiful website you can visit here. You’ll want to buy everything if you’re anything like me!

And just in case you’re interested… here’s Frida wearing some of the lovely treats I mentioned. I’m a bit biased, but doesn’t she make a fantastic dog model?!

Sunday Scribbles

We went on the most gorgeous walk round Bohill Nature Reserve with our little Frida yesterday morning.

It was a steep, but short trek; perfect for tiring out our little pup, but not overdoing the amount of time she’s allowed to walk at her age either.

What a day for exploring a new place! We all absolutely loved it. It was so nice to see some spring colours too. I should have brought my paints!

Freckle Magazine

I had the great pleasure of contributing an article to Freckle magazine recently. I’ve been a huge fan of the publication right from the start and I couldn’t be more delighted to be involved!

Get your own copy here.

Ageing a year on Achill Island

So it seems 2020 is quickly becoming the year of the staycation! It was my 32nd birthday recently and I fancied a little adventure somewhere new and not too far away for some celebrations. I’ve always heard incredible things about Achill Island in County Mayo; and after seeing a friend’s photographs of a recent Keem Bay wild camping trip, it seemed like the perfect spot on the island!

It was around a four and a half hour drive to Keem Bay from where we live; passing through County Down, Armagh, Fermanagh, Leitrim, Sligo and finally County Mayo. The drive is an experience in itself. I loved crossing the bridge to Achill Island and the cliffs just suddenly shoot up out of nowhere; beautifully sculpted by the relentless wind and waves of the Wild Atlantic Way. If you look closely at the second photograph above you’ll see the (slightly nail biting) final cliff edge part of our drive down to the bay!

We wasted no time, cracking open a few beers and getting set up straight away. It wasn’t long before the sea air had us hungry for an early dinner. It turns out this was a sensible decision, as the storm clouds moved in quite quickly afterwards.

Before we knew it, we were battening down the hatches for the night. We’d kept a close eye on the forecast and knew we would be ok, but the clouds were still quite intimidating. We were fully prepared to dash back to the car during the night if we had to, but we made it through to the morning. The wind was something else during the night; it was quite difficult to differentiate between it, the rain and the sound of the sea. It was an epic sound.

We brought a Decathlon three person, pop up tent with us and it did so well during the wild night. It shook in the wind at points, but didn’t move an inch on the cliff or let a drop of rain in either. We were so cosy during the night too!

We made the most of the calmer conditions in the morning and explored the beach. I squeezed in another quick sketch too, this time focusing on the beautiful colours on the island.

We had planned on heading home straight afterwards, but the sun made an unexpected appearance. We of course had to stay a little longer and have a dip in the sea. We ended up not getting home until quite a bit later than planned, but it was absolutely worth it for this little patch of paradise.

Vitamin Sea- Dunseverick Castle to White Park Bay

I popped home to the Causeway Coast over the weekend. It was my first trip back since the pandemic took hold and it was great to feel north coast air again; nothing blows the cobwebs away quite like it!

This part of the coastline is usually a lot less crowded than the more well known tourist spots, so it’s been top of the north coast visit list during these strange times. We set off early from Dunseverick car park to cut down as much contact as possible with anyone else adventuring. We explored the beautiful area around the ruins of Dunseverick Castle before setting off east along the cliff path towards White Park Bay.

I adore this part of the coast. It’s so vibrant and varied with castles, cliffs, caves, streams, wild flowers and beaches all in the space of a few miles.

The cliff views are spectacular, but I particularly love part of the trail which drops down to sea level. It begins with a little bridge crossing over a waterfall, which creates a cliff side rock pool (great for a dip!) before travelling down to the sea. The sound of the sea is incredible here and the waves are stunning too. They errupt from little tunnels between the rocks in an almost volcanic way; a great nod to the volcanic heritage of the coastline!

The next part of the path is gloriously green and full of all sorts of weird and wonderful shapes. There’s something very prehistoric about it; I always expect to see dinosaurs roaming around.

White Park Bay isn’t far away at this point; a lovely climb up a trail and we see it through one of my favourite caves, which is the inspiration behind one of my Causeway Coast themed illustrations!

Just around the corner, between us and White Park Bay is the beautiful Portbradden. I’m incredibly jealous of the people who live there!

