Galway, Connemara question
 

Near the end of our 2 weeks in Ireland (first trip), we'll have 3 nights for Galway and the Connemara before heading back to Shannon for departure.

Any thoughts/advise on whether we should base in one spot or overnight in 3 different towns throughout the area? We tend to avoid one-nighters as they're not very relaxing for us but we also want to make the most of those 3 days.

Also, can anyone tell me how much daylight we'll likely have during the first week of September? One guidebook said 6 hours and we're hoping that isn't correct!

thanks!

average daylight in sept is 11 hours. Galway City and County has many brilliant hotels - look at town Oranmore (Quality Hotel).

Personally, I like to spend my last night near the airport, and Bunrattty has tons of B&Bs for just that purpose! Otherwise, I'd stay in Galway for the other two nights. But of course, you could spend a night in Doolin if you're into music, and it's a weekend~but there isn't much else there to see...

Here's a link to a site that shows sunrise and sunset in all of UK:
onlineweather.com/v4/uk/sun/index.html
Also, I'd spend two nights in Clifden and use it as a base in Connemara. I agree--depending on your departure flight time, probably last night near Shannon (I'm going to stay in Ennis this next trip). Just so you don't have that 3 plus hour drive when you're leaving. I don't know your age, price range, etc., but I love Abbeyglen Castle in Clifden and am going back this fall. Convenient location, nice rooms and terrific food. Website is Abbeyglen.ie.

I agree with Holldoll. Base yourself IN Connemara. Clifden is a great base for exploring the entire region and there are dozens of B&Bs, Guest Houses and hotels in the area. If you feel like spluging, stay in Ballynahinch castle. Beleive it or not, there are several excellent restaurants around Clifden. High Moors was one of our favorites, but we were not there last year, so I hope it is still as good. There is another great restaurant/hotel also. I'll find the name and get back to you.

We have holidayed in Connemara for four years now and always go in September. Its a perfect time to go - no crowds, yet the weather is not too bad. You'll find there will be a mix of sunny and rainy days (none too awful to prevent you touring). 6 hours of daylight??? That's odd. Don't forget, Ireland has a very long twilight. We were usually out by 9 and back to the lodging by 6pm and there was plenty of light.

The drive to Shannon from Clifden is probably about 2-2.5 hours, but watch out for roadworks. Personally, I don't like to be rushed on the day of a flight, so Ennis is a good choice.

If you can possibly spend MORE than three days in the area, do so. You will not regret it :)

regards Ger

Tennischick:

I wrote this on an ealier thread regarding places to stay in Connemara:

If you decide to go to Clifden, then I have two recommendations for accommodations. Both are in the expensive category.

The first is Ballynahinch Castle. I have stayed in the grounds of the house three times (a converted fort where the Queen Grainne O'Maoile garrisoned her troops). Some of the photos I sent you are of the wonderful gardens.
http://www.ballynahinch-castle.com/

The saecond is Lough Inagh Lodge just outside a village called Recess. We dined there one evening last September and the food was excellent:
http://www.loughinaghlodgehotel.ie

Obviously, there are plenty of cheaper places, but these two are very special.

There are wonderful driving tours in the area, both inland and along the coast. If you decide to go, I can send you some instructions.

regards Ger

P.S. I would not spend any more than a couple of hours in Galway, there is too mcuh to see in Connemara. It is breathtaking!

Thank you for this information!

I wasn't clear in my orginal post. We have 3 nights in that area before heading to Ennis for our last night. I too like to be in close proximity to the airport.

On the daylight hours, I am so relieved!! I had hoped the tour book was wrong. Thank you for the info and the website.

And your replies confirm my hunch to stay in the Connemara region instead of Galway. I will explore all your suggestions and find a place. I've been drawn to that area through the guide books & internet so you all really confirmed my hunch.

Thanks so much! And if you have more ideas, please post! You all are so helpful, especially to those of us planning a first trip to Ireland!

Tennischick:

I adore this region. I am certain you will love it. If you send me a note to my id ([email protected]) I'll send you a link to my photos. Let me know if you want an outline of some driving tours. Driving is a great pleasure in Connemara in September, as there is little traffic. You can drive for 2 or 3 hours, only meeting the odd car.

Driving though Connemara, is akin to being stranded on a strange, beautiful yet desolate planet. This is the most sparsely populated area in Western Europe and the colours and texture of the landscape are completely unique. When the sun shines and the air is warm, and the clouds gather, in changing shades of white, cream, pink and gray, in an endless sky of cerulean blue, sometimes, the beauty of it is too much to bear. :)

Regards Ger

September '02: I was playing golf at Carne Golf links, Belmullet, County Mayo and the temperature was 72F (22C) degrees. I wished I had brought some shorts. September is my favorite month to visit Ireland: it doesn't rain very much and temperatures are pretty mild.

