Ireland's West Coast: Wild Atlantic Way, Mayo and Clare counties
The plane ride over from Boston Logan Airport to Shannon Airport was a relatively quick and pleasant 5 hours: dinner was served, the flight attendants were friendly, a little turbulence but not enough to make anyone nervous. We both fell asleep for a couple of hours, and awoke to the flight attendants telling us we were landing. As soon as we stepped off the plan into the airport, the Irish chill hit, that damp cold that makes a moderate temperature seem very cold. We had arranged for a friend of Josh's to come and pick us up. His name is David, and he owns a small business called Vanderlust, that rents vans and RV's to tourists in Ireland. Our flight arrived a bit early, so he wouldn't be there for a little bit. So we brushed our teeth in the airport bathroom and got a cappuccino in the little airport coffee shop. Local time, was 6:15 am and it was absolutely pitch dark out.
David arrived right on time, at 7 am sharp, right smack on the dot. Our van was a white VW that he kitted out to contain a little cooking area and a bench seat that unfolds into a bed if you want to sleep in there. All that, and it still was a better deal than the cheapest rental car option! Another plus was that it took diesel fuel which is cheaper in Ireland than regular, and is pretty efficient. We chatted with David for a bit, and then headed out on the road. (As a side note, in Ireland, you drive on the opposite side of the road, and the steering wheel and shifter are on the opposite side of the vehicle).
Our first destination was Westport, locally called the "best village to live in, in Ireland". Everyone loves Westport. It is also the home of our friend Paul and his family. We followed signs first for Galway, then Sligo. Even after we'd been on the road for an hour it was still pitch dark night and wasn't showing signs of getting light out. The weather was rainy and damp, but Ireland has that reputation, I figured I'd better get used to it! The speed limit is 100 km/hr even on some of the super narrow country roads. I wondered if there were a lot of accidents here.
As it slowly lightened up, I began to notice fields green and dotted with sheep and stone walls, old farms looking rundown, and heavy dark clouds in all directions. There was flooding everywhere, huge lakes in the middle of fields, in the roads, we had to take a few detours. It's been an exceptionally rainy fall and winter thus far in Ireland.
We stopped for coffee in a gas station, and asked for more thorough directions to Westport, as we didn't have a map. The cashier was very friendly and helpful, and gave me a mouthful of directions that, in my tired state I didn't know how I'd ever remember. Somehow, we improvised and ended up coming out on top.
All the road signs that we passed, have Gaelic underneath the English names of towns and cities. We later asked Paul if many people still speak Gaelic here, and he said there are pockets where they do, but not many. They still teach it in schools though.
As we arrived in Westport, the newscaster on the local radio station started talking about the incoming storm on the radio. Winds would reach gale force and it'd be raining straight through for a couple of days. We would soon learn though, that that type of weather was commonplace on the West Coast of Ireland.
It was almost New Years in Ireland, and it was the holiday season, so most hotels were booked up by the time we started looking. We arranged to stay at the Westport Woods Hotel, a sprawling hotel that looked like it belonged somewhere in the western USA. It was quite cozy and nice though, if a little bit outdated. As another side note, most larger hotels in Ireland have "Leisure Centers" which are big with the Irish, probably because the weather is so chilly.
We had a quick bite to eat, took an hour nap in our hotel room, then went and met Paul's family. He's got three little girls who josh had told me are quite cheeky, but when I met them they were shy, or maybe just tired out from the holidays, and his wife is lovely and is named Yvonne. Paul then took us on a drive down tiny one lane roads through the countryside, on a mission of checking the surf and also doing some sightseeing.
The landscape was very dramatic, and beautiful in a rugged sort of way, and also was very clean. For me, as someone who has never been there, it was quite stunning. It is old country, you can feel it, and has a mystical aura in some way I can't quite put my finger on. I couldn't get enough, and wanted to take photos of everything, but as we were in a car I couldn't. I greatly enjoyed the view though. Quaint english style cottages covered in ivy, barren looking houses with run down stone sheds, sheep dotting rainy green fields, hills, cliffs, not a lot of woods, as I guess they were all cut down long ago. We even drove out past a seaside house whose shed was held down with some super duty straps.
For dinner we ate at a place in town called JW's Brasserie. It was good. We both got a Guinness, (when in Ireland...), mussels, served with homemade brown bread and butter, and I got fish for dinner with mashed potatoes and steamed veggies, which as it turns out is pretty much what I ate every night here. Josh got fish and chips. The mussels were served in a sort of creamy garlicky sauce, and they were fabulous, probably my favorite part. The brown bread also turned out to be one of my favorite parts of Irish food as well. It is a little bit dry but very hearty and tasty. It is served at most meals.
