Ireland - Clare and Galway

4th June - Heading for the Emerald Isle

A leisurely late flight to Dublin from Bournemouth on a warm evening and we were soon ensconced in the Crown Plaza and ready for an early night. Quite a smart Hotel, could be anywhere of course. 

5th June - Crossing the Island

Next morning a very good Birthday Breakfast made a great start to the day. We had to pick up our Hire Car so it was back to the Airport and a long queue at Europcar. Eventually we were shuttled to the depot to pick up our lovely little car, a Hybrid Yaris. TW likes to fully inspect the car and photograph its most intimate details but eventually we were on our way, heading West towards Lahinch on the West Coast.

The roads are pretty good but we had to pass through two conventional pay at the booth tolls and one camera operated electronic toll. We had to pay later on the website hoping we got it right!

Our Accomodation in Lahinch was great. It was an annex next to a youngish couples home. It definitely suited us. We took a wander into town, about 15 minutes away.. It was heaving as it was a Bank Holiday. Our hosts had given us some good tips on places to go and they recommended the Lahinch Golf Club.  We tried to book for Dinner later on but they said it was too busy. However we could eat early! We opted for an early Fish and Chip Dinner and, in my case, a Birthday Guinness. Lovely!

This was the first of several Golf Course visits on our trip. Good friendly places with fair prices and great views. 

6th June - Tour De Clare

Great weather and a super day to rent e-bikes. We arranged for them to be delivered to our digs by a friendly chap from Doolin. TW had a decent bike with a Bosch engine. Mine was a bit basic. The motor was built into the front wheel and it definitely struggled on the hills as we made our way to Doolin and back. Yours truly was somewhat in the dog-house at one point when my cycle route became a cycle walk on a very rough farm track. TW claimed to have seen snake poo on the trail which I said was impossible but she remains unconvinced. We had a pleasant lunch of Irish Stew in a Doolin Pub before heading back to Lahinch on a circular route. We stayed on the roads this time which were steep but scenic. We were chased by horses at one point but made it home safely. Dinner was set for us at the Lahinch Golf Club. Another pleasant evening. We hadn't realised how prestigious and historic the course is. Its one of the top Links courses in the world but the Club House is friendly and the food is pretty good. Our bike man picked up up our steeds at 9pm so we made good use of them.

7th June - Dolphin

We jumped in the Yaris for a little tour down the Coast. Our favourite stop was at Whitestrand. It has a lovely Bay and we we walked North along the Coastal Path for quite a while. We were so lucky with the weather. It was sunny with a cooling breeze. Everyone told the weather was exceptional as it normally rains a lot! The scenery was great and we delighted in watching a dolphin that seemed to enjoy playing with the locals. In the bay it chased canoeists but further round the coast a paddle boarder in a bikini was its main attraction. We watched it for quite a while.

June 8th Lahinch to Oughterard

After 3 nights it was time time to pack up and head North to Connemara.

Nice quiet road until we hit Galway City where we crawled. Galway looks modern and prosperous. Our destination was the small town of Oughterard about 25km North West.  We decided to stop for Lunch at  a Restaurant just short of our next home. Turns out the place we picked was the Oughterard Golf Club. Looked a nice course not a seaside links this time. Very green with lots of trees. The locals were friendly and we had a good lunch with a great view. We then pushed on to our new digs, Gem in Connemara, down Pier Road. Very nice Lakeside property although we could not see Lough Corrib from our Apartment. Quite a few bugs around! Our Apartment was nice and well equipped but expensive. Fun seeing the animals and it was a pleasant walk into town.

Puppy Siesta

The owner also bred dogs and a new litter of puppies was on hand. TW was allowed to hold one. A first for TW and both her and the little doggie found it a bit stressful. We  had dinner at Greenways in the village. Good food but a bit pricey.

June 9th Kylemore Abbey

We were proper tourists today and headed for the local attraction Kylemore Abbey. Definitely on the Circuit! We had a good walk around and it was a very pleasant excursion. It is supposed to be the home of an Order of Benedictine Nuns - but there were none to be seen! The food was nothing to shout about.

On the way we had a pit stop at the Misunderstood Heron. Quite a famous food truck in these parts and well worth a stop.. Coffee and Cake with a nice view of an Irish Fjord - Killary Fjord. The scenic drive was probably the highlight of the day. We completed a long circuit of Connemara with a visit to Clifton on the Coast.

The Misunderstood Heron

June 10th 

On our final full day we headed South to the Northern side of Galway Bay. We had a pleasant seaside stroll in Spiddal. Bit of a dull day but we wandered a while with a friendly local married to a Yorkshire lass and then went for a coffee in the Ronda Coffee Shop on the Main Street. Had a pleasant chat with the owner of this recently expanded enterprise. Quite a lot of Gaelic spoken around the area. 

We were recommended to have lunch further west at Pota. It was packed on this rainy Saturday so we had to sit outside. The food was interesting, not really to our taste, but at least we did not get wet. After lunch we headed west along the rugged coastline. Lots of little islands and causeways. It would be a fine area to cycle around. Time to head back to Oughterard and Dinner at the Pub, Powers Thatch. Fish and Chips with a Guinness, lovely! Powers Thatch is a traditional well run pub and highly recommended. 

 

Last Supper in Oughterard