Your guidebook is wrong about the hours of daylight in September: before the equinox (21 Sep) you can expect about 11-hours of daylight.

I have a pix of an Cheibh GuestHouse on my http://groups.msn.com/gate5 It's just west of Spiddal where the road curves toward the Ross a'Veal to Aran Islands ferry.

Dear Tennischick, Oh, stay those three nights in Connemara. I was there for 2 wks. Oct.2003 and could have stayed a month. The scenery & people are wonderful. That's true for most of Ireland but I found Connemara so special. We stayed: Mal Dua Guest House Very comfortable with good meals, about a mile before Clifden. Station House Hotel right in Clifden. Comfortable, about like a nice Holiday Inn. Erriseask House Hotel close to Ballyconneely is a little rustic but comfortable with great food and views over fields. A small B&B I peeked in, in Clifden is Bali Lodge(balilodge-clifden.com) Owned by one the Joyce's. The real treat of the trip was Ballynahinch Castle Hotel. Just wonderful walks, cozy fire, comfortable beds and great food. You can find all of these places except for Balilodge on the Irelandhotels.com or go to Karen Browns' web site and review some of them. I haven't gone too wrong with her. I have to say, I've never gone wrong with this web site. Have a grand trip!! Joan C.

Thank you all! The more I read of your Connemara experiences, the more convinced I am that we should spend all 3 nights there. I'm very drawn to Clifden area as our base.

Joan C - I have Karen Brown's guidebook too and I thank you for confirmiing her choices as well as your recommendations and observations.

NedsIreland: I have received great advice from your previous posts on this forum and it's been a great help in planning this trip. I look forward to your pictures. Thank you!

Ger: I will email you shortly for your link. And I would love your advise on driving tours in the region. Thank you for both offers! You make Connemara sound so wonderful!

HollDoll: you've offered some wonderful advice on this forum too and I've used a lot of it for this trip! Thank you for all your posts!

Now I can't wait to get to the Connemara! It sounds so special. If you have more information to share, please do. Again, thank you!!

A favorite Connemara drive of mine is from Clifden to Leenane, passing Kylemore Abbey on the way. I LOVE Leenane and the area around Killary Harbor is gorgeous. Then, be sure to drive from Leenane to Louisburgh via the Doolough Valley. It's an area you won't forget.

If you wish to have a special treat I would recommend that you go for dinner to Ashford Castle in Cong.By all means stay in the hotel itself if the cost does not put you off.Recently Ashford decided to accept that non-residents could have dinner there if space was available.Expect to pay $75 plus wine but it is a special place.Wander around the grounds for a while first-they are beautiful.See details in www.ashford.ie

I concur on the Cong trip and Ashford Castle (site of The Quiet Man)...take the drive to Leenane as suggested and if you can go further, Westport is an awesome place. There's a castle there too with a nice park. There's a lovely B&B near the train station...Maire and Declan are the owners. I stayed there and it was lovely. Now if I can only remember the name of the place???

Great pubs if you like Irish music, including Matt Molloy's of the Chieftans.

Tennischick:

I got your e-mail and will send you the link to the photos now and the driving tours tomorrow.

MaryZ: They are MY two favorite drives also. Last Spetember, we stayed in a cottage 5 mins drive from Leenane. It was so blissfully quiet. Each morning, we'd do the 30 minute walk to the village for the papers and after dinner each night, we took a 45 minute walk up the booreen. We slept 10 hours every night!

Ger

Ger, we've stayed in Leenane, too. It really is one of my favorite places on earth.

From all your posts of your Connemara experiences, I'm beginning to realize that 3 days is not near enough!

Tomorrow I hope to begin looking into all our suggestions on places to stay and dine. They all sound so tempting.

Question: do we need dinner reservations at these places? Ardfert suggested Ashford Castle for dinner which sounds wonderful and I expect reservations are needed there. Should we plan to reserve for dinner eslewhere or just stumble on to places?

Also, we hope to experience the pubs in the region and welcome your suggestions.

And while we're not huge shoppers, I love unique shops and would love to hear your suggestions.

You all have me so excited about this part of the trip! And Ger, looking forward to your routes! Thanks everyone!

Tennischick:

I have sent you a few driving tours. These are the main ones. There are lots of tiny roads you can explore, and I would encourage you to do so. Don't worry, you can't get lost in Connemara; the worst that will happen is you end up in someone's farm yard.

