Spending the summer in Portsalon means many things to many people but to the small community of runners, swimmers, cyclists and all forms of general fitness addicts it is a real paradise. Every activity seems to start uphill and for one particular swim there was a mountain to conquer. Nestled at the top of the Knockalla Mountains are three small lakes. Not too difficult to get to and surrounded by an air of mystery. Our bunch of intrepid explorers included the Harvey’s, the Busche’s, the Orr’s and ourselves, six adults, seven children and one dog. Four families out for a hike in the wilderness of Donegal. Rumour and speculation about the safety of the lakes had been at the forefront of discussion, they had been referred to us as ‘the black lakes of Knockalla’. Bottomless, dark holes cut into the mountain during the last ice age, whose depths have never been measured. There was rumour of ‘dangerous currents’ that could pull you down into the murky black depths never to return. With all this in mind we set off, wetsuits in hand, to swim the largest of these beautiful little lakes.
The water was pleasantly cool, not the freezing cold that had been expected. On entering the lake the drop off was steep, straight into about five feet of water with a boulder littered bed. Surrounded by peat bog the lake was a deep brown/black colour, when swimming you could see clearly to your fingertips however nothing more was visible in the murky depths below.
For me, as with all open water swims my mind was flooded with all sorts of weird and wonderful notions about the swim. How deep is the lake? Is it safe? Are there leeches or other more sinister creatures present? Thankfully it turned out to be a great swim, cool and quiet. I’d imagine that few people have ventured up to the lakes, never mind for a swim.
With the view across to Mulroy, Rosguil, Hornhead and out across the Atlantic this is an amazing place for the open water enthusiast to venture.