Beyond there, it takes a bit of a clamber to make it over to White Park Bay and it has to be perfectly timed with the tide moving out. It’s worth it though; there’s something really magical and mythical about this part of the coast. Game of Thrones was filmed in the area and it’s easy to imagine dragons living in the deep caves that pop up along the cliffs. I’m yet to be brave enough to venture the whole way into one of the caves. They go back at least 50 feet!

Unfortunately at the final hurdle I accidentally walked right through a crystal clear rock pool wearing my trainers. It was quite refreshing I must say. However, I soon realised soaked, sandy trainers would make the hike back quite difficult.

It just meant we had to sit on the beach a little longer for the trainers to dry off in the sun.

I seized the opportunity to photograph some more of my coastal illustrations. The puffins below are very much inspired by the puffins on Rathlin Island in the distance; another gorgeous spot on the Causeway Coast definitely worth visiting.

Check out the full range over on my SHOP. — Check out the full range over on my **SHOP**.

My trainers didn’t dry much in the end, so I walked barefoot for as much of the journey back as possible. I had slightly bloody heels by the end, but it was worth it and all part of the adventure. I’m always surprised if I don’t end up with some sort of injury to be honest.

The walk totalled at 7.6 miles in both directions, so not far at all and the early start was great for avoiding people. However, we didn’t take into account that the route would get busier as the day went on. I’d definitely recommend finishing the walk well before lunch time if you can, as it’s difficult to socially distance on cliffs!

May in the Mournes

The Bird Box

The Bird Box is a magical AirBnb in Donegal and it’s the third incredible home designed and created by Pete and Anna. Their other homes include The Hide and The Cow Shed.

I’ve always loved treehouses and had dreams of staying in one. Who hasn’t?! During a visit to The Hide we spotted Pete building what looked like the early stages of a treehouse. I couldn’t believe it! We spent the next year or so checking in regularly with their AirBnb profile to see if the treehouse was available for booking. When we least expected it and at a moment when we were really in need of a treat, it suddenly became available. We booked a break immediately. Keeping an eye on things paid off as all of Pete and Anna’s homes are usually booked out really far in advance.

When we arrived, it did not disappoint! There was no mistaking the entrance and as we started walking we soon spotted the treehouse nestled between the trees. It was stunning. The little walk to it was an experience in itself too. We had to cross a suspended rope bridge in order to get to it; the stuff of dreams!

This is the view that met us on the other side of the treehouse…

After marvelling at the view we lit a fire, poured a couple of beers, put our comfies on and had a proper look around the treehouse itself.

As expected, it was so beautiful and cosy inside. The hosts have fantastic taste in furnishings/decor and everything is crafted so cleverly. You can find all that you need in the treehouse too; a fridge, hob, microwave/oven, sink, toilet, shower, bed, storage, lounge area, table, chairs and a mini wood burner. It’s unbelievable what they’ve built into the space.

Then there’s the trademark way in which Pete and Anna frame the views with their brilliant placement of windows. The front of the treehouse is completely made up of windows. You’re just surrounded by trees and mountains. Even the tree branches are shaped in such a way that they frame the mountain peaks!

Another lovely thing about all of their homes is that there is little to no phone signal, so you really can detach from the world there. We spent every evening eating, drinking, chatting and just staring at the sun setting over the mesmerising landscape. Much better than staring at screens!

It was surreal to wake up high amongst the trees every morning; an absolute feast for the eyes.

I treated myself to a nice new Moleskine pocket sketchbook just before the trip. I knew it would be a break worth documenting in sketches.

It’s impossible not to relax and recharge in Pete and Anna’s homes. The hammock was particularly good for this and very comfortable for a nap!

I’d like to have produced a few more sketches during our visit, but we’ll be back again very soon. It was great to just be still and soak up the newness of this special place on our first visit.

Book your own visit here.

Belfast Design Week 2019

Belfast Design Week is an annual design festival which celebrates local and international design in venues across the city. It was absolutely incredible this year!

Each year has a different theme and this one was my favourite so far.

I had the pleasure of being involved with the marketing of BDW this year, on social media. This worked out very well, as I was able to keep well up to date with events I was interested in!

I particularly enjoyed Womenfolk- Getting Retail Ready. It was so insightful and inspiring to hear from Patricia from Woven, Emma from Hunter Paper Co and Dollybirds Art.