I have entered the itineraries into ViaMichelin.com and then copied and past to the Word file, so you can follow the routes. Please ignore the driving times they quote. To do each one justice, you should allocate a whole day, using any extra time you do the extra activities around Clifden.. Don?t rush it, get out of the car often and just enjoy the air and talk to the Connemara ponies and the donkeys (BTW, they are incredibly friendly and clever; as soon as you stop the car and approach the gate, they will rush to the gate for "treats". I always bring a bag of carrots on my drives!). The main roads are very good and even the minor roads are in excellent repair.

I have also included recommendations for restaurants (I have eaten at them all over the past three years and can recommend them) and accommodations (we always stay for 1-2 weeks and therefore rent houses). You can find incredibly good food here, as it is all so fresh. Eat fish until you grow gills and scales - you will never have fresher.

There is one restaurant that I have not mentioned, as I can't remember the name, but will find it out it you are interested. It is a small house, not far from Clifden, and has about four tables. The food is simple, cheap and really good. There is usually a choice of two of each starters, main course and desert. The wine list has about 3 reds and 3 whites. It?s a husband and wife team, she does the cooking, he does the serving. Eccentric :) absolutely, even more so because they are a middle-aged FRENCH couple. They hiked around Connemara in the 60s, when they were in their early twenties, and decided that this was where they wanted to retire to. They returned to France, married, had jobs, brought up a family and then sold up everything to buy this house and open a small restaurant in Connemara, to fulfill a lifelong dream. He spends his days fishing, and if you are lucky he is successful and there is fish on the menu that night. The locals adore them , because they think they are completely off the edge to move from France, where one is guaranteed sunshine on a regular basis, to a barren, desolate rock where seven consecutive days of sunshine constitutes a miracle (2003 excepted).

Regards Ger

Ger- the eccentric restaurant run by the French couple sounds delightful and just the type of place we love to stumble upon. So if you can find the name, we're very interested.

Of the drives you provided, we will definitely do #1 as Kylmore Abbey is high on our list and Leenane sounds lovely. It's going to hard to narrow down the others since we only have 3 days. And thanks for the tip about the carrots!

Tennischick:

Yes, I agree that Drive One is important and the first you should do. The Kylemore gardens are excellent, and allow 90 minutes. Leenane is a hamlet, that will take you less than 20 minutes to explore, unless you decide to do walks along the Fjord. Really, there is nothing to see in the village. There is a "craft center", but I don't think it is worth a visit.

Drive Three A: From Clifden to Glinsk, via Roundstone should be your next priority. You can cut it short at Roundstone, but you must see this area.

You should also see the grounds of Ballynahinch Castle.

regards Ger

Clifden is your best bet. We usually go there or Westport when we get fed up of Dublin for a weekend. The abbeyglen is pricey but a fu place to stay and the Father/Son owners are reaaly friendly, they care about their business. You have to book in advance if you are not staying at the hotel for Dinner. DO it! The food is great and ask for a tble with a view of the sea. There is usually music in the bar after dinner.

For a less expensive place try staying at the Buttermilk Lodge. Its a very nice B&B (A bit moe upmarket) and has fantastic breakfasts with salmon or pancakes etc.

There is a range of restaurants in the village and many feature seafood. I don't think its the cheapest place to eat out but most of the places were good.

From Clifden you could go to roundstone and at the end of the village is a group of shops that sell jewelry , pottery, instruments etc.

Lenane is a lovely drive and the was a boat that did evening cruises when I was there last summer. Not sure if they were booze cruises but it looked fun. They left from near the village on the lake.

Go to Westport, mayo for a day its not far and a lovely village. Drive out to Croagh Patrick (Climb it if you feel fit enough). Also there are seaweed Baths in a day spa just outside westport. I have done this myself and I am addicted to it!

Have fun and just wander around.

Thanks again to everyone for all the information! We've decided to base in Clifden all 3 days and allow a few hours for Galway. With all your suggestions and beautiful pictures, I know it'll be an unforgetable 3 days in the region!

If any other tips come to mind, please post! I will continue to check back.

One last question. We've decided to stay at AbbeyGlen Castle but after several tries, haven't received a response to our emails (including a secure booking submittal). I haven't run into this for our reservations elsewhere in Ireland and wonder if I should just place a call or wait a few days?

Thank you!

You will not be sorry you chose Abbeyglen--that's for sure. If you don't hear back, send an email to confirm. I believe I always heard back within 24 hours. If not, give them a ring to be sure everything is in order. Enjoy--it's a great, relaxing and inviting atmosphere!!

Definately call the abbeyglen. I would not count on e-mail for everything. Its a lovely place.

HollDoll and SiobhanP - Thanks! I finally heard back from AbbeyGlenn and we now have firm reservations. I can't wait; it looks lovely!

We're not planning to take dressy clothes on this trip but from the pictures on the website, will we need to dress for dinner? Thanks!

