Driving the R253

In exploring the roads of northwest Ireland, one of our favorite drives became the R253 road which ran between the towns of Glenties and Ballybofey in Donegal County. An “R” indicates a secondary road – it is usually lined on both sides by thick stone walls, doesn’t have the yellow-broken lines on the edges of the road nor the white line separating the lanes. Although it was only about 24 kilometers long, for us the R253 contained some of the most incredible scenery. Around every turn, we seemed to see something new – an ancient ruin, a fast-rushing peat-brown river, a beautiful lough (lake), a grazing herd of animals, or a picturesque stone cottage situated high on one of hillsides. 

This week’s painting, Heading Home, 9” x 12” on 300 lb. watercolor paper, reflects one of those spontaneous scenes. We came around a tight “bend” in this road to face this amazing view – a farmer/shepherd along with his two faithful dogs leisurely driving a small flock of sheep up to the family farmstead on a rainy afternoon. We were happy to just wait quietly and enjoy this one-in-a-lifetime view until the “parade” made it safely to the barn. 

See more art in the Gallery on my website at www.wildriverarts.com