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What do you do when you love coffee, food and the great outdoors? You stop at a roadside food truck and sample what is on offer. This is what happened to us when we travelled from Clifden to Leenaun in Connemara. Close by Jamie Young's Killary Adventure Company is a small road to the left where a signpost "food truck" awakened our curiosity. We have always loved this part of Ireland, and the area around Killary Harbour has always had a special place in our heart. Killary Harbour is Ireland's only fjord, and the views are just amazing.
After having parked the car, we followed the sign pointing us in the direction of the food truck. Shortly afterwards, we reached the food truck named the Misunderstood Heron. The food truck is cladded in wood making it blend in with Connemara's amazing landscape. The menu on offer, although small enough, is just fantastic. On offer are the famous Killary mussels, smoked salmon served with brown bread , sweet potato and spinach quiche,...not the food you expect to find at a roadside truck We arrived here just after having eaten lunch somewhere else, so we opted for mocha's and carrot cake.
And we must say, we can see why Reinaldo Seco and Kim young opened the Misunderstood heron.
The food is to die for. The carrot cake is by far the best we have ever eaten. It is moist, tasty and accompanied by the great mocha and the views, it is very difficult to leave this place behind. Unfortunately, as we had eaten prior to arriving at the Misunderstood Heron, we weren't able to sample the great food on offer. But as we visit Connemara quite regular, we will be back to sample all the other food on offer. There are plenty of picnic benches around, and on the rainy day we had selected for our Connemara trip, a canopy had been erected to protect customers from the weather. Even the birds are catered for, a bird feeding place provides nuts for the many birds around. The Misunderstood Heron is a hidden gem along Killary Harbour, one which provides the many travellers along the Wild Atlantic Way some great, decent food.
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On a rainy day in August, we arrived in the beautiful village of Roundstone which is situated in Connemara, Co.Galway. Roundstone is a small seaside village renowned with artists who flock here for the amazing scenery and surroundings. For example, seeing Dog's Bay Beach on a sunny day is just amazing, a white beach flanked by the crystal clear waters of the Atlantic. But we had just arrived in Roundstone and were hungry, and as Roundstone has a thriving harbour bordering the Atlantic, we decided that seafood would make a smart choice for lunch. So we decided that O'Dowd's Seafood bar & restaurant (http://www.odowdsseafoodbar.com/) was a great spot to have a great lunch.
Walking into the bar, the first thing you notice is the old world charm of the interior of the pub. We decided to opt for the bar menu, and as it was only 12o'clock and to early for lunch we had the opportunity to study the mouthwatering menu in great detail. Our choice for the day was each of us starting of with the seafood chowder followed by the grilled stuffed Cashel Bay mussels for myself and the Seaweed hummus for Dolores.
The seafood chowder was served with a brown homemade scone, the chowder was beautiful and contained the freshest salmon, prawns, white fish,.... The homemade hummus is made using locally supplied carrageen , 2 slices of Nori bread accompanied it beautifully. And normally, i wouldn't be a big fan of hummus, but this seaweed hummus was lovingly made using the best of ingredients. In O'Dowd's bar and restaurant, they have a vegetable plot as well which provides them with the freshest vegetables. And all the awards they have won over the years is a testament of the quality of the food served.
The mussels were fresh and the garlic taste was just perfect, not to overpowering still providing the mussels with a lovely texture.
The bar has a great set-up, as the tables are close together, it is hard not to talk to the other customers. The people seated beside us were from Washington DC and were enjoying the beauty of Connemara from the bike. After the meal, we decided to hit the road again enjoying the scenery of Connemara. The meal came for the 2 of us to €29, great value for a very enjoyable seafood lunch. O'Dowd's bar & restaurant is a must visit when you find yourself in Connemara, a place where you can sample the freshest ingredients mixed with the old world charm of an Irish pub. It was one of those days where we deserved to be pampered, this as the weather had been pretty awful for the middle of August. Between torrential rain, wind and not to much sunshine, we needed something to perk us up, and the choice was easily made. Not to far from Sligo is the town of Ballina, Co.Mayo where you can find the 4 star Ice House Hotel. So myself, my sister and my sister in law who was visiting us from London had made the decision that we would get pampered for the day in the beautiful Spa of the Ice House Hotel. The Ice House hotel (http://www.icehousehotel.ie/) takes up a prominent location along the the River Moy, one of Ireland's finest salmon rivers.. So we arrived one overcast Thursday morning at the Ice House Hotel. After having parked up the car, we walked along the quays to the hotel where we were greeted by a fusion of modern and old interior.
