A week in the Emerald Isle, Ireland (1)

The Irish countryside

This summer we spent a week exploring the island of Ireland, mostly along its west coast. We spent the 8 days in and around the towns of Galway and Killarney. It was a driving holiday where we would drive every day to a new place near these towns. Tourism in Ireland mostly revolves around nature, with its bright green mountains and forests and numerous lakes providing enchanting locations to explore. The locations were stunning and we ended up having an active but refreshing holiday. The weather was a bit coldish which put a bit of a dampner on some of our plans, but hey, at least it wasn't raining 😜.

Itinerary

Day 1 - Land in Dublin, explore Dublin - Trinity College, Temple Bar, Christ Church Cathedral (Other places to visit are Poolbeg Lighthouse, Phoenix gardens, Henrietta Street, Grand canal); drive 2.5 hours to Galway; on the way, stop at Athlone, at Hodsons Bay Hotel; stay at Galway for next 3 nights
Day 2 - Day trip to Connemara National Park (2.5 hours return drive); visit Kylemore Abbey, Diamond Hill hike, Clifden town on the way back; stay at Galway
Day 3 - Ferry trip to Aran island of Init Mor (1.5 hours return drive to ferry); stop at Salthill promenade, Silverstrand beach; stay at Galway
Day 4 - Drive to Killarney (4.5 hours drive); stop at Galway, Dunguaire castle, Doolin village, cliffs of Moher (Other places to visit are Black head, Fanore beach); stay at Killarney
Day 5 - Day trip to Muckross lake, Muckross Abbey and House, Torc waterfall, Ladies View; stay at Killarney (1 hour drive)
Day 6 - Drive around Ring of Kerry Road (3.5 hours drive); stop at Kenmare village, Derrynane Beach, Portmagee village and Valentia Island (Other worthwhile stops are Kerry cliffs, Skellig Islands boat tours, Molls Gap, Caherdaniel village, Kells village, Cahersiveen village, Cahergal Stone Fort); stay at Killarney
Day 7 - Hike Gap of Dunloe, visit Inch beach and explore Killarney town (Can drive around Dingle and Slea head drive, climb Mt Eagle); stay at Killarney
Day 8 - Drive back to Dublin (3.5 hours drive); stop at Adare (Can visit Glendalough and Sally Gap); fly out to London


Day 1 - Land in Dublin; explore Dublin; drive 2.5 hours to Galway; stop at Athlone, at Hodsons Bay Hotel; stay at Galway

Bridges of Dublin

Our first day in Ireland was spent exploring Dublin where we had landed from London. It was a slightly rainy day, so we had to take breaks while exploring the city. We parked our car next to the river in the city centre and just walked around the central area. We first walked around the river which had some magnificent buildings on its sides. And many famous bridges along it, some of them quite striking in their views.

Trinity college

Our next stop was the famous Trinity college which has a huge campus to walk around. The weather had also got sunny by then, and so we were able to walk around its gardens a but. We then walked around in the market area and window shopped the local hand knitted warm clothes being sold there. The most famous brand was of Aran sweaters which are produced and hand knitted in Ireland. They were lovely, very warm and being sold in all the tourist areas we visited the next week.

Temple Bar

We then walked to Temple Bar which is not a bar but a lively cobbled pedestrian street, lined with unique shops and places to sit and eat. The street is painted in bright colours, and with all the summer flowers in full bloom, appeared very striking in its colourful appearance.

Latvian musicians and dancers

And on our way back to our car, we ran into a Latvian cultural program which was in its final day. There were singers and dancers from the country, who were showcasing their culture in one of the open air parks. They were dressed in bright colours and enjoying the show totally. In fact, when one of the group started singing, a few of them got up and impromptu started dancing. Apparently, they had all congregated here from different parts of Europe and were feeling nostalgic to be able to connect with their culture, their songs and dances again.

Christ Church

We then walked to the Christ Church which was huge and quite imposing. It felt straight out of one of those fantasy Hollywood movies or Game of Thrones where something was going to happen. And then we were off to Galway. It was alternating between rain and sun on the way, but when it was sunny, it looked glorious. All through the drive, there was greenery on both side, with some farms here and there full of cows and sheep and some small little captivating towns too.