I also had the pleasure of facilitating my own interactive live design event; Let’s Paint a Picture of Belfast, as part of The Big Draw In. This took place on Cotton Court Square in Belfast City Centre.

It was added to and coloured in throughout the Big Design Day Out by children, adults and visitors to Belfast, showing what Belfast means to them and what they would like to see in the city centre in the future.

The day was a success! I couldn’t have done it without the help from my Womenfolk mentee, Kathryn McGrane and Christine James, from BDW and Blick Studios. I was impressed by the turnout, in spite of the torrential rain and heavy winds.

Whiskey Club NI RECONNECT event

Well last weekend was a bit magical! A few of you might have spotted that I was putting together a special greetings card order recently for a top secret event; an invite only event that I’m delighted to say I had an invite to. Big thank you to NI Explorer for that!

RECONNECT was created by Whiskey Club NI to encourage us to disconnect from digital connectivity, to just enjoy the moment and to reconnect to the things that really make life special… with the opportunity to sample Redbreast Irish Whiskey along the way (a little clue as to why my illustration tied in well with the day!).

Everything was a complete surprise, but what we did know was that we would be meeting our brilliant guide for the day, Joe Magowan, at The National in Belfast and heading onwards to somewhere unknown. Very exciting!

We stopped off at Oxford Island Nature Reserve on Lough Neagh first. For anyone unfamiliar with the geography here, Lough Neagh is Ireland’s largest expanse of fresh water and it was quite the spot for our first whiskey tasting of the day! We took in our surroundings at the edge of the Lough with a Redbreast 12. It has a rich, creamy Christmas cake character and it won the World Whiskey Trophy at the International Wine and Spirits Competition, scoring an incredible 98/100 points!

This photograph from Dish You Were Here sums up the atmosphere at the Lough beautifully. — This photograph from **Dish You Were Here** sums up the atmosphere at the Lough beautifully.

We then set off on the bus for our top secret final destination of the day, passing the time with conversations and a gourmet packed lunch from Yellow Door Deli. After a while it became clear that we were heading in the direction of County Fermanagh. Then following a final drive down a lovely country lane, we arrived at the beautiful Blessingbourne Estate.

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We were immediately made so welcome by Colleen and Nick, the owners (and Inka the Labrador too, who spent most of the day with us I’m happy to say). We all had a little chat and listened to stories about the Estate over some hot drinks, treats and heat from the wood burner.

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But before we got too settled we were divided into small teams, given a trail map and sent off on a treasure hunt around the lake and woods in search of three little wooden Redbreast robin tags.

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The location was beautiful and just when I thought things couldn’t get any better, we stumbled upon two stunning owls from World of Owls; Bowie the Barn Owl and Harley the Eurasion Eagle Owl. I was absolutely blown away by how beautiful they were. They really need to be seen in real life to be fully appreciated. And the excitement didn’t stop there! We all had the opportunity to hold them while enjoying our second whiskey of the day, a Redbreast 15 year old. Joe explained that it was once a special edition, but it was so loved that it’s now a permanent member of the Redbreast family.

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After the walk we made our way back into the Blessingbourne house, took our shoes off and cosied in around the fire, with more interesting stories from Nick and Colleen over a Redbreast Old Fashioned. It was my favourite drink of the day by far; absolutely delicious.

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For anyone else who loves an old fashioned and fancies making one at home…

Pour 50ml of Redbreast 12 over ice.
Add 2 dashes of Angostura bitters, 2 dashes of orange bitters and a bar spoon of maple syrup.
Stir well and strain over ice into a rocks glass.
Garnish with orange peel and a maraschino cherry.

Before dinner we were a given a personal tour of parts of the house by Colleen, which was really interesting and we felt very at home walking around in our socks with a whiskey I must say. As we were seated for dinner, a glass of Redbreast Lustau was poured for us all. Joe explained that this whiskey highlights the sherried character that Redbreast is known for. It’s aged for 9-11 years in American ex-bourbon and Oloroso sherry casks and then finished for a year in hand selected first fill oloroso casks from Bodegas Lustau. This was followed by a lovely beef stew, with mash and vegetables. Then we had meringue, fruit and cream for dessert.

