Weep Research Trip: Achill Island
Achill Head
Achill Island features prominently in Weep 3 Feast and Famine. Throughout Weep The Irish Epidemic, Rebecca’s main goal is to get back there to her family. So I had to do a bit of wandering around the island to get a feel for the place.
I filled the car tank, knowing well that after eight and a half hours of driving, the needle would be near dry by the time I got home again. I woke with the sun to make the most of the day, I wanted a lot of bright hours following the five hour hike. (Considering I lost the trail due to poor visibility, I was glad of the early start as I had enough time to bumble about safely).
Anyway, the plan was to go down and wander a bit of Achill Island for Weep and after doing that, I can honestly say that setting a zombie apocalypse in rural Ireland was not my brightest idea. You’d be grand down there with so much space and so few people. Though I’d imagine the trouble comes when there’s a disruption to food supplies and distribution. And there’s the potential issue of refugees heading west to escape the more built-up and densely populated areas, bringing the sickness with them.
The Hike
I parked at Keem Strand and strolled along the white sand beach by the bay, mostly because I couldn’t find a clear trail to start the hike. The guide book never mentioned a near vertical, grassy climb. The first point of interest was the watch tower on Moyteoge Head. Heavy clouds robbed me of most of the view and as soon as I started along the cliffs, they fell and completely blanketed the land. I’ve been told that Achill’s sea-cliffs are some of the most spectacular in all of Europe. They have lovely clouds, but I can’t really speak for the cliffs. I’ll be back again as the hike was thoroughly enjoyed.
The Atlantic Ocean breaks against over 2km of cliffs. There are a few small summits before Achill Head. The next stage took me down into a river valley, in full view of Croaghauns western cliffs. That mountain is over twice the height of the previous summits, so I’ve no idea what the top of it looks like.
I stopped for lunch in an old booley settlement at Bunowna. The remains of old stone buildings used by shepherds grazing livestock on the mountains. Mad to think how little change has occurred in that valley since people summered in those booleys.
By the time I started on Croaghaun, the wind had picked up enough to cause worry. The path dwindled and with poor visibility, I lost it amidst sheep trails. To be fair, all I had to do was keep heading up, I mean, that is how mountains work. But if I held my hand out ahead of me, my fingers became fuzzy in the mist. So I opted to walk along the mountain and hope it got me back to Keem Bay. It did eventually, but I feel I could have enjoyed the wander a bit more if I avoided the marshes and sheer drops. Though that desperation to get down is good fodder for Weep.
So how has the trip helped me with putting Achill on the page in Weep 3 Feast & Famine? Well I’m definitely incorporating something like the booley settlement into Somniloquent, that fits perfectly with the story. If nothing else, I was delighted with that.
The trip opened up the island in my imagination. The characters spend a lot of time there, so I found this helpful. Weepers aren’t likely to be an immediate problem, but hunger and the desperation of others will be. I’m looking forward to getting into it now.
B-(aaaaaah)-ye