During the drive, we stopped around midway at Athlone, at the Hodsons Bay hotel which a huge resort on the bank of a huge Bay. It got sunny right then and we loved our stop there, walking next to the huge bay, with kids playing there while their parents relaxed at the hotel. This would definitely be a good place to stay to enjoy a nice time in the Irish countryside. We had lunch there, sitting in the glass cafeteria, with a view of the ever extending bay outside. And very soon we were at Galway. There weren't a lot of cars on the way and it was fun driving all the way through the refreshing rain washed scenery.

Our airbnb was a bit outside Galway in the area of Clybaun, away from the city centre. It was a nice 2 bed apartment, very comfortably stocked, 15 mins from the sea and near an Aldi store. So that day, we just walked to the Aldi, bought groceries for the week, and just enjoyed the Irish air while relaxing on the airbnb balcony.


Day 2 - Day trip to Connemara National Park (2.5 hours return drive); visit Kylemore Abbey, do Diamond Hill hike, stop at Clifden town on the way back; stay at Galway

The day today was spent driving towards Connemara National Park which is North of Galway, and exploring the area. And it was one of the best drives of the trip with very dramatic landscapes all the way. The weather after the rainy day yesterday turned out to be quite sunny, though still coldish. But the sun made it bright all around and enhanced the scenery even more.

This drive was part of the Wild Atlantic Way, and quite stunning I must say. Our destination of the day was a hike up Diamond Hill, but we stopped at a lot of picturesque places on the way too. The drive was through lush green countryside, with green in various hues all around. There were loads of lakes at every turn, and then small peaks next to them, providing magnificent views all around. And at times, the sea would come in along the coastline creating majestic panoramic vistas of the sea. The landscape was quite dramatic and captivating all along. We also passed by some huge luxurious houses on the way. The traffic wasn't much, though we did encounter a lot of slow cars on the way.

Random stop next to a stream

Our first stop was an impromptu one at a small striking garden next to a stream in the village of Oughterard. It looked so picture perfect that we had to stop there. It was green, with blooming flowers, a small bridge on the small stream and a few benches to just sit and enjoy the gurgling water. It is one of those idyllic places that we read about often in old English poetry. Our next stop was at the Joyce craft shop, located right next to a huge lake. It had a very quaint collection of things, especially local pottery. And the woollens that we were getting there were of a very high quality as compared to a lot of other locations.

Kylemore Abbey

The next stop was the Kylemore Abbey which was absolutely fabulous. Its a huge white thing of beauty located next to a huge lake and has a huge estate for people to explore. The weather had also got sunnier by then and it felt like we were in one of the fairy tales we have all read. It would have taken long to explore the Abbey and we were getting late for our hike. So we did not stop here long but I can easily imagine having a full day picnic in and around this place.

Drive through Connemara Park

After that, we entered the park and were greeted with some amazing landscapes. Of lush green mountains dotted with pink flowers and small houses, of small lakes and vast valleys, and of clouds above. It was a fun drive and we drove till Letterfrack town to start our trek up Diamond Hill.

The walk up Diamond Hill has 3 levels, and you can choose to either go all the way up, or do part of the trek depending on your mood. Its about 3.7 kms to go all the way up and took us about 4 hours to complete the 6.7 kms trek, keeping enough time for breaks to enjoy the majestic views this trek offers.

The first part of the trek had a slow gradient, through green fields. But from there itself, you can see panoramic vistas all around. After the initial easy half, the next half is the steep part of the trek, and involves walking on steps made of rocks, going all the way up to the peak. And the views from the peak are even more mind-blowing.

View from Diamond peak

You can see a couple of lakes and small villages, green forests and valleys surrounded by mountains on all sides, and then the sea, dotted with some islands till as far as your eye can see. Once you reach the peak, you can get a 360 degree view all around the mountain, including the Kylemore Abbey. And it felt exhilarating to be at the peak and look all around. There were lot of tourists on the way, especially from UK and France but it didn't feel crowded at all.