Outside the Ice House Hotel, we went down the stairs towards the Spa. The boutique spa named aptly "Chill Spa" welcomed us with it's contemporary, relaxing atmosphere. Candles and a beautiful scent made us immediatly "Chill" and we were looking forward to our pampering day.
At reception, we were welcomed by the lovely Mary who welcomed us and gave us the Chill Spa consultation form. After having this filled in, we were handed our key to a locker and shown to our dressing room where a pair of slippers, a robe, towels, shower cap,... were waiting for us.
After having changed, we went to a relaxing room which had an amazing corner window with views directly towards the river Moy. The room, which was neutral in colour, was a haven of tranquility. Water (lime or orange unfused) and fresh fruit, dried apricots,... was awaiting us, a tasty snack we gladly enjoyed while watching the river gently flow by the many boats awaiting their next catch.
All three of us had selected different treatments which were as follows: Dolores: Hot Oil back, neck & shoulder massage and a taster voya facial Angela: Massage Kerry: Voya Ocean Fresh Facial So after having enjoyed the views, we were accompanied by our therapists towards our beautiful therapy rooms which were neutral in colour, accentuated by the dimmed lighting. The room, which was at a perfect temperature, was a pleasant haven over the course of the treatment. The Hot Oil back, neck & shoulder massage was very relaxing and my therapist even went that extra mile to relief some tension in my shoulder. The revitilising creams and products used during the rejuvenating treatments are from Voya. The Voya product are Organic Seaweed based products which are the brainchild of the Walton family from Sligo.
After the relaxing massages, we all went back to the relaxing room where we enjoyed a complimentary herbal tea. At the spa, there are ample treatments available. Additionally, there is a barrel sauna and hottubs available outside on the patio alongside the river for anybody brave enough to enjoy the Irish weather. After the spa treatment, we discovered the Ice House Hotel itself. Wandering around the Ice House Hotel, we enjoyed the modern interior which is nicely blended with some historical features. We are looking forward returning to the Ice House Hotel, next time to try the food on offer or maybe even stay overnight with the hubby for a bit more pampering. And just to note, the awards Chill Spa received is an accolade to their amazing service, one where you feel totally rejuvenated and "Chilled"
Not to far from Clifden is the Wild Atlantic Way Signature discovery Waypoint Derrigimlagh. The site is home to 2 significant historical transatlantic technical achievements which took both place around the start of the 20th Century. The first one is why we found ourselves in this barren landscape, we wanted to walk in the footsteps of Guglielmo Marconi. After having established the first transmitted wireless connection from his station in Cornwall to Newfoundland, he decided to move as far West he could, and Derrigimlagh nearby Clifden is almost as far west as you can go. But back to the start, after having parked the car, we walked across a walkway to the Wild Atlantic Way waymarker. The first thing to mention is the walkway, the land in this area is boggy which means that pending the season, it is more waterlogged or less waterlogged. If you would build a path on this type of terrain, your path would crack. So in this case, the path which was put in place is really a floating segmented bridge which floats on the bog surface and is able to move very slowly over time.
A very colourful display welcomes you to the site of Derrigimlagh Bog and explains through interactive displays the history of the site. It is also the starting point of a 5km looped walk through the bog where through 7 stop points,the history of the site is explained. And we advise you to bring a decent jacket as you never know when it will rain in this part of the country. But don't worry to much, 6 of the stop points also act as shelters. So to continue our story, Marconi established the commercial signalling station here in 1907. And it must be said it was an impressive site in this barren landscape. A huge condenser house building, a huge power house and a massive aerial system were installed as was a railway across the site. As this site had the potential to make a lot of money and as the site was significant from a research perspective, it used to be heavily guarded by British troops. During the first World War, the site had a huge number of English soldiers protecting the site and controlling people and goods entering the site. The railway was used to transport the people and goods around the extensive 300 acre site.
Walking further, we learned and discovered much more facts about the Marconi site. We even learned that on one day in August, the writer james Joyce turned up at the site in the hope of interviewing Marconi for an article, but was turned away as he didn't have the approved paperwork.
