Having circumvented the camping crisis for today, we woke up to donkeys frolicking in fog. The campground took its time to wake up but we were ready for a daytrip to Connemara by 9am.
Flo and I had debated the best plan for today. The options ranged from having a rest day here where the kids have playmates to going on a full-on daytrip to see the Peninsular of Connemara. I guess I won as we were going on a daytrip.
Number 3 was slightly unhappy to leave his companions but with the prospect of returning to play this evening, even he was ready for a car ride.
It took about 1.20h to get to the region of Connemara and we started with a photo stop at Kylemore abbey. It wasn’t much more than a toilet break for the kids, a bit of stretching our legs and taking a couple of pictures, as we didn’t feel like visiting “a crenellated 19th-century neo-Gothic fanatasy”. We’re still holding out for the real deal of a clans’ castle.
Next up was the “Sky road”. Not really sure what to expect, we started the loop road leading us to Clifden. In time for an early lunch, we checked for good picnic spots along the way. Suddenly, we came upon the perfect one: A viewpoint of the scattered inlets of Connemara with a sign saying “Sky road”. Having lunch there with a view was cool, plus we got to enjoy the sight in different “conditions”. It was super full for maybe 10 minutes, then we had it to ourselves for a while before the next batch of cars arrived.
Both kids fell asleep after lunch, so Flo and I put on our audio book and enjoyed the ride. We arrived in Clifden after about 10 minutes which was too early for coffee and our tired kids. So we kept driving loops along the coast, this time to Roundhouse. Skipping the Connemara Smokehouse, we headed to Gurteen Bay. The Lonely Planet said it was a lovely beach. I hoped the kids could have another magical beach experience there. Even before we arrived, it started to get crowded. Cars were parked as far as 1.5km before we hit the beach. That’s just not a great distance for the kids to walk for a short and sweet beach stop. When the beach came into view, it really was crowded. Everybody and their dog was out and about trying to cool down in this heat wave. With temperatures reaching 29 degrees, the Irish didn’t know what to do other than throw themselves into the ocean. People weren’t wearing many clothes to begin with.
Seeing the scene, both kids still asleep, we decided to pass on Gurteen Bay as well. The road trip still felt great, the audiobook was exciting and the way along Lough Inagh was super pretty. I took a couple of road porn pictures, Flo just enjoyed driving the car.
When the kids woke, we stopped at a lake to put our feet in before continuing towards Belcarra. Both kids behaved so well during the whole day that we added another stop in Cummins for coffee. Flo found a place called “Devour bakery”. It was exactly what you think such a bakery would be.
Back “home” at Carra Caravan park, Number 3 and the Agent enjoyed playing with our neighbours’ kids again. Flo and I got some washing done, talked to familiar faces who kept coming in now. One family that we’d seen in Rossan was so happy to finally find a place to stay…they’d tried ten different campsites before they got to Carra. We’re still without a place to sleep tomorrow. I’m preparing myself for a night of wild camping and Flo is already checking out possible places to stop. Somehow, we’ll get through this Saturday the 13th with 29 degrees in the Irish and UK school holidays. The booking sites already look better for Sunday and we managed to book the next two campsites in advance.
Trying to get the kids to sleep in a still hot tent was a bit of a chore especially since we had another gaming session on. In the end, the gaming session didn’t happen because the wifi couldn’t handle the call and roll20. By the time we gave up, the kids were sound asleep.
Flo and I took advantage of Flukie’s cosy pub to have one last drink before heading to bed.
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