Total Camping trip to Co Clare - April 2013

        

Day 1- we drove from Dublin to Pure Camping via limerick. A good tip for food is J.P Clarks pub at Bunratty castle, plenty of room for you to park up the RV as well. The final few miles to Pure Camping is on relatively small roads & I would recommend you take a note of the directions off their web site.

What to say about Pure camping … this is a unique camping experience for Ireland, a fully Eco friendly Camp site with wonderful facilities. Trea & Kevin have put a ton of work into this place & it shows. They have great Glamping options with various size tents fully equipped with mats, stoves & bed linen (although Trea told me that if you bring your own bed lined then there is a discount on the price). The Yoga centre is in a fine space & gives a relaxed feel before the class even starts.

The tent camping area is in a historic ring fort & it’s great fun finding your way to a tent through hedge grows. Other eco facilities are :

• A reed bed system to take care of waste
• Eco toilets & showers
• Wood fired sauna
• Clay pizza oven

To me this camping park would be wonderful for children & I would recommend a visit for anyone looking to try a different camping experience.

Day2- We started our day by exploring the Loop head area. First stop was Carrigaholt where there is a lovely castle overlook the bay. This is also a top place to go on a dolphin spotting trip. Next we visited to spectacular cliffs outside Kilkee – really worth a visit. We stopped in Kilkee for some grub & there are lots of good options here.

We then drove to our next Camping Park Strand Camping in Doonbeg. This is a small family run park on Doonbeg Bay with a pretty beach nearby. The facilities are basic but spotless & a pitch for the night was only 18€ with power. That night we struggled through the wind & rain to have a bite to eat in Morrisseys Bar & restaurant. Seafood is a speciality here & believe me you will not be disappointed…. Some of the best food I have had in years.

Day 3- We drove along the coast road to Lahinch- the surfing capital of Clare. Lahinch is a really fun town where there is always something happening. There is lots to do here although surfing & golf are the main options. We decided to spend the night in Ocean View Park. This is a camping Park on the outskirts of the town. Facilities are good but the area for touring RV’s is a bit bland. A pitch for the night was 25€. We spent the night in town with a few friends & visited some of the local bars which were all hopping.

Day 4- Following the coast road which took us by the fantastic Cliff of Moher we arrived in Doolin. This small picturesque village is a Mecca for Irish music & the pubs here are great for a ceile at night. We spend the night in O Connors Camping Park situated in the middle of the village. This Park has a great feel in beautiful surroundings. The facilities are top notch with spotless bathrooms, great kitchen, relaxation room & clothes cleaning options. A night here was 20€ and well worth a trip.

Until next time………

Strand camping

Tagline

By David Lonergan

A nice boat near Strand camping

O Connors Riverside

relax in Doolin

By David Lonergan

The lovely river flowing through O Connors

O Connors Riverside

Spotless Park

By David Lonergan

The lay of the land at O Connors

Ocean View Lahinch

hard pitchs at Ocean View

By David Lonergan

A unofficial T25 convention at Ocean View

Strand camping

Doonbeg on your door step

By David Lonergan

View from the bus at Strand camping

Pure Camping

Pure Camping-Eco Camping

By David Lonergan

The layout of all the things to do & see at Pure camping

Clare Camping Trip

Lovely Doonbeg in Clare

By David Lonergan

Small family Camping at Strand camping

Clare Camping Trip

The breath taking cliffs outside Kilkee

By David Lonergan

The drive around Loop Head is fantastic

Pure Camping

pleanty of animals at Pure camping

By David Lonergan

Friendly rooster at Pure Camping........loads for the kids to see and do here

Pure Camping

spotless facilities

By David Lonergan

choose from Eco or standard bathrooms at Pure Camping

Pure Camping

relax with some yoga at Pure Camping

By David Lonergan

Yoga center at Pure

Pure Camping

fun for the kids at Pure camping

By David Lonergan

The kids den obviously

•   Strand camping Tagline  
•   O Connors Riverside relax in Doolin  
•   O Connors Riverside Spotless Park  
•   Ocean View Lahinch hard pitchs at Ocean View  
•   Strand camping Doonbeg on your door step  
•   Pure Camping Pure Camping-Eco Camping  
•   Clare Camping Trip Lovely Doonbeg in Clare  
•   Clare Camping Trip The breath taking cliffs outside Kilkee  
•   Pure Camping pleanty of animals at Pure camping  
•   Pure Camping spotless facilities  
•   Pure Camping relax with some yoga at Pure Camping  
•   Pure Camping fun for the kids at Pure camping  

Total Camping trip to Scotland - September 2012

        