Walking along the bogroad, the views you can enjoy are incredible. The bog landscape, the lakes and the mountains in the distance result in a fantastic landscape which can be enjoyed by all. The Honeysuckle was in full bloom and the sweet scent was lingering along the bogroad, the blackberries were turning from green to black ready to be sampled later in the year. Remember how we mentioned that the site was home to 2 historical events? The second one was that it was the crash landing site of the world's first transatlantic flight. Both John Alcock and Arthur Brown had taken off in their Vickers Vimy biplane from Newfoundland some 16 hours before they crash landed on the 15th June 1919, covering the 1980 nautical miles. This flight resulted in the men winning a £10000 prize as offered by the Daily Mail newspaper for the first non-stop transatlantic flight. A few days after their crash, both men were honoured at Windsor castle during which King George V knighted them.
So after our afternoon filled by history, we decided the time had come to carry on our trip along the Wild Atlantic Way. All we can say is that the Wild Atlantic Way Waypoints are not only marked by natural beauty, but a lot of them are steeped in history as well.
After having parked the car nearby the Marina of Acres Lake on the outskirts of the pretty village of Drumshanbo, co.Leitrim , we were welcomed by the sun which tried to make an appearance on this wet Sunday in September. We were here to walk the new floating boardwalk at Acres lake which forms part of the Acres Lake loop which runs over a distance of 12km. The walk starts at Acres Lake and runs as far Leitrim village passing Drumhauver Bridge, Drumleague lock and Battlebridge lock.
The floating walkway was only opened on the 5th September 2017, so it is brand new. The floating path is approx 160 meters in it's entire lenght and links up with a brand new path towards Drumhauver bridge. Walking the boardwalk opens up a different perspective of Ireland's waterways, and walking past the reed and waterlilies with the odd fish jumping up out of the water is a fun way to discover Ireland's wildlife. We believe this part of the walk is perfect for schools, clubs or any nature lover wanting to be close-up to Ireland's water fauna and flora without the need to be on a boat.
As you can see from the picture below, when the path is wet, you get the impression that you have to walk through the water, but don't worry, your feet will stay dry. County Leitrim has a lot of lakes, rivers and canals, and the opening of this path will give everybody the opportunity to enjoy these in all their glory. The entire Acres Lake Loop (12km) can be completed in 2 to 2.5 hours without to much of an effort, this as entire loop is flat and well surfaced.
Rain, driven almost horizontal by the strong winds, made driving from Sligo to Cong difficult enough on the narrow backroads. Cong is a beautiful village on the border of County Galway and County Mayo. On this particular cold morning, Cong was still bustling with tourists who were there to visit the Quiet Man cottage, Ashford castle and the fabulous Cong abbey.
Myself and Dolores had planned this trip to Connemara for a while, and although we had decided to sample the beauty of the fabulous landscape on offer, we would only be spending 10 hours in Connemara. Cong was our entry point into Co.Galway, a fabulous county marked by desolate landscapes, a place where you can find yourself hiking the Twelve Bens in the morning, have a refreshing dip in the Wild Atlantic in the afternoon and finish off an active day in bustling Galway. The first thing we noticed was the amount of foreign cars, especially French ones. Connemara has always been popular with French tourists, especially after Michel Sardou sang about Les Lacs du Connemara. By lunchtime, we had reached Roundstone, and while we drove into the little fishing town, the rain decided that enough was enough, and grinded to a halt. It was only just gone noon, but we were on the road since early morning, so we decided we were going to grab a quick hearty lunch. Our choice was quickly made, O'Dowd's seafood bar and restaurant had some interesting dishes on their menu, and they didn't disappoint. Mussels, seafood chowder and seaweed hummus was our selection, and all was as tasty as each other.
2 fighting seagulls made us look up while walking back to our car, and to our delight we noticed that the rain had gone and the low hanging clouds were disappearing making way for a few patches of blue sky. And that is Ireland, during our 10 hours in Connemara, we got exposed to rain, sunshine, witnessed rainbows,... , we changed from jumpers to rain jackets back to Tshirts,.... the only thing which doesn't change is the amazing landscape. Our next stop was Dogs Bay, a white beach surrounded by the clearest water. And the weather didn't put a damper on the people visiting this amazing strech of coastline, some of them jumping into the chilly Atlantic only to re-emerge screaming with happiness, or should we say shock caused by the freezing water.