After dinner, the evening was brought to a close with more stories, the oldest current Redbreast expression, Redbreast 21 ( I may have gifted my last two whiskeys to Andrew from Big Daddy Slims. He was delighted he sat next to me!) and a bag of Whiskey Club NI goodies to take home. This was what the top secret greetings card order was for.

Photograph by Gary Farquhar — Photograph by **Gary Farquhar**

It’s safe to say we were absolutely spoilt. It doesn’t get much better than nature, exploring, walking, animals, a cosy home, a lovely drink, delicious food, storytelling and great company. I hadn’t met most of the other guests before and it was lovely to get to know them! Just in case you’re intrigued by who else was there…

Thank you so much to Joe and Whiskey Club NI for all their hard work. Thank you also to Lesley Maltman, Colleen and Nick for making us feel so at home and for the effort it must have taken for them to prepare for us and have us visit.

If you would like to find out more about the day, check out this beautiful video from Whiskey Club NI. It sums up the day perfectly.

The Hide

We first visited The Hide a year or two ago. It’s an incredible Airbnb in Donegal looking towards Glenveagh National Park, designed and created by Pete and Anna. Our most recent visit was this autumn and as always, we had an absolutely magical experience. This might just be my favourite place in the whole world!

I’ve always loved Donegal. I spent adventure filled summers there with my grandparents and my cousins growing up. My granda’s mum was actually from Donegal, so it runs in the veins and inevitably has a bit of a pull on me. We try to visit as often as we can, and Pete and Anna’s homes are now our go-to base for our trips. Though it’s worth going to Donegal purely for what they’ve created… and that’s exactly what we did last time.

We first visited this spot to escape from what had been a really full on year. It looked amazing in the photographs, to the point where it almost seemed too good to be true! To our delight though, it was somehow even more beautiful in real life. The view quite literally took our breath away as we pulled up.

We’ve been welcomed by Pete and Anna every time we’ve arrived and left too, which is lovely. They’re incredibly kind, thoughtful and obviously exceptionally creative, intelligent and talented to have made something so out of this world.

Below is the view we woke up to on the morning of our first ever visit…

Unbelievable… and nope, it isn’t a painting! Every single window in the cabin acts as a frame for the landscape like this. You feel like you’re living outside in this incredible place, but you’re actually inside enjoying it from the comfort of a cosy, magnificently designed cabin.

Another huge perk to the location is that there’s no signal or Wi-Fi. So we really do escape from the world there. It’s so nice to do nothing but just cook, eat, drink, chat, laugh and watch the mountains change colour.

I’ve brought sketchbooks with me on each of our trips too…

Pete and Anna have some watercolours in the cabin, so on our first visit I decided I would paint the mountains changing colour... and I quickly had to get to grips with the rate at which they were changing colour. The process ended up being a lot of fun and I realised I could work quicker and looser than I ever could have imagined.

There were so many special moments during our most recent trip, but I think my favourite was when Hannah had spotted I’d maxed out with sketching and brought some beers and a blanket outside (she knows me so well!), and we just sat there soaking up the sights, sounds and the sunset.

Our visit this autumn was our longest visit yet and it still wasn’t enough time. I had a feeling that would be the case.

Book your own visit here.

Blick Shared Studios

I recently had the pleasure of being asked to become part of the Blick Studios team, based on Hill Street in the Cathedral Quarter, Belfast. I didn’t have to think twice about such a great opportunity!

I have my own studio space to use there at any time and my part time role mainly involves taking photographs in the Cathedral Quarter, contributing to social media accounts and keeping an eye on the studio. I really enjoy taking photographs and it’s wonderful to be able to showcase this lovely part of Belfast.

Blick have several spaces, but I’m particularly fond of the Hill Street Studios I must say. I’ve already met so many like minded creatives there too.

I first became acquainted with the Blick team when I signed up for a studio space at Cotton Court a year or two ago. So many opportunities have came about since signing up for that original space. I can’t wait to see what the next chapter brings with Blick.

Find out more about Blick Shared Studios here.

A Walk in Wicklow

I spent a day in the Wicklow Mountains for the first time recently. It was long overdue!

As an Emerald Isle native, I’m very used to greenery. However, I wasn’t quite expecting the level of green in Wicklow on this particular day. It almost looked tropical in places!

