| County Galway |
| Connemara |
Killarney National Park
Accommodation, bed and breakfast, hotels Connemara |
| www.terreireland.com |
Accommodation_Connemara
Located
northwest of Galway city, the region of Connemara is an amazing mix of
landscapes, from bogs and pale mountains to lonely valleys and dark
lakes. One of the most visited regions of Ireland, Connemara has a wide
variety of amazing sites and view on offer and is also an excellent
spot for walking. Driving along the coast into Connemara are a lot of
pleasant little towns. SPIDDAL will be the first one on your way, where
you can stop for a drink in one of its excellent pubs. After Spiddal,
the landscape starts to be rougher as you will pass CARRAROE with its
great beaches and Coral Strand ; LETTERMORE, GORUMNA and LETTERMULLEN,
areas of fish farming. You will finally reach MACE HEAD via CARNA.
ROUNDSTONE is probably the loveliest town in Connemara. Its harbour is
always filled with lobster boats and currachs. In summer, the town gets
crowded with people keen on enjoying its pleasures. A walk up Mt
Errisberg (298m) is a pleasant activity which will grant you great
views across the bay to the peaks of the Twelve Bens. Roundstone’s fine
beaches are also very popular. In the area, the Roundstone Bog is said
to be haunted.
CLIFDEN is the capital of Connemara. The town is a nice view from the
road, nested at the head of Clifden Bay. With no special monument to
view, Clifden is nonetheless a very nice town full of promises for nice
walks. CLEGGAN is an ideal base for horse riding and staying in an old
farmhouse cottage. This fishing village is on the way to Inishbofin
Island. For a great horseback experience, contact the Cleggan Riding
Centre on 44746.
INISHBOFIN is a peaceful island some 9km out in the Atlantic from
Cleggan. The tranquillity of the site and the beautiful landscape make
the island an ideal walking and biking destination, in the wilderness
and without hardly seeing anyone. Yet at night once you are tired and
in need of a drink, you will find that most of the people have gathered
in one of the local pubs!
LETTERFRACK is more than anything a good base for exploring Connemara
and close to great landscapes north of the town, with fine beaches of
white sand. The main attraction of the area though is the nearby
KYLEMORE ABBEY (call 41146 for information), a neo-Gothic mansion which
dates back to the 19th century and where a group of Benedictine nuns
set up during the first world war. The magnificent building now houses
an exclusive convent boarding school in a wonderful setting.
The CONNEMARA NATIONAL PARK (call 095-41054 for information) extends
over 2000 hectares of bog, mountain and heath. Some of the Twelve Bens
are in the park: Bencullagh, Benbrack and Benbaun. Gleann Mór is at the
centre of the park and provides a good spot for walking. A visitor
centre is located in old buildings south of the crossroads at
Letterfrack for information and guided nature walks. LEENANE is a
scenic peaceful town made famous by the shooting of the movie ‘The
Field’ (1989). Nearby narrow KILLARY HARBOUR is also a small and lovely
place. From there you will head north along the LOUGH INAGH VALLEY, a
picturesque drive, one of the best of the country.
‘The gateway to Connemara’ is another name for OUGHTERARD, a charming
village popular for angling. On top of the magnificent scenery which
opens at the west of the town, AUGHANURE CASTLE (call 552 214 for
information) is a nearby 16th-century fortress overlooking Lough
Corrib. LOUGH CORRIB, Ireland’s largest lake, is popular with anglers
looking for salmon, sea trout and brown trout. Inchagoill Island is the
largest of the lake’s 360+ islands and hides ancient ruins. Lia
Luguaedon Mac Menueh is an obelisk which is supposed to mark a burial
site. There are also a few ancient churches such as Teampall Phádraig
and Teampall na Naoimh. |
| PS : Official Connemara National Park website link
http://homepage.tinet.ie/~knp/connemara/ |
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Connemara - Connemara Lake
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Connemara - Connemara coast
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Connemara - Connemara Lake
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Connemara - Landscape
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