The area around Roundstone is marked by bogs, small lakes and a fairly flat landscape. But in the distance, you always see the Twelve bens which stand there tall and impressive. Next stop was one of the Atlantic Way Discovery Points, Derrigimlagh Bog. It was here that the worlds first commercial transatlantic wireless station was opened , but it is also here where the first non-stop transatlantic flight landed. The walk is worthwhile doing, it is very educational and explains all that there is to know about the wireless station.
Another observation myself and Dolores made while driving towards Kylemore abbey is the amount of sheep which wander around Connemara. And they seem to prefer walking along the few roads which meander between the impressive mountains of connemara, or just laying on the road enjoying their afternoon nap passing no heat of the many tourists driving by them.
Next stop was Kylemore abbey, one of Irelands main tourist attractions. The amazing Abbey and it's walled gardens is flanked by a pretty lake, at the back of the Abbey is the imposing mountains of Connemara. The Abbey has been home to the Benedictine community since the 1920's , and it is mainly the last years which has seen the restauration of the victorian walled gardens,... Kylemore Abbey is not to far from another impressive location, Killary fjord , Ireland's only fjord. Killary harbour is approx. 16km in lenght, and at it's deepest point it is 45m deep. And we ended our Connemara trip with an unexpected find. Along the road overlooking Killary fjord in the Misunderstood Herron, a roadside cafe selling the freshest of food like mussels, smoked salmon,...all of which can be finished off with one of the tastiest of cakes available,... So, Connemara is a must visit location in Ireland, one where it really doesn't matter if it rains or not, one where you can discover all that Ireland has to offer.
On this particular beautiful November morning, we found ourselves at the gate of the Guinness Storehouse, Ireland's most popular tourist attraction. If you plan to visit the Guinness storehouse, our advise is to buy the tickets in advance on their website (Guinness store website). After having paid the entrance, a colourful escalator brings you the the starting point of the tour. Here you will find a large Guinness store, an office where you can collect translator units for the non English speaking visitors, ... The building where the Guinness Storehouse is located was used as a fermentation plant for St James's Gate brewery up until 1988. The interior of the building was stripped and a glass atrium was installed which resembles the shape of a pint of Guinness. At the bottom of the atrium within the floor, you will find a copy of the 9000 year lease signed by Arthur Guinness.
The Guinness Storehouse exists out of 7 interactive floors, the groundfloor introduces you to the ingredients required to make a pint of Guinness. The other floors make you familiar with the brewery it's founder, the brewing process, transportation, cooperage, advertisement and on the top floors you find some bars and a restaurant. So let's start the tour: Groundfloor - Ingredients & brewing story On this level, you become familiar with the beer's 4 ingredients: barley, hop , yeast & water.
Interesting was the amount of work Guinness has been doing in regard to water conservation projects. Next, we were introduced to the actual brewing process - from roasting barley to create that distinctive aroma and colour of your pint of Guinness to how 30 million bubbles give you that creamy head on each pint, all is explained through visual displays. And that creamy head on a pint of Guinness, we have a man named Michael Ash to thank for that one. Floor 1 - cooperage / transportation / Arthur Guinness On this floor, you learn all about the way Guinness was transported around the world, from boats to trains. The cooperage area explains how the wooden barrels were made. On display are the many tools which were used to make wooden barrels. Another escalator brings you to floor 2
Floor 2 - Tasting Excited, we arrived at floor level 2 which is dedicated to tasting. Here they explain how to drink a Guinness, allowing you to enjoy that pint to it's fullest. Your senses will be pushed to the limit, from the aroma's to the actual tasting. So how to drink that pint of Guinness - take a deep breath - take a decent sip and hold it in your mouth for 3 counts, then swallow. And then repeat over and over until your glass is finished.