We forced ourselves to stay awake 'till 9PM, and had a good night sleep in our hotel- the pillows were great and the bed very comfy, which is something you come to really appreciate when you're traveling. We had a nice breakfast at our hotel (most hotels here include breakfast in the price of the room). They had a pretty nice spread of tons of fruit, yogurt, cereals, breads, and a choice of eggs, and Irish Breakfast options (beans, tomato, mushrooms, meats: streaky bacon, black and white pudding, sausage). I pretty much stuck with scrambled or poached eggs, toast, and fruit and yogurt, and coffee or tea.
After breakfast josh went for a surf at a break called Askalon, down the coast. The waves were small but good. Storm Frank, as they had begun calling it on the radio was arriving. It was very cold, and I was not used to the irish weather yet. It gets right into your bones and chills you all the way through. Even wearing my two down coats, and cashmere sweater, and rain jacket.
We picked up some stuff to eat for lunch at the store and decided to take a drive out to Achill Island, an island about an hour south of Westport. The storm was just starting to really come in, and the wind started to pick up as we got out to the island. At a beach with a view of some beautiful cliffs, we got out and walked around the beach. The wind was blowing so hard you could lean back against it and it would hold you up. On a more calm day I imagine this must be quite a pleasant spot to hang out. Driving on past the beach, the towns on the island looked like photos you see of little Icelandic towns, with white houses dotting barren hillsides and valleys leading down to the sea, and sheep on the hills around it hiding from the wind and weather as best they could behind rocks and houses and in long grass.
Some of the houses are so exposed, they must get pummeled by so much wind and weather. As we drove out past the town and started driving up a massive cliff, it looked like victory at sea out on the wild ocean. The wind must have been blowing about 70 km/hr at that point, and you could hardly look into it without getting pummeled by wind and dust and rain. The little country road winding up the cliffside has no guardrail, and there is absolutely no room for error. The view was like nothing I've seen before though. I would say Achill Island is definitely worth checking out.
We arrived back at the hotel in the pouring rain, and I had quite a chill. By the time we came back out to get dinner though, our van had died due to a light being left on in the back of it, so we had to walk to the pub. It was only about a half mile away, but we were soaked by the time we got there. We went to the Coast Bar, which is located on the bottom floor of a hotel in Westport Harbor. It was very, very busy, because it was a weekend, and almost the New Year. We got mussels again and I got a salad, and josh got a burger. It was all good, but we liked the food the night before slightly better. Neither meal was overly expensive though, and both seemed like healthy good quality seafood and ingredients. We walked back to our hotel in the rain, again getting soaking wet, but it was kind of fun. We comforted ourselves by saying we were getting the true Irish experience.
The next day it was again pouring rain. We had our usual continental breakfast, lots of fruit and yogurt, scrambled eggs and soda bread. Paul picked us up and took us for a drive to another area around Westport. We went to a couple of surf spots to check how it was, and ended up at one called Pinkies. It was an extra windy and cold day, but in the afternoon it finally quit raining and the sun came out for the first time, making the green hills a bright shade of green I hadn't seen before, and in contrast with the robins egg blue sky it was fabulous. On our way back to town, as the light faded, we drove past barren mountains, peat bogs, and low brushy growth, stone walls and sheep grazing on sun kissed green hills.
Westport really is a great town, which I only realized completely until later that night, our last night in Westport, and after we left the following day. The rest of Ireland that we saw is beautiful too of course, but there is something very charming about Westport and the surrounding area. There is a great sweet shop in town called Aunty Nellie's Sweet Shop. It is filled literally from floor to ceiling with any kind of confection you could dream of. There are lots of boutiques, and stores, and plenty of pubs. A classic is Matt Molloy's, where they usually have live music at night.
For dinner on our last night, Yvonne, Paul's wife had made us all reservations at a new place in town called The Pantry & Corkscrew. It was not inexpensive but the dinner was great, contemporary cuisine: some interesting salads and appetizer options, seafood, lamb, pork, beef, with a spanish inspiration. We all got fish cakes as an appetizer, which were great, and different types of fish for dinner, also super tasty and a little different than your run of the mill options. The place is a very little room that would be easily mistaken for a hole in the wall pub walking by outside if you didn't know better, filled with vintage finds such as suitcases, art, salt and pepper shakers, vases.
