Country diary: A palace of sunlight on a short winter's day

Inishowen, County Donegal, Ireland: There's not much light to play with today, deep in midwinter, but this once-coveted fort still puts on a showMaybe it's the invitation of the slowly lengthening days, but at this time of year I crave a long view. And here, on the approach to the ringfort of Grianán of Aileach, I have it. As the late afternoon sun squints over the fort's high walls, it's easy to understand why early medieval monarchs cherished this summit.I watch my shadow loping across the heath before my gaze plunges to the Inch Levels reserve, where flocks of wintering whooper swans and greylag geese speckle the flooded fields. I stop for a moment, lingering over the sky's perfect reflection in the reserve's brackish lagoon, with Lough Swilly beyond. Not far from here to Ireland's northernmost edge and the Atlantic Ocean. Continue reading...