Floor 3 - The world of advertising Everybody knows the Guinness signs and ads - they have always been very inventive, from the weird to the visual stunning , you can discover it all on this floor. We met Gilroy himself, we met the fish on a bike, we got to relive the advertisements
Floor 4 - Guinness academy / Connoisseur experience On this floor, you learn to pour a pint of Guinness. Or you can opt to go on the connoisseur experience where they will make you into a Guinness expert (additional cost). Floor 5 - food and drink Another floor up is food and drink, a restaurant where you can sample many dishes prepared with the black stuff itself. We didn't really hang around on this floor as we were to excited to go to the famous level 7 - also known as the gravity bar Floor 7 - Gravity bar The gravity bar is just amazing , in the middle you find the bar where you get your complimentary Guinness, all around is glass opening up the views across Dublin city and as far as the Wicklow Mountains. So while sipping our pint of Guinness, we had time to reflect back on our visit. If you expect to see a working factory, you will be disappointed as the Guinness storehouse is a museum with interactive parts thrown into the mix. We loved the building that much that we actually enjoyed just looking at the architecture of the Guinness storehouse. The building is a mix of old with new, where glass meets old brick and steel - it is a massive tumbs up for the building. The different floors also get the tumbs up, from the very visual displays to the interactive digustations, it is just brilliant. A tumbs down is the price which we believe is a bit steep, although it doesn't seem to stop the 1.6 million yearly visitors. If you think about it, that would be a yearly turnover of around 32 million a year just from the Guinness storehouse visitors - not bad for a tourist attraction. All we can say is Slainte  A few days before Christmas, we escaped the hustle and bustle of Christmas shopping in Sligo town and found ourselves in the seaside village of Rosses Point. It was a dreary day, so we headed straight into The Driftwood restaurant, a restaurant which opened it's doors during the summer of 2017.
We were pleasantly surprised to find the interior to be bright and open, giving The driftwood a modern feel, but still feeling cozy on this rainy day. A wood fire and a Christmas tree were lit and welcomed us into The Driftwood. Around the wooden tables were cool leather seats which were comfortable. We picked one of the tables along the wall where a huge long bench with comfortable cushions welcomed us. The menu's were handed to us by Andrew, an Australian lad from Melbourne who has been working in The Driftwood since September. He was very friendly and was up for a chat.
After having scanned through the menu, I decided to go for the daily special which was smoked fish fingers with thick cut chips. Dolores decided to go for the grilled chicken with toasted pita, beetroot hummus and roast vegetables. While we were waiting, Andrew told us that they have now a smokehouse dinner menu, so we had a quick peep through it. All we can say is that we will be back for it. From monkfish to pork tomahawk chop - it sound delicious. Another thing we learned is that they are opening guestrooms as well. And then we got our food, 2 plates with beautiful cooked homemade food. I loved the smoked fish dippers, the tick cut chips and the homemade dip. Dolores didn't talk to much, so that means the food was lovely.
With the meal finished, we were a bit disappointed - NOT with the beautiful cooked meal, but that we hadn't visited The Driftwood before.
The Driftwood opened it's doors quietly, don't even think they have a website or a twitter page - but honestly, the driftwood doesn't need those things. The food speaks for itself, from the friendly staff to the great food to the beautiful location (although it rained when we visited) - it is a must visit location. But just so you know, they are on facebook (www.facebook.com/driftwoodsligo/) An interesting museum we recently visited is the National Museum of Ireland - Country Life which is located in Turlough Park, Castlebar in co.Mayo. The museum let us explore the life of our rural ancestors who lived during the mid-19th to the mid -20th centuries. The Museum is housed in a purpose built building which is modern in appearance located in parkland and gardens of Turlough Park House.
The great news is that this museum is free admission and has free car park as well. And we must say it is a great museum which will be loved by all generations. There are so many displays ranging from trades and crafts to life in the community. Admire the old "push bikes", the old shop counter or blacksmith workplace, discover the traditions and celebrations in rural Ireland or just watch how turf was being gathered.
Discover the clothes being worn by our ancestors, check out the utensils and cooking pots used to boil potatoes above an open turf fire. We loved the museum and the displays, all of which are very informative.
The museum has also a great shop and cafe within the grounds and there is a great walk through the parkland.
On a dry but overcast day, we arrived bright and early in the village of Cong, co.Mayo. After parking the car closely to Cong Abbey, we decided to walk the grounds of Ashford castle first. The first stop was the old Monk's Fishing house which was built between 1400 and 1550 on a platform on the river Cong.
