Glencar Waterfall

Glencar Waterfall: The Place I Wish Time Would Just Stop I've been meaning to write about this one for a while. Glencar Waterfall, over in Sligo, is my favourite place, full stop. The falls themselves actually sit just across the county line in Leitrim, right by Glencar Lough, with Sligo only a short drive away. It's not a big site. You could walk the whole thing in fifteen minutes if you wanted to. But there isn't a bad angle anywhere in it — turn in any direction and you're looking at something worth stopping for, like every few steps is its own little painting. I've stood in one spot longer than made any sense, just because I didn't want to move yet. Genuinely, I've wished more than once that time would just stay right there. For scale, the falls drop about 15 metres down through the trees before feeding into the lake. It's on the smaller side compared to some of the bigger falls in Ireland, and there's also a literary connection if you're curious — Yeats knew this glen and mentioned it in one of his poems. But none of that is really why I go back. I go back for how the place makes me feel once I'm standing in it. The teaSHED Once you've had your fill of the view, there's a small, comfortable café right there called the teaSHED. It's a proper rest stop — you can sit, chat, or just bring a book you like and sit by the window. Either way, it turns into an easy, unhurried kind of day. It's been on this site a good while too; the family behind it actually has roots going back to a tea house that stood in the same spot over a hundred years ago, so people have been stopping here for a cuppa for a long time. Spring Means Wild Garlic If I go in spring, everything is just waking up, and that's when the wild garlic comes up. I'll pick a bit fresh and bring it home to cook into a simple green dish — nothing complicated, just something that tastes properly like the season. Then, a bit more than a month later, the garlic flowers come out too. I haven't tried it yet, but I'm planning to have a go at turning some of those flowers into a jar of garlic flower sauce, just to see how it turns out. If You're Going Glencar Waterfall is just off the N16 between Sligo and Manorhamilton, in County Leitrim. Parking is free, and the walk in is short and easy — manageable for pretty much anyone. Give yourself more time than you think you'll need, though. It's a small place, but it's not one you want to rush.