Totally different scene at breakfast this morning……even though all the elements of a FULL IRISH BREAKFAST were available on the menu, you actually had to ask for the punishment rather than having it laid out in front of your nose. Quite a difference……..can you say yogurt with granola and dried fruit, followed by the healthy omelette and……..damn, couldn’t resist……two sausages. Lovely dining room here in the hotel overlooking Downings Beach, the bay (I’ve been telling you Sheephead but it is actually Sheep Haven), and Downings town beyond. Very proper service…….nicely done. We like this hotel. The original, built in the 1890’s was destroyed by fire in the 1970’s. The new one integrates well with the golf operation, and has a classic flavour about it which is nice…….all staff are in black and whites, suits, ties, tablecloths and silverware…….very classy, just like me sometimes.
With yesterdays full travel/golf day behind us, we look forward to just golf this morning at the second of the Rosapenna courses, Sandy Hills, probably followed by a trip to town….. “Downings”….. just down the road. Our scheduled tee time is 10:00am, but when we arrive at the pro shop and check with the starter, he tells us we can go whenever we like……….only two groups on course now, and nobody following us for quite a while. We are all over that and feel like we have the entire course to ourselves…….which we do! I grabbed a riding cart from the hotel this morning, knowing that Sandy Hills is up top on the dunes and there are a lot of elevation changes…….giving the knees a break……..Jutta and Sibylle however, are like a couple of mountain goats who could climb all day long………they take trolleys. By the time we reach the second green we are up on top of the dunes, with the Old Tom Morris course we played yesterday visible below us. We stay up there virtually the whole round, enjoying beautiful views and very interesting golf holes. Elevation changes for sure, and my tee boxes are usually above the previous green……..happy to have the cart. J&S are more in their element here that they were on the Old Links, and both agree they would like to play this one again…….me too. It is very important to hit fairways on the longer holes, because if you don’t, you will be tangled in the rough losing major roll yards and leaving massive approach shots. I tried to help Jutta find a wayward shot off the side of a green and sunk knee deep in this spongy grassy moss crap…….don’t hit it there, as you will never find your ball………don’t even look, you could break a leg. I know that golf course pictures don’t always do the course justice, but think there is enough here that you can get the flavour of this one.
With the round over, we all pile into my buggy + the three golf bags, and make it back to the hotel. Next up…..that trip to town I talked about. We are targeting a bar/restaurant on the far side of town up on the bluff, overlooking the bay. First though a stop at McNutt’s of Donegal Woolens, Blankets, and Throws……..the highlight of my day! I amuse myself trying on wool bunnets, but if there was ever an article of clothing that makes me look like a dork……..this is it…….sorry no sale. I almost said “More” like a dork, and I know that is what a lot of you are thinking……..you bastards. Harbour Bar is as advertised, and the seafood spot directly next door is where you order food, and they will bring it to you in the bar or on the patio. I have the fish tacos, and J&S have the crab mac and cheese…….both delish…….washed down with more Guinness, and we are revived. The bar is a classic low ceiling, cramped little place, and it is jammed for a rugby game that is on the tube. We sit on the patio, and when the rain starts they are quick to cover us up with big umbrellas……nice. The view is great, looking back across the bay at our hotel, and J&S decide they will walk home along the beach.
It is amazing that both in Ireland, and the UK, that caravan (trailer) parks occupy premium spots along beachfronts and viewpoints……..there is one here in Downings also, taking up a huge length of beachfront. Prime real estate.
Once back at the hotel J&S can’t stand it and have to explore the beach in the next bay bordering the golf course, and with that done, I think they have reached their mileage quota for the day……..makes me tired just writing about it…….but they confirm what we suspected from the golf course, that this is indeed one of the finest beaches we have ever seen, and we’ve seen a lot of beaches, I mean hell we live on one.
We decide to eat in the hotel again tonight…….food/service/atmosphere all to our liking………another fantastic meal………hard to beat, and somehow Jutta managed to arrange a window table for the rest of our stay……well done. Tomorrow we play St.Patricks at Rosapenna……..the quite new course designed by Tom Doak……..should be a monster……..need my sleep…….Goodnight
HUGEBLOGSITE 
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