There is an opening underneath the house allowing the river to flow freely underneath it. A trapdoor was then used by the monks to drop a net into the river in order to catch fish. The rivers and lakes around Cong are known for the abundant fish swimming around in them and are popular with anglers all year round. After having crossed the footbridge, we made our way over to Ashford castle. During the summer season, you have to pay an entrance fee of €10 (adults) to wander through the gardens, but as it was only April, we got in for free. Ashford Castle is a magnificent 5 star hotel which is set in 350 acres of manicured gardens along the shores of Lough Corrib. The hotel opened it's doors again in 2015 after a $75 million restoration which made this hotel into one of Europe's most prestigious ones. As activities, they offer fishing, falconry, equestrian, archery and clay shooting,...and much more. All of these activities can be enjoyed in the magnificent gardens of the castle
The gardens vary from formal to informal gardens. The main central terraced and broad walk gives you amazing views across all the different gardens, from the walled garden which is reached by tunnel to the Tolmann garden which has a huge fountain in the middle of the sunken garden.
We walked back to Cong village passing through the ruins of the Augustinian Abbey which dates back to the 13th century. The remains of Cong Abbey have been praised as featuring some of the best examples of early gothic architecture and masonry in Ireland. Cong is also famous for the Hollywood blockbuster "The Quiet Man" featuring John Wayne and Maureen o'hara. the film was shot mainly around Cong in 1952. Cong has the Quiet Man museum which is housed in a replica tatched cottage which is located in the heart of Cong . The ground floor of the cottage has been designed as an exact replica of the "White O-Mornin" cottage as featured in the movie. The furnishings, artefacts and costumes are authentic reproductions of the items seen in the movie. Early April is a great time to visit Cong, mainly because the hordes of tourists haven't arrived yet in the picturesque village.
It was Lunchtime and we had worked up a great appetite. So we went into the hungry Monk Cafe, a lovely cafe which was for a day in April very busy. And afterwards, we knew why it was that busy. The food is tasty, colourful and decently priced and the service was quick and correct. It was a nice way of finishing our couple of hours in Cong, a place we will surely visit again, probably spending a couple of days discovering the surrounding area and venturing into Connemara which we love for it's scenery and beauty.
The Wild Atlantic Way is known as the longest defined coastal road in the world. The Wild Atlantic Way, a 2500km route travelling from West Cork to Donegal, has been a huge success since it's launch . The route travels along the rugged atlantic coast of Ireland, taking in all the amazing scenery, tourist attractions, villages,... But although it has been huge since it's launch, it is nothing new. The roads have always been there, the amazing scenery hasn't changed in 100's of years , but the launch of the Wild Atlantic Way was a stroke of genius. We have travelled it numerous times, and we can confirm it will give you an unforgettable experience. So what can you expect? Amazing scenery:
Tourist attractions: There are many spectacular tourist attractions along the Wild Atlantic Way - from stately homes like Westport House, Bantry House and Lissadell House to imposing castles like Glenveagh Castle and Bunratty castle, there is something new to discover every day of the week. Prefer delving even further into Ireland's history, visit places like the Ceide fields in Mayo or Dun Aonghasa on the Aran Islands. Plan your trip by visiting websites like heritage Ireland or discover Ireland
Great food and accommodation: Ireland's food scene has made huge strides in the last 10 years and is comparable with some of the best in the world. With the Atlantic on the doorstep, fresh shellfish and fish is readily available. But there is a great selection of food producers who produce some of the best cheeses, meat, honey,...
Along the route, you find loads of waypoints which are well signposted. Each waypoint is clearly marked with the WAW sign and a sign with factoids. All we can say is pack your bags, book your flights or ferry and plan your trip through the official website www.wildatlanticway.com
On a stormy day in February, we rolled into Rosses Point where the views towards oyster Island and beyond were limited due to the teeming rain and waterspray of the waves. So, as it was lunchtime, we decided to head into the little cottage cafe located in Rosses Point. It is a lovely renovated cottage in the village of Rosses point along the seafront, outside were the signs of early daffodils against the wall of the cottage. It was busy enough inside and most of the 10 or so tables were taken up by customers. A small Stanley stove on one side of the room was lit and the glow and heat from the burning woodlogs warmed us up straight away. The menu is varied and will provide a good food selection for everyone's palate. There is also the daily specials which are displayed on a board behind the counter. I went for the little cottage smokies, a little pot of naturally smoked Duncannon haddock with creme fraiche cherry tomato, spring onion, melted Dublin cheddar and dressed organic lea.s, all served with toasted brown bread. At €8, great value in our eyes. Dolores went for the chicken flatbread, a large piece of homemade flatbread with spiced marinated chicken , dressed rocket, salad of red onion , lemon, chickpea and feta, all for €11.50 . Other items you can find on the menu are sandwiches, an Irish chorizo & bean hot pot and little cottage sourdough bruchetta.
