Our challenge of the day was to hike to the top of Knocknarea Mountain (320m) that dominates the skyline of Co. Sligo. Formed over 300 million years ago, the mountain used to be an important ritual place since Neolithic times.

The lazy 45 minutes climb brought us to a cairn crowning the summit, which, in Irish mythology, is the burial place of the beautiful Warrior Queen Maeve of Connaught.

The entire trail offered great views of our surroundings. Atop, the panorama of Sligo’s rural beauty rolled out below: green pastures, farms, villages and the Atlantic Ocean. It was all that I could have wanted in that particular moment!