Before we left Wisconsin we made an eclectic list of things that each of us most wanted to do during our month in Ireland. On everyone's list was the goal of finding a "magic road" – a spot where your car seems to defy physics and roll, in neutral, up hill. How could we resist such fun? We had to find one.
Sage and I both did a bit of research and though there are many magic roads in Ireland, we had both stumbled upon one near to us that day. It was meant to be! We set off from Cashel with a loose idea in mind of where we might find it. Part way to a waterfall that we were heading toward (both to find the magic road and also for a hike), Pete stopped the car, curious.
He pushed in the clutch, slipped the car into neutral, and it happened. We were rolling, backwards, up hill!
Peals of laughter erupted.
He did it again, and again, and again. Rolling uphill, it seems, is a thing!So fun, so silly, and what felt like pure magic.
A few minutes later we spotted a fairy tree on the hillside, decorated with treasures and baubles and charms that people had offered as gifts to the wee folk. We stopped again and again the car rolled backwards once more, then we parked and hiked to the fairy tree to offer some gifts of our own (some bits of yarn from home seemed a good choice).
After our stop, we followed the sheep down the road toward the falls and hiked and climbed as high as we felt was reasonable. (Much beyond, actually.) A rain storm would swell, then burst briefly, then moments later the sun would be shining. I'm certain I've seen more rainbows in the past week than in the rest of my life combined! The wind blew hard all day, and the beauty – from the sea in the distance to the water rushing past us; the rocky hillsides and the heather – all of it was indescribable. It was glorious hiking and climbing there, amidst the sheep, roaming free (each marked with a different color and pattern of paint to tell one herd from another).
At the top, looking down over the river and the falls and the ocean beyond, Sage reported it was one of the best days of his life.
I would have to agree.
On our way out we stopped at the fairy tree again, and had a few more goes at the hills. As we left we noticed a rock we had missed on our way in, announcing that yes, indeed, we really had found our magic road! (As if there was any question.)
If you'd care to take a peek for yourself, I posted a video of the Magic Road right here.
So glad you’re enjoying this side of the Atlantic! Ireland is a jewel. Oh and the paint on the sheep’s butt is to show it has been tupped (although farmer does use his own colour to help identify). Sheep are hefted quite heavily to their own territory – if you’re in the mood for a good woolly read then I recommend ‘The Shepherds Life’ which goes into detail about hill farming in the lake district – a mere hop, skip and a jump to my part of the woods over the Irish Sea to Cumbria!
You’ll be kissing the Blarney Stone before you leave?
I loved reading about rolling uphill (backwards) and the fairy tree… Thank you for sharing your adventures + looking forward to the next installment!!
xo
mb