For drinks, we went for a latte and a pot of tea, all of which were piping hot which is great. I hate it when you get a luke warm coffee/latte , but at the little cottage cafe, they were perfectly served.
As for the food, I loved my little "hot" pot of haddock which was nicely accompanied by toasted brown bread. Dolores loved her chicken too. To me, her dish looked on the dry side, but when i tasted it, I must admit I couldn't be more wrong. The salad of red onion and feta cheese made the chicken flatbread dish even tastier, and there was nothing to fault regarding any of the food or drinks. With the total bill around €24 , we can highly recommend " the little cottage cafe" While driving along a quiet country road through the Burren, I admired the many stone walls which had been built around the many fields, all of them which were to my amazement stone free. You have to know, the Burren in co.Clare are a karst limestone plateau, and wherever you look, you see stones, stones and more stones. Those walls must have been painstakingly built over many years, maybe even handed down from generation to generation. At that moment, I noticed a sign to Poulnabrone tomb, so decided to park the car and investigate it further.
 Walking towards the tomb, information signs explained about the tomb, the landscape , the flora and fauna.
The tomb itself is a classic example of a portal tomb, flanking the entrance to a rectangular stone lined chamber which is covered by a single large capstone. When Poulnabrone tomb was excavated in the mid 80's ( The days when Duran Duran, Queen,The Cure, The Police ,... were huge and probably were being played on a walkman or cassette player when the excavation was being carried out ), it was revealed that at least 33 individuals were buried in the chamber of the tomb. The bones , which were badly defragmented, were from adults and kids, both male and female. It is believed that the bones were buried somewhere else and were transferred afterwards to the tomb. Personal possessions buried with the dead included beads, axes, flint weapons,..... Ireland has a rich history and there are a lot of Neolithic tombs spread across Ireland. Back in the car, I took off again on my journey admiring the landscape of the Burren while listening to an 80's classic, " walking on the moon" (The Police) , which couldn't be any closer to the landscape I had been walking through. On a beautiful Saturday morning, I decided to head off to co.Clare. So jumped in the car at 7am and reached Kinvara at around 9.20am. First stop, Dunguaire Castle, a castle built in 1520 by the O'Hynes Clan. Unfortunately , like most tourist attractions in Ireland, the castle is only open to visitors between April and mid September. So i just walked around the fortified castle along the path where I enjoyed the crisp morning air and watched birds wading along the shores.
The next 2 stops along the Wild Atlantic Way are Taught Beach and Flaggy Shore. Taught beach is a Blue flag beach popular with families in the summer, Flaggy Shore is the perfect location to see limestone pavements and fossils that are embedded in the rocks and enjoy the views as far as Connemara and Galway.
Carrying on my journey towards the Cliffs Of Moher, i passed Fanore Beach, an amazing sandy beach flanked by impressive sand dunes. The Caher river, the only river in the Burren which flows it's entire lenght above ground, is flanked by this blue flag beach. Leaving this amazing spot, I travelled further while enjoying the views as far as Connemara and the Arran islands. I had heard reports that the waves at Doolin Pier were good, so decided to make a detour. The waves, flanked by the rising cliffs on the opposite site of Doolin pier and the sun shining down on the waves combined with the blue skies reminded me more of Hawaii/ Madeira rather than Ireland.