Day 1-We drove from Dublin to Belfast and took the ferry to Cairnryan which took about 2 hours. Once we landed we drove up the coast road as far as Culzean Castle. This is an impressive old stately home on a cliff overlooking the sea. The house is impressive & the gardens are worth a look around, the only downfall is you would need a few hours to explore the gardens & entry to the house is 15.00£ per adult which is a bit on the high side. Also you don’t even get a guided tour for that. We then drove to Ayr where we spent the first night in Craigie Gardens Camping Park. The park is nice, in a wooded area close to the centre of town with very good facilities. The bad side is it’s a Caravan & Camping Club Site & for non-members it is off the wall expensive at £30 for 1 night. As it was our 1^st night we were too tired to try elsewhere, but wouldn’t stay there again as it had no views, everyone is looking straight at each as the pitches are very formal. Oh it’s also quite difficult to find so unless you have GPS mark it on a map. Ayr is a small seaside town which is pleasant enough for a stopover and we did have great food here in The Beresford http://www.theberesfordayr.com/

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Day 2 & 3– We drove toArdrossan where we took a ferry to Isle of Arran. This is a great spot. We had 2 lovely days here hiking around the mountains & seeing some of the local attractions. We bought a little book of walks for £2.95 in the tourist centre at the ferry which outlined the various walks with levels and maps included. We stayed at theSeal Shore camping, a great little camping park at the south end of the Island overlooking the sea and Ailsa Craig, a mysterious and impressive island off the coast. The price was £39 for 2 nights. The site is a bit exposed so you will get the brunt of any bad weather, however the facilities were fine & there is a hotel next to it for a drink at night. It’s a bit quiet but grand if you fancy an ale or 2. One thing to look out for is the local wildlife …….. a fox popped into our awning one of the nights & helped himself to the dog’s food.

Day 4 & 5- We took the ferry from Arran to Kintyre(you land on a single lane road so large campervans should be careful) & we drove up the coast as far as Glencoe. Along the way we passed Kilmartin Glen http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilmartin_Glen which had plenty of stone circles, standing stones & cairn tombs from early Irish settlers, well worth a visit. This drive is beautiful but the roads aren’t fantastic so give yourself plenty of time to get to your destination. We stayed in Glencoe in the Invercoe Highland Holidaysfor two nights for £38, which is just off the village on the shore of the Lough. Again this park was in a lovely location & the facilities were great(although seemingly there can be a midge problem here) .This was definitely my favourite area of the trip, if you are into the outdoors & hiking then the mountains around Glencoe would be hard to beat.

Night 5 & 6-We drove the short distance to Fort William, the UK’s outdoor capital. This is a nice little town on the shore of another Lough. The town really does cater for outdoor lovers with plenty of outdoor shops around. A good spot for food and a few drinks is Grog &Gruel,http://www.grogandgruel.co.uk/ but if you are looking for a typical pub then give the Maryborough Inn a look. Full of characters

Total Camping Ireland trip to Waterford, Comergah Mountains & Clonakility June 2012

        

Wow what beautiful weather to be going on a camping trip … we had glorious sunshine almost the entire trip except for the last day in West Cork where it was over cast but that’s not bad for Ireland.

We started the trip by travelling from Dublin to the Copper Coast in Waterford. This is a lovely drive along the Waterford coast & I would recommend it. We decided to park up in Bunmahon a lovely little village situated on a beach. We quickly discovered a good wild camping spot in a small car park at the West end of the beach. No facilities but there is a pub right behind the car park. There is a Caravan Park here but it doesn’t seem to allow tourers.

The next day we spent relaxing & surfing on the beach at Bunmahon before taking a spin down the coast to the Gold Coast Caravan & Camping Park in Dungarvan. This park had very good facilities & was in a nice location close to Dungarvan Bay with the Craven Parks attached hotel bar. The Park is a little pricey though at 26 euro for a campervan & 2 adults.

The following day we spent driving through the Comeragh Mountains & exploring some of the marked forest walks with stunning views. We passed by Powers the Pot Camping Park which would be a perfect location for exploring the Comeraghs.

The following day we drove to Clonakility in West Cork. This is a great town with two Camping Parks nearby Desert House & Sextons Caravan Parks. This town has a great buzz to it & seems like a lively spot at night with plenty of good options for food. We spent our final morning chilling out & surfing at Inchadonney beach where there is a nice hotel & hotel bar. The bar serves really tasty food & seems to be popular with visitor & locals. Although there is room for campervan to pull up here I don’t think the hotel would be too keen.

Until the next trip.

Wild Camping on Lough Ree in Co Longford

So we decided to take a trip to a lovely spot in Co Longford called Saints Island. My wife had visited here many time during her youth & had often told me how beautiful it was.

The spot is an Island on Lough Ree where the is the remains of an early monastery on the Island  where now a later Abbey stands.The information I have dug up on this site is as follows:

In 544, Saint Kieran founded a monastery on the island. He appointed Saint Domnan as his abbot before moving to Clonmacnoise.

In 1089, the island was plundered by Murkertach O'Brien and a large fleet of Danes and Ostmen. The monastery must have been restored during the following centuries as it is mentioned on a number of occasions in various historical works.

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In 1620, King James I granted this island as well as portion of the islands and land in the lough to Sir Partick Barnewall but it was again taken from him at a later date due to his connection with the petition grievances in the following reign.

As you can see from the pictures this is a lovely spot to camp & we enjoyed a very tranquil night on the shore of the lake wild camping.... perfect if you are looking for total peace & quiet or a spot of fishing.