The Wild Atlantic Way - eine Reise entlang der irischen Westküste
The Wild Atlantic Way - eine Reise entlang der irischen Westküste
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Connemara National Park, Kylemore Abbey and lots of rain on the way to Achill Island

Pubblicato: 09.01.2023

15.06.2022

Connemara National Park

Our first stop today is at Connemara National Park. An interesting but small exhibition about the history of peat deposits and extraction is the first part before we start a 1.5km short circular walk in drizzling rain.

Peat
Peat

Given the rain and the diminishing view of Diamond Hill, we turn around after half the distance and opt for a forest trail.

Diamond Hill / Connemara NP
Forest trail

Unfortunately, there's not much to learn here. A few trees are labeled with names, but there's no information about their origin, age, distribution, etc. Half of the circular walk is a staircase that you climb upwards. Overall, our visit would have been much better with good weather. The weather forecast is terrible and the sky is getting darker. We continue the 6km to Kylemore Abbey.

Kylemore Abbey

The most visited sight in Ireland is Kylemore Abbey. What looks like a decorative replica in Disneyland is actually the home of Ireland's oldest Benedictine abbey. Here, 150 nuns live, practice, and work.

Kylemore Abbey

And apparently, the income from thousands of tourists is a compatible system. The parking lot is almost full and the crowd in the bus park gives some expectations... In the castle, you can visit a few rooms, the rest is used by the nuns.

Kylemore Abbey

The building dates back to the mid-19th century and was built by a wealthy industrialist and has been owned by the Benedictine nuns since 1920. The site also includes a Gothic church and a huge garden that can be reached by shuttle bus. To us, it doesn't seem worth the 15 euros entrance fee, so we rush into the café as the constant drizzle turns into continuous rainfall. After a warm soup and an hour of waiting for better weather in vain, we head north.

That's the weather...
Unfortunately, the rain and low-hanging clouds make much of the beauty of the landscape disappear. In Leenaun, which practically sits at the end of a fjord (Pollacappul Lough), we enjoy 5 minutes of attempted sunshine before we continue driving with the windshield wipers on.
Pollacappul Lough
An old stone house with a thatched roof along the way
On the way
On the way
It would be amazing without rain

We follow a coastal road, passing by lakes, catching glimpses of peaks, and about 90km after starting in Clifden, we reach the bridge to Achill Island.

The bridge to Achill Island

In Connemara and also on Achill Island, sheep are often seen roaming freely. So, in addition to driving on the left side of the road, you also have to watch out for sheep.

Achill Island


Achill Island
After just 130km of driving, which feels like 500km in the rain, thousands of curves, and narrow roads, we reach the Valley House Hostel on Achill Island.

It is completely isolated and is an old mansion with a history that was filmed here by Daniel Craig at the end of the 1990s under the title of 'Love and Rage.'

Our room in the hostel
The bathroom

The room is ok, the bathroom is around the corner down the hall. Downstairs in the house, there's a kitchen for guests and a pub, a lounge, and a hall that serves as a breakfast room. The rain doesn't stop and continues to pour outside our window for hours.

The pub


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