We tried parking at the main Glendalough car park, but it was unsurprisingly full on such a glorious day. Thankfully an additional car park had been opened, so off we went on our adventure!

The climb up was a little steeper than I expected, but the view was absolutely worth it at the top!

We managed to find a quiet little nook for lunch after passing most of the crowds.

We didn’t linger long for lunch, as we cooled down quite quickly after stopping. It didn’t take long to warm up again though, as we had a bit of a final climb ahead before descending.

We couldn’t resist dipping our toes in the stream and rock pools on our way down and we ended up spending quite a bit of time there. I LOVE the sound of fresh water.

Hannah was in her element the whole day. The Wicklow Mountains used to be her old stomping ground when she lived in Dublin.

We eventually managed to say goodbye to the rock pools and set off again for the final part of the walk. It was just as beautiful and dramatic as the rest of the walk.

The whole walk was just over 9 miles and on a loop, so pretty satisfying! And the day ended with us spotting some local wildlife on our way back to the car. Can you see her amongst the leaves?

An afternoon in Ardara

We visited Ardara for the first time recently, during a trip to Donegal. It’s such a beautiful place. I can’t believe I hadn’t visited before!

We spent the afternoon at the stunning Maghera Beach; climbing the dunes, cliffs, exploring the caves, paddling in the sea and of course sketching! It’s such a characterful place. I’d love to base a whole project on it at some point.

We rounded the afternoon off with food and a few pints at the very cosy Nancy’s Bar in Ardara. Is there anything better after a day by the sea?!

Tourism Northern Ireland Young Travel Writers Competition

I was absolutely delighted to be asked to judge the Tourism Northern Ireland Young Travel Writers Competition in 2018. It was the year of European Cultural Heritage, so Tourism NI, Department for Communities Historic Environment Division and partners launched a competition challenging creative young writers to share their travelling adventures of ‘How I explored Northern Ireland this year’. I’m a keen explorer myself, so it was a pleasure to judge the competition!

For the chance to win exciting prizes and the coveted title of ‘Young Travel Writer 2018’, entrants were encouraged to share their thrilling and adventurous tales. I offered some writing tips and shared some of my own inspiration in a piece with the Irish News.

The competition was split into five categories and I judged the 6-8 age category. I chose Umar Muhammad as the winner of my category and he went on to become the overall Young Travel Writer of the Year.

It was wonderful to judge the competition and it was so lovely to meet Umar and the other finalists in person too. We all took part in a photoshoot with Rosemarie McHugh from Tourism NI.

There’s a wonderful piece about Umar in the Irish News too. I also speak about why I chose him as the winner.

Glenveagh Day

I visited Glenveagh National Park in Donegal for the first time recently. It’s the second largest National Park in Ireland; full of rugged Derryveagh Mountains, lakes, woodland and a castle which was originally built as a hunting lodge in the late 19th century. How this was only my first visit at this point, I do not know!

We had been in Donegal for a lovely AirBnb cabin break and decided we would take a little detour to Glenveagh on our way back home. Our hosts recommended a great driving route to get there.

The drive was quite something, but we were even more blown away by the view when we arrived at the park. It was one of those beautiful days where the clouds were so dramatic that they didn’t quite look real. We could have been anywhere in the world. What a day for exploring!

We set off in the direction of the castle, alongside the lake. We walked further into the mountains and the views became more dramatic with every step we took. The walk was about 3.5 km and should have taken around 40 minutes at a casual pace. We were in no hurry though.

Days like these are magical and just when we thought it couldn’t get any better we found a small, isolated patch of pebbly land right next to the lake where we could dip our toes.

We met no one else there. We just had ourselves and the wonderful sound of the water to break the peaceful silence. It turned out to be a bit of a sun trap there too, so we ended up spending most of the afternoon on this little piece of paradise.

It was an ideal moment to grab my pencils and sketchbook.

Hannah did some more exploring and foraging while I was sketching. She gathered some lovely pebbles and driftwood to take home.

We could have stayed there all day, but time was ticking on and we needed to get back home to prepare for work the following day. We still managed a quick visit to the castle, gardens and cafe though. It would have been lovely to spend a bit more time exploring the grounds, but we were both happy to have prioritised our walk and the little spot next to the lake.