After dinner we went over to The Gallery, a new-ish wine bar in town owned by Chris, a friend of Paul's. This place was great. Really great. It has such a cozy and warm vibe when you go in, it feels like going to a friends house for some wine and a chat. He's got an amazing collection of records and a record player. The walls are lined with a great book collection, and there are vintage lamps and knick knacks, and art. It is a long narrow bar, and he has some great little sitting areas filled with mismatched furniture and comfy leather couches. Chris is English, as is Paul, and has a great sense of humor, very dry. He is also a great salesman, but his wine is quite reasonably priced and he's got some stellar bottles in there. He made us feel the weight of the metal tops to the wines we chose to emphasize their quality, and listen to the pop that the cork made when being pulled out. It was easy to stay in there for longer than we had planned, and before we knew it was past 1 am, the latest we'd stayed awake since getting to Ireland. Well worth it though.
On our way out of Westport, we drove through Killary Fjord, taking the long way towards Galway, where we'd planned to spend our next night, New Year's Eve. It had snowed on the mountains around Westport that morning, and the view was beautiful. The hills leading up the them were green and the contrast was quite striking. Houses in the valleys between mountains had huge hedges of rhododendrons surrounding them.
We arrived in Galway in the late afternoon, and it was totally packed for New Years Eve. We stopped at our hotel to drop our stuff and immediately went out again. I won't even mention the name of the place we stayed since it was not very nice, and was extremely overpriced for what it was due to the holiday. You win some you lose some! We went downtown the Shop Street and Key Street, and parked our van in a garage since they are quite strict about parking in Galway, and they clamp your tires if you are poorly parked. It was a very cold evening, but it is a very quaint little area, with lots of cool little shops and cafes and pubs. I got a cappuccino at Coffeewerk Press, a very cute little shop with great coffee, cool little knock knacks and books, and some great looking treats which I didn't partake in. We went into Mc Cambridge'slittle deli and confection shop. A larger shop but also super cozy, touting fine foods from various parts of the world, a coffee area, and deli. Next we popped into Taffes Pub for a beer and live traditional Irish music. There really is nothing like an Irish pub. They are so warm and filled with laughter and chatter, and all ages of people, no discriminating. Most serve some sort of food as well as having a well stocked bar. The place next door, the Kings Head, is also a good pub and is a lot larger (3 floors) and slightly more modern.
We went to dinner at a place called The Latin Quarter, which by chance had a cancellation and were able to squeeze us in, lucky considering we'd rolled into town with no plans or reservations. The restaurant is in a cute and cozy two story corner building, serving gourmet Irish cuisine with some Italian and French flair. They serve beer and wine. I got a salad as a starter, with parmesan, baby cos and a Gouda cheese dressing, which seemed inspired by a caesar salad but was actually a very good fresh take on it! I was worried the dressing would be overpowering and too heavy but it was actually quite light, very complimentary. Josh got a minestrone soup that was a special on the menu, with the token Irish soda bread on the side. As a main he got the fish and chips which came with a side salad and I got baked seabass filets with chorizo and herb risotto. For desert we shared the chefs special, an apple galette type thing with vanilla ice cream and a tiny bit of caramel sauce on the side, and it was very, very good. Overall we had a great meal and it didn't break the bank! The place had a really nice atmosphere as well. We went and stopped through a few more pubs afterwards and saw some more live music. I loved one called Sehan Ua Neachtain (celtic name). It had lots of little rooms and nooks and crannies, filled with all kinds of art, signs, and vintage things. Lovely atmosphere. Good drinks. All kinds of people. There are some great places in Galway! Many that I have not mentioned as well.
The next day we headed out of Galway and drove South, through The Burren, a protected area of barren hills made of granite and covered in shrubbery. Old stone walls grid out the fields in every direction. Clare County starts somewhere in the middle of the Burren, and is a hopefully promising destination for surf, as the swell hits more directly there and the winds are supposed to be good for the next few days, and is also home to some great sightseeing. The Cliffs of Moher are on the way (slight detour) to Lahinch, a small town in Clare that we'd planned to stay in for a couple of nights. We stopped and parked just off the road next to a farm, the spot to park to surf a massive wave break called Aileen's. You have to walk down a goat path on almost a sheer cliff to get down to the break. Fortunately, we weren't going all the way down. You can also walk out toward it and get a good view of the Cliffs of Moher away from the crowds (shhh). It was blowing real hard offshore when we got there, and we walked down a muddy trail out to the edge of the cliff.
It is hard to find words to describe that place. Wow. Massive cliffs of stone and moss rise out of the sea and up, up, up. The water and waves coming in pound at the bottom of the cliffs and shore and send jets of water upwards. Wild and awe inspiring is what it is. It was pretty rainy, windy, and stormy when we saw the cliffs, and they were beautiful all the same, although I'm sure they'd be stunning on a sunny day as well.
