It is wet outside when I wake. The weather has been between 55-60 F (13-16 C) and cloudy most days. Perfect weather for walking. The warmest day I've experienced over the past 3 weeks was 68 F (20 C) in Omagh. Today is nowhere near that. It is a few degrees below the norm with intermittent rain.
The hike uphill to my destination, Mussenden Temple, takes me about 40 minutes. I can move alright today. Being careful not to overdo it, I'm probably walking too slow. It is a beautiful walk along a beautiful path leading to a small stand of trees. The Mussenden Temple is part of the large estate Downhill Demesne, which was built by the 4th Earl of Bristol in the early 1770s. The first building on the estate I come to is the Belvedere. Built to take advantage of the scenic views above Downhill Strand.
The next building on the estate is the beautiful Mussenden Temple. Originally built to be a library, the temple has quite a scandalous history. The Earl, now the Bishop of Derry, loved beautiful things. His niece, Frideswide Bruce (married name Mussenden). The Bishop would go visit his "Cher Niece" when he quarreled with his wife. So, he decided to build her this beautiful temple. You can read more on the story Scandal of Mussenden and the Library Scandal
A look back at the Mussenden Temple from inside the Downhill Mansion.
The front of the Downhill Mansion. As you can see it is an enormous estate.
Castlerock is due west of Portrush across the bay and back in Londonderry County. Coleraine is in Antrim County. Castlerock has a more classic beach town feel. No fancy boardwalk, no amusement park. The town simply ends where the beach begins. It is popular with tourist for this reason. The village is near Castlerock Strand, pictured below, and Downhill Strand. Castlerock Strand, which is adjacent to the town, is a popular site for surfing. 
On the climb up to the trail for Mussenden Temple, my destination for today, I notice the sun break through the clouds. Overlooking the town of Castlerock, I can see Portrush in the distance.
The next building on the estate is the beautiful Mussenden Temple. Originally built to be a library, the temple has quite a scandalous history. The Earl, now the Bishop of Derry, loved beautiful things. His niece, Frideswide Bruce (married name Mussenden). The Bishop would go visit his "Cher Niece" when he quarreled with his wife. So, he decided to build her this beautiful temple. You can read more on the story Scandal of Mussenden and the Library Scandal
Across the top, just above the columns is an inscription that reads "Tis pleasant, safely to behold from shore, the troubled sailor, and hear the tempests roar." An amazing building that sits on the edge of a 120 foot (36 m) cliff overlooking Downhill Strand. In 1997 the National Trust stabilized the cliffs below to preserve the temple. This is a spectacular building.
To the west of the temple, is the Downhill Mansion.
This picture, clipped from Wikipedia, shows the entire building in 1818, from the same angle as the picture above.
I walk the 1.5 mi (2.4 km) back to the train station. It is now already past 6 pm. When I arrive back in Coleraine, I make the 45 min trek back to my Airbnb. Along the way I grab take away Chinese food. By the way, this is the 2nd time I've tried take away Chinese from two different towns. Neither of them have been very good. Future trips to Ireland, I'm crossing off Chinese food and hamburgers. Ha!
Today was more spectacular then I expected. The day was terrible. Rained a good portion of the day, not ideal for walking through a huge estate but I got by. Walking back to train station I noticed that a bus stop pole was painted red, white, and blue. Clearly signifying that I was in a Protestant part of town. Everyday there are these subtle reminders that although the wound isn't bleeding anymore, there's a lot of healing that still needs take place.
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