Not really I had a sweater on me. People are pretty casual in Ireland.

I'd say not dressy at all. I know--the pictures made me wonder too. Each evening I wore plain slacks and a casual sweater, or some such thing. I'd probably say no to jeans (though you could), but that's about it. I'm so happy for you--when is it you're going?

That's good to know as I had hoped we could travel light!

We'll be there in Ireland late August/early Sept. The 3 nights at AbbeyGlen will be near the end and I know we'll be happy to be in one place for 3 nights, especially such a lovely place!

Thanks again for such great help with all this!

I'll be there for three nights in mid-November and am really looking forward to it too. Hope you have a wonderful trip and we'll be looking forward to a trip report!

We had a great dinner in Clifden at a place called Off the Square.

Thanks, Mary! I've added Off the Square to the list we'll be taking along with us. And if you think of other suggestions, please post! I'll continue to check back. Thanks for all the help on this leg of the trip!

Another vote for Off the Square! Great food. When we drove through the Doo Lough valley, we stopped at the Two Dog Cafe (right on the squre in Clifden) and got some fabulous sandwiches for take-away. E.J. Kings, a pub on the square, had some wonderful traditional music and the veal shanks weren't shabby either.

Guys:

Here are some of the places we have eaten in over the past few years:

Ballynahinch Castle, Recess, Co. Galway
Recess - Connemara - County Galway
Tel: +353 95 31006 Fax: +353 95 31085
http://www.ballynahinch-castle.com/

Lough Inagh Lodge
Recess, Connemara, Co. Galway, Ireland
Tel: 095 34706 Fax: 095 34708
http://www.loughinaghlodgehotel.ie

Erriseask House Hotel,
Ballyconneely, Co. Galway
Tel: (Ireland) 353 95 23553 - Fax: (Ireland) 353 95 23639
http://www.iol.ie/~visitirl/html/erriseask_house.html

Cashel House Hotel
Cashel, Connemara, Co. Galway, Ireland
Tel: +353-95-31001 Fax: +353-95-31077
http://www.cashel-house-hotel.com/

High Moors,
Dooneen, Clifden , Galway.
Phone:+353 95 21342
http://www.frommers.com/destinations...ra/D44323.html

High Moors was a favorite, but we were not there in 2003. I'll try to get the name of that little restuarant.

regards Ger

Tennischick: I'm certain those are all fine restaurant recommendations. However, Abbeyglen's rates include a large breakfast buffet, afternoon tea and four course dinners, with sumptious selections. I don't think you'll have room for anything else. Nor do I think you'll choose to turn down any of Abbeyglen's meals!!

HollDoll, I'm sure you're right about the AbbeyGlen's meals! I can't imagine being hungry but all the places sound so tempting, don't they!

Ger, thanks for the suggestions throughout the region which should be helpful during our drives. I've added them all to the list! If you can't find the name of the eccentric French couple's place, not to worry. They sound so unique that I bet one could just ask around!

And Edhodge, thanks for the 2 Dog and E.J. Kings, both of which are now added to my list too! I especially look forward to the traditional music in the pubs!

Ger, We, too, are planning our first trip to Ireland, and those driving tours you suggested sound great! Could you e-mail those to me, please? We will have 4 days in the area. We'll probably spend 3 nights there and then the last night near the Shannon airport. Thanks for any information you can give me.

Sherry

This has been great reading and thanks for all your posts.

Any advice for a Connemara self catering trip in March? We have been looking for something on the water, private, really cozy but not too far from say Clifden nor golf/trekking/beach.
Not sure whether to look at the northern side of Clifden (Leenane) or south (Cashel)--if those are in fact the right directions!
Not much seems to be available close to Roundstone or Clifden that appeals.

Is March too bleak to consider any of this? We could go back towards Dingle...

Thanks.

What a wonderful thread and what helpful information. I'm reading with envy because I'd hoped to spend a couple of nights in the Connemara area. We've finally decided to spend our last 2 nights at Glen Abbey near Galway; to accomodate complicated schedules of our fellow travelers. We'll be leaving Lahinch one morning and spend that night and the following at Glen Abbey. Will we be able to do any of the drives that you suggest Ger? Any suggestions for that limited amount of time?

Opus:

We have stayed in the Clifden area several times. I would highly recommend the properties below (we stayed there twice).:
http://www.ballynahinch.net/

Last year, we stayed in a large cottage in Leenane and I am trying to find the information for you.

The area around Clifen is wonderful, which is why we go back year after year. If you and Pawley send me a note to [email protected], I will send you a copy of the driving tours.

regards Ger

http://www.connemara-ireland.com/Rental.htm

Opus: you might be able to find something on these websites.

regards Ger