Have you ever been away in a beautiful location for a period of time and you begin to take where you are for granted? When I am leading tours and spend extended periods of time in the outdoors there are times when I begin to take where I am for granted. Then I cycle around the next headland or hike over the next horizon and I am greeted by a view which stops me in my tracks and brings me right back to the current moment.
An 8 Day Adventure Holiday on Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way, with its spectacular scenery combined with the ever changing light from the ever changing weather, is full of such re-grounding moments. I had one of these moments as I guided the tour group up Errisbeg on Sunday morning.
Errisbeg is a mountain in miniature, for a 300-meter-high mountain it packs a mighty punch. It is rugged, has steep rock faces, hidden lakes and it even has four summits. From the summits there are panoramic breath-taking views of the Atlantic Ocean, the fishtail beaches of Gorteen and Dogs bay, the countless lakes and bog lands of Connemara and beyond this are the higher nobler mountain ranges of the Maum Turks and the Twelve Bens. The tour group hiked to the top of the mountain with a small amount of effort. The few passing rain showers that fell did not dampen the groups spirits in anyway. This was a fantastic way to start day 7 of the 8 day Adventure Holiday on Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way.
After the hike we got back on the tour bus and continued west through Ballyconneely and passed the Coral Beach at Mannin Bay. The next stop was at Derrigmlagh Bog which is the site of Marconi’s first permanent transatlantic radio station and the landing site for the first nonstop trans-Atlantic flight by Alcock and Brown. Here we enjoyed the gentle 5 Km walk with interpretive points along the way. At one of the interpretive points we learned the calling sounds of some of the birds in the region. This resulted in plenty discussion among the group and we attempted to identify the skylarks and meadow pipets call as we completed the walk.
We continued our Adventure Holiday on through Clifden and took the N59 northwards on the Connemarra loop. We stopped in the lovely village of Letterfrack for lunch and browsed around the village craft shops. The next stop was at the picturesque village of Leenane, which sits at the head of Ireland’s only true Fjord, Killary Harbour. Leenane has been used for the location of some great films down through the years and when you visit it and see its scenic location you can understand exactly why.
Leaving Leenane, the tour settled in for the final leg of the day as we travelled towards Westport. Crossing into county Mayo we visited Aasleagh waterfall and the Doo lough Pass. We took a quiet moment by the shore of Doo lough, and here I recalled the memory of the fallen victims of the Potato famine, particularly the victims who tragically died on the infamous March of 1849 from Louisburgh to Delphi lodge, where they were refused aid from the English landlord.
We spent the night in the town of Westport. Here there are many good quality restaurants to eat and some great Irish pubs to have a pint, and we did exactly that.
On the final morning of the 8 Day Adventure Tour we started the day with a hearty breakfast in our Westport bed and breakfast. We then travelled to Newport where we enjoyed a wonderful cycle on the great western greenway to Mulranny. The last stop of the tour was Mulranny beach and salt flats where we had a gentle walk. We were blessed to be the only ones on the beach. There was an air of calm with the mixed song of the ocean, bleating sheep and singing birds. A suitable end to a magnificent 8 Day Adventure Tour on Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way.
Peace of the West -Video
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