On the western side of Ireland, you’ll find an area called
Connemara.
Oscar
Wilde, the Irish writer and poet, once said, “Connemara is a savage beauty.”
You can see
all of the beauty that Connemara holds for nothing more than the
price of food.
The Connemara area includes an abbey, mountains, loughs and
about 16 small towns (including
Leenane, which I told you about
yesterday).
In fact, Leenane is a good
place to start your Connemara trip, just head west.
Kylemore Abbey
About 18 minutes from Leenane, you will find
Kylemore Abbey,
an old castle which later became a Benedictine monestary.
Also on the grounds of the abbey, are six walled gardens, as
well as nature trails and a Gothic church.
It costs
12.50€ to take
advantage of all Kylemore has to offer.
Or, you can just take a bunch of pictures outside for free.
We enjoyed the architecture of the abbey as well as some of
the surrounding grounds – the part we could get into without paying.
Then, we spent some time just lying in the
grass, admiring the beauty of the scenery around us.
Then, one last look, before we were on our way.
Connemara National
Park
Driving about 10 minutes west of Kylemore Abbey will bring
you to the Connemara National Park.
The park is just one place where you can see the gorgeous
mountains in Connemara. You can also see
bogs, grasslands, and wildlife.
Admission is
free
to get into the
Connemara National Park.
If you’re smart, you’ll bring your own lunch,
a very economical way to eat.
After filling your bellies, you’ll want to hike one of the
four trails inside the park.
We hiked the Lower Diamond Hill Walk, but Frank says he has
plans to hike the Upper Diamond Hill Walk when we travel back to Ireland later
this month.
The trail is not very rugged and is extremely
well-marked.
You’ll even find a bunch of
giant rocks with which you can take a picture.
We spent a few hours inside the park, between eating and
walking.
From there, we headed west
again.
Loughs
This is a really fancy way of saying lake in Ireland.
You’ll find loughs several places along the side of the main
road, N59, that leads you around the Connemara.
About 20 minutes after leaving the Connamara National Park, you
will arrive in one of the most well-known towns of the area, Clifden.
Clifden
This town is just about as small as Leenane, but the main
allure for Clifden is that it is on the Atlantic Ocean.
Unlike Leenane, it does have more than one street, as well
as more than two bars.
After grabbing a pint (or 12), it was time for us to
continue our road trip, back to Leenane, and then soon, out of the Connemara
altogether.
Total Cost: We paid only about 10€ for lunch, but goodness
knows how much for drinks
Best Deal: Seeing Kylemore Abbey without paying a dime
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