Clifden to Portsalon

If we had to choose a day for it to rain while Bob and I were in Ireland, Wednesday, September 8, 2021, would have been our pick. This was primarily going to be a long day of driving along the Wild Altlantic Way, Ireland's Coastal Highway. So when we awoke to rain, we were not sorely disappointed. I was very excited about the place we were going to stay that night, because rather than a bed and breakfast home, we were going glamping in Portsalon, where we would spend the night in a Yurt! I did hope the rain would cease before getting there. From Clifden, we drove along the "Sky Road", a circular route which takes you onto the Kingston peninsula where it offers stunning panoramic views over Clifden Bay and its offshore islands. The wildflowers were gorgeous!

From there, we continued through Connemara National Park where we got a glimpse of the stunning Kylemore Abbey, and drove though the Inagh Valley and past the beautiful Killary Fjord.

Stopping near Sligo, we took time to explore the Carrowmore Megalithic Cemetery. Discovered here were the remains of a community of farmers that had migrated from France around 7,000 years ago! Most of the monuments contained burials and grave goods, suggesting an elite or royal lineage were buried in these passage tombs.  A large rock cairn, or mound of stone, is the focal point of the cemetery.  The DNA of a tooth found here matches the DNA of those found at New Grange, which we will visit later.

The Carrowmore circles were fascinating and we enjoyed the visit. Hungry for lunch, we stopped in Sligo and wandered for a bit.  We were surprised to find a Mexican Fast Food place where we enjoyed a few traditional items.

We caught  a glimpse of Benbulben Mountain on our way to Mullaghmore Head, where we stopped to see the Classiebawn Castle and the dramatic stretch of coastline.

By this time, we had to skip over a few things we had planned, because Bob was getting tired of driving (I wonder why?), and we still had a couple of hours to go. Although Portsalon is not a typical tourist destination, it was one of the most memorable ones from this vacation. Our Yurt was situated close the a nice bathroom and shower house. Yes, that's the uncomfortable tin can of a car that Bob gallantly drove for two whole weeks!  Kitchen facilities were just up the hill, and you can see Ballymastoker Bay not far in the distance. We had chickens roaming the camp and cows lowing in the pastures. We settled into our cute and comfortable Yurt, and then drove down to Portsalon beach and golf club to get some dinner. We finished the perfect night off with s'mores around our campfire.  Life doesn't get any better than this! (Fun fact: Taylor Swift visited Portsalon in July 2021, and according to Observer Magazine, Portsalon Beach was once voted the second most beautiful beach in the world.)

Just up the road from the beach is the Great Pollet Sea Arch.  After checking out of our glamping site, we set out to find it. There is not a clearly marked sign or trail to the arch, but we were lucky enough to have an Irishman arrive home, just across the street from where we needed to go. Another lady showed up about the same time and he offered to show us the way to the arch. Crossing through fields toward the ocean, he took us close enough to complete the trek on our own. We were pleasantly surprised at what we discovered as we neared the coastline.

Proceeding to the  point of the peninsula, we stopped to admire the Fanad Head Lighthouse. Fanad Lighthouse is an iconic working lighthouse built in 1817 at the mouth of Lough Swilly. It has been voted one of the most beautiful lighthouses in the world. You can book at stay in one of the three lovely lighthouse caretaker homes on the property. As we left the Fanad peninsula, we passed an interesting cemetery with a striking contrast of black and white tombstones. 

And now it's time to explore another country . . . Northern Ireland, here we come.