We next headed into Lahinch (also sometimes called Lehinch on signs). The surf break is right in town, and when we got into town there were some good sets coming in. A few girls were heading into the water with no gloves, no hood, no booties.... rugged... and I guess more accustomed to this raw cold than us. Can't help but think I wouldn't last long in this water, I think I'll wait to surf till Indo. Didn't bring a wetsuit for this cold anyway. Josh did go in for a bit though.
The town has a bit of a run down look, as do a lot of the towns we drove through. But its actually quite a nice little town, and it's known as Surf City of Ireland (not so much a city as a small town, but it does fill up when the waves are good).
We stayed at Hotel Atlantic (not so much a hotel as a B&B) right in the middle of town in Lahinch. We had to change rooms after the first night as we were on the second floor on the street side, and it was super noisy. One downside to this place is that it's a bit old and the walls are very thin. Our second room was a lot nicer though, and was on the top floor. It was still a bit noisy but better than the first room. I loved the wallpaper, a kind of tapestry print, and the hotel staff was very helpful and about as friendly as you could get. Breakfast was good as well, nice big pot of coffee, juice, toast, and your choice of eggs (poached were best!).
We ate at a couple of pubs in town, and a café, all good in different ways. The Cornerstone Pub and Danny Mac's Cafe and Bar are both good for pub food, as was the restaurant below our hotel. Most things on the menu are served with chips (fries) and salad, or "mashed and veg" (steamed veggies and mashed potatoes). We went to Joe's Cafe for lunch one day, and it was also quite good! They have sandwiches, pizza, and also some healthy lunch salad options and a couple of Moroccan style soups. They've also got good coffee, and beer and wine.
The next town over, Ennistimon (also called Ennistymon on some signs, and pronounced een-is-tie-mon), about 3 km down the road, is quite a nice town also with a large hotel just outside of it called The Falls, that is a beautiful old manor style building located just next to a cascade. They hold a lot of weddings there, it's quite grand. They had a wedding going on when we were there, so couldn't stay there. There is also a great creperie called Oh La La in this town owned by a French girl. The crepes are really actually great authentic French crepes! In Ireland! They are super tasty, and she's got a lot of options for topping, from the basic to the unusual (the one with chocolate and orange slices was our favorite). I would definitely would recommend going there if you're in the area!
We also drove out to the end of the peninsula where Clare is located, to a place called Loop Head, where there's a lighthouse facing out to sea, and it's an extraordinarily beautiful view, which showcases the Atlantic Ocean in all its glory. The grass out on this slice of land is matted down from the wind and weather like the fur on a mangy animal, and there are beautiful Euonymous hedges around the houses on the way out there. The land goes right down the the cliffs, and you can find some remnants of old stone walls if you walk out. Just watch out you don't get too close to the edge!
That afternoon, we went back to the Cliffs of Moher, to the tourist entrance this time. The day was a bit less stormy, and the sun even came out in the afternoon. It was cool to see it from this different perspective, and they have lots of different views that you can see it from. On the way back to town from the cliffs, we stopped at The Rockshop, a shop outside of Liscannor town that sells all kinds of fossils, gems, crystals and other cool stuff for a reasonable price (they were also having a sale). I could have spent hours in there.
A few other notes and observations about Ireland.
Beautiful old stone walls are a dime a dozen, and there are also a lot of graveyards, usually located around an old stone Abbey, which happened to usually be missing a roof. They are fenced in and have headstones of various ages. They can be anywhere!
The colors of the houses range from white to yellow, to beige to grey, but buildings of importance, shops and pubs, etc., can be painted any bright type of color, which I loved. Those colors ranged from something a little mellower like black or maroon to bright red and green and pink and orange. There are also ivy and vines climbing buildings everywhere giving the place a very country wild feel.
I must say I didn't go for many of the Irish specialties while here (i.e bangers and mash, fish and chips etc) but Josh did have a lot of fish and chips. I only saw potato leek soup on a menu once (bummer!). I ate a lot of fish and seafood (the catch of the day always was good), and soda bread, and usually a salad or steamed veggies. The mussels were fantastic. The butter is great. The coffee is not the best except for some places. Overall I liked the food Ireland quite a bit, I wasn't sure I was going to.
On a side note, sustainability and mindfulness of the environment are quite big there, perhaps also due to the fact that the country is in a bit of a recession. Lights are always off when not in use, water use is conservative, a lot of restaurants source their ingredients locally, not sure if that is a new thing or not.
I look forward to going back there again and exploring more of the country! They say the weather is better on the eastern coast. But overall, I loved checking out the part of this country that we were in. The people are so friendly, the pubs are cozy and the beer and food is tasty, and the towns and countryside has a wild beauty to it that enchanted me. Until next time Ireland!
Now on to Amsterdam for a week, and then Italy!