After a refreshing break, I carried on my travels to reach the Cliffs of Moher car park. The car park is €6 for a car, problem was that there was only 1 paybooth opened which meant that there was a significant enough traffic queue to get into it. My advise is to park in Doolin and hike towards the Cliffs of Moher along the Cliffs of Moher coastal walk . Once parked up, I hiked along to cliffs and enjoyed the Cliffs of Moher visitor Centre building. To get more detail on the Cliffs of Moher, read the following blog (Cliffs of Moher)
Afterwards, I headed toward Lahinch, a popular surf town in Co.Clare. The beach is perfect for surfers starting off, and there were at least 50 students in the water enjoying the clear waters of the Atlantic. From here, i turned back homewards, but not without taking a detour to Kilfenora , the gateway to the amazing Burren. The Burren is one of Ireland's 6 National Parks. The Burren are dominated by a Karst landscape, and the landscape is composed of limestone pavements with cracks known as "grikes". These cracks are the perfect location for flowers to bloom and you will find in Spring and summer an abundant amount of flowers ranging from arctic, Mediterranean and alpine flowers. The Burren visitor centre was closed , so I decided to have a look at Vaughan's pub. The pub featured in the Father Ted episode "Are you right there father Ted?" .
My last stop for the day was Poulnabrone Dolmen, probably one of Ireland's most photographed portal Dolmen. I enjoyed co.Clare immensely , the weather turned out to be amazing, the only 2 issues not relating to co.Clare, but in general is that all tourist attractions are closed until April, the second one was that i wasn't able to get any stamps for my Wild Atlantic Way passport as Post Offices close at 1pm. When i asked the information desk at 1 of Irelands major tourist attractions (Cliffs of Moher) if they had the stamps, the answer was no.
County Mayo never fails to surprise. And this time was no different, we headed to Achill Island . Achill Island is the largest island of the coast of Ireland, but can be reached by a bridge connecting the mainland with Achill Sound. The Island is marked by rugged mountains, peat bogs and tall sea cliffs, and how can we forget, blue flag beaches. Our final destination on the Island was Keem Strand, a secluded beach at the very western tip of Achill. So when we arrived at Achill Island, we rolled across the bridge into Achill Sound. We entered the tourist office and post office to get some further stamps in our Wild Atlantic Way passport. After the village , we turned left onto the L1405. First stop, Wild Atlantic Waypoint "An cheibh bheag" or Cloghmore pier at Kildavnet.
From the pier, you are able to take a ferry to Clare island. There is also Grace O'Malley's castle, a 15th century tower house. It is believed that the famous pirate queen Grace O'Malley established the castle while she reigned the waters during the 16th century. The tower is 12m in height and has 3 storeys. You can enter the tower, and that allowed us to take a break, admire the bay and use the opportunity for taking some pictures
Carrying on, we headed around the headland where we were welcomed with views towards Clare Island. The sea was rough, the waves were amazing and crashed against the rocks with all their power. Further down the road, we reached Ashleam Bay which is flanked by White Cliffs. This is another waypoint "Cuan na hAisleime". From the vantage point, you have some sharp hairpin bends which bring you closer towards the pebble beach where the waves were crashing onto the shore. Carrying on our journey, we reached the main road again where we turned towards Keel . When driving around Achill Island, you will recognize some of the scenery from the blockbuster movie "Banshees of Inisherin" which was filmed on Achill Island. We can only imagine how many additional tourists will visit this stunning part of Ireland.
One thing we noticed is how many sheep roam freely along the roads on Achill Island, even in the village of Keel, sheep were wandering along the roads. Keel was very quiet as we drove through it, probably because it was early February, but it looks like a summer destination where the population probably expands 10 folded as it is flanked by an amazing beach which invites you to participate in the many watersports on offer.
In order to reach Keem strand, you have to follow the spectacular clifftop road which leaves Keel. The views across the Atlantic Ocean are amazing and we were lucky, getting close to Keem Bay, the sun decided to break through the clouds and give us an amazing display of colours , from the azure blue of the water to the white sand of Keem Strand. The bay is horseshoe shaped and is flanked on either side by cliffs. This bay was used for a booming fishing industry and the local boats "Currach" were used in the fishing industry. The waters around Achill Island are frequented by Basking sharks and it was these sharks which were once caught between the 1950's and 1980's. And Keem strand was the end of our Achill adventure. Achill Island is an amazing spot, from the crashing waves onto the shore to the white blue flag beaches, but it is Keem Strand where you can look out over the vast expanse of water, enjoy the amazing display of colours and believe you are the only person on Achill Island. Again probably because it was February, looking at the amount of carpark space, Keem Strand is a popular spot during the summer months.
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About the AuthorWe are Peter & Dolores De Bie. We love the great outdoors, discovering new parts of the world and writing about our adventures along the Wild Atlantic Way and further afield Categories
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