View of the Abbey from the peak

I would definitely rate this as one of the better hikes I have done. I found this description on one of the sites which explains better the views you get from the top. "From here, look to the sea to Inishturk, Inishbofin and Inishshark; to Tully Mountain rising over Ballynakill Harbour and along the intricate Connemara coastline.To the north and east, the Twelve Bens are nothing short of sensational. To the northeast, Kylemore Abbey’s gothic turrets stand out from neighbouring Kylemore Lough; and directly north, the summit of Mweelrea, Connaught’s highest mountain, can be seen peeping out."

By the time we came back down the peak, it was getting late. And we wanted to get home on time, so we started the drive back soon. We only stopped at one town, Clifden on the way. It was a small colourful town, right next to where the sea juts into the land. It had a row of colourful houses and was quite charming. The drive back to Clybaun was relaxed as usual and we were back home by daylight (as night used to be around 10 pm in June) to have a nice home cooked Indian meal at home and call it a day after some strenuous climbing during the day.


Day 3 - Ferry trip to Aran island of Init Mor (1.5 hours return drive to ferry); stop at Salthill promenade, Silverstrand beach; stay at Galway

This was one of my most memorable days of the trip. We took a ferry to one of the Aran Islands and spent our day there. It felt like those islands were from a different times altogether, as if time had come to a standstill. It was also one of the sunniest days of our trip and I think that may have something to do with my loving the island so much 😜.

There are ferries to Aran island from Rossaveal and Doolin. As Rossaveal was very close to where we were staying at Clybaun, we drove there in the morning along the Wild Atlantic Way, for about 40 mins or so. The weather was sunny and awesome from the morning itself, though it was still cold. The views on the drive were scenic and we drove through lot of small villages on the way. Some of the places looked very English, maybe they were settled by the English? There was a lot more traffic on this route than usual though.

There are multiple ferries taking tourists to the island. We took the early morning one at 1030 am, which costs EUR 25 for return. The trip took about 40 mins and though sunny, it was still windy. We did try a bit to stand outside on the ferry terrace but preferred the warmth of inside the ferry.

Houses on the island

We went to Init Mor which was a small island, about 31 sq km. And it felt like a world by itself. It had its own history and culture, and many different kind of places to visit. It has old forts, tall cliffs, old churches and ruins, some villages, shopping and many other things to do. You can explore the island on foot, by bike, tour bus or on a horse cart. We decided to explore a few of the places by foot itself.

View from the fort

First we walked up the Dun Eochla, which is an old fort and a lighthouse on top of a hill which is visible from most places on the island. From the top, you can get quite an expansive view of the whole island and the seas around. There were vast green fields and old stone houses all around. The water was also a very bright blue which sparkled brilliantly in the sun.

Village pathway

Then we walked down through one of the village trails, through white flowers and ponies grazing in the fields. It felt like being in the wild as we found our way back to the coast where there was a seal colony. Most of the seals had gone into the sea but there were still some 5-6 of them sunning themselves out in the sun. And then we walked back to the main town of Kilronan all along the sea. Every spot here was worthy of a stop, to sit and admire the views around.

The whole walk was outstanding! Through rich green grasslands and luxurious picturesque houses. There weren’t a lot of people around. But the views of the sea, the rocks, the houses, the grass, the ponies and the fields was enchanting. And the day was so sunny, we loved the day walking around and exploring the island. The town of Kilronan where we took the ferry back from was also cute, with some shops and small little houses everywhere.

Seafront at Kilronan

There are a few other places to visit on the island, like the Aonghasa fort, which is quite old and located on a cliff and the seven churches which are ruins from ancient times, the Blackfort and a few other spots. All for the next time 😊. I loved our time here and would totally recommend this trip to everyone. Its worth coming here for a day, just to slow down your pace of life and unwind. Some people also stay on the islands, and I can imagine how awesome that would also be.

After taking the ferry back, while driving back to Clybaun, we stopped at Salthill promenade and walked around next to the sea. It was full of tourists, but given that it had got windy, we did not stop there for long. After that, we stopped at the Silverstrand beach which looks awesome in photos but by the time we got there, the high tide had hidden the beach. A few people were still brave enough to get into the water but it wasn't for us for sure. The whole day had turned out to be very sunny and a very satisfying day. It was also tiring, and so we were back home soon at 8, had dinner and crashed in early, to get ready for the long driving day ahead.

Map



A week in the Emerald Isle, Ireland (2)