Day 7 Ballyvaughan - Clifden

We left Ballyvaughan Lodge under grey skies but with blue bits appearing here and there. Today was an uncertain day moving North passing Galway but with no specific aims. At this stage of the road trip it's easy to start to feel weary.

looking back to The Burren

We headed for Galway with the grey hills of the Burren behind us. Our plan didn't involve stopping at Galway and we skirted the south of the City not really seeing any architecture. I was looking for an ATM and though we saw a couple of banks we couldn't park; on the way out we spotted a Tesco extra and pulled in to get some more euros.

After Galway we continued along coastal roads before turning north between mountains and wetlands. Running parallel to main road we gained height passing inlets and mountains with the land around us strewn with massive rocks. The road edges were full of lovely purple and yellow.
Near Toobaloo, we came across people warning caution of a bike event and as we passed through Roundstone a huge banner announced the Finish line for the 'Tour de Bog'.

It was getting late and we were struggling to find a lunch stop, we spotted a beach on the map which looked likely but missed the tiny turn. Further on we spotted a small quay projecting out into the loch and pulled onto it. The quay turned out to be a wonderful spot and we got the chairs out in the lee of the wind by the car and passed a very content 40 mins in the sun; a perfect picnic spot.

View from quay

Cormorants drying wings on a rock



The Quay

Just as we packed up the rain started to patter down so we drove off very pleased with ourselves.

We were still thinking that it would be nice to have a walk on a beach but missed Dog Bay. Spotting an  obscure track which appeared to lead to a beach we turned off. There was small concrete sea wall we could pull onto. The sand by the wall was covered in bits of crab shells and the fisherman's gear was all about. Dropping down onto the sand it was a lovely spot with white sand and stunningly clear sea in a series of small bays. Walking with our jackets zipped up from the wind, the sun had come out and we ambled around looking at shells. Finally, it was irresistible and the shoes and socks came off for a paddle.

sea and sand

time for a paddle

We arrived at Clifden our stop for the night not long after the beach walk but, as we wanted to drive the Skye Road before booking in and it had turned into a stunning evening, we drove straight on. The Skye Road consists of a drive out west along a narrow peninsula and return along the top. Driving slowly as there are almost no stopping points other than at the end, the views across the sparkling blue sea were amazing. The greens of the hillsides shone in the sun and heather, gorse and fuscia added purple, yellow and red to the palette.

At the end of the Skye Drive we quickly arrived at the Dun Rhi guesthouse in Clifden and settled in.

Evening meal was at Mannion's bar where we chose the Irish Stew as we hadn't had one yet and it was really good. We ate to the accompaniment of live music from a couple switching between guitar, fiddle, banjo and accordion. Apart from the familiar sounds of Leaving of Liverpool and Whisky in the Jar is was largely instrumental. It seems to me that most Irish tunes sound virtually the same with just a few signature differences. There is a degree of heard one, heard most but still entertaining.

Statistics (from Dublin):

Miles today: 131; Miles so far: 878; Fuel added so far: 76 litres;

Track Today and since Journey Start: