Connemara

Fully refreshed after a lovely day off in Galway we left the comfort of the Radisson and headed out the road towards Carna.
We arranged to meet  two members of the West Coast Wheelers, Padraic and Padraic. The two lads provided the perfect balance of great company mixed with local knowledge and of course many laughs. The four of us headed out the road towards Salthill and onwards, along the coast road to Spiddle and later Rossaveel. After stopping for a hot chocolate we headed out towards Derravonniff, where the lads turned right and headed back towards Galway. Our group returned to its original line up as we turned left towards Carna.
We both hugely enjoyed our time in Galway city, however in a completely different way we enjoyed our time in Connemara just as much. The landscape and scenery is truly some of the most beautiful on our fair island, ranging from barren bog landscape to mountainous landscape, not forgetting the beautiful sea views.
After spending the night in the comfortable and friendly Carna Bay Hotel we hit the road and headed deeper into Connemara towards Clifden. We noted that whilst the day leaving Carna marked our halfway point, it was also the first really miserable day in terms of the weather. However, despite the dampness, our spirits remained sunny as it was impossible to feel miserable when not only were we surrounded by such beauty, but we also received word that we had passed the €9000 mark!!!
We arrived in Clifden in the early afternoon after a fairly easy going spin from Carna, thanks to a decent tailwind. We had a very relaxing day wandering around the town chatting to some of the friendly locals. After a quick chat with Connemara Community Radio, we headed into town for dinner followed by a hugely entertaining evening in EJ Kings, with the music provided by Michael Cleary accompanied by the 'Australian Santa' on the Flute.

After a hearty breakfast of Buttermilk porridge in the cosy Buttermilk Lodge B+B, we hit the road for Westport. Again, the weather proved to be quite miserable. However, once again we were delighted to have a strong tailwind, which helped us on our way. On the road to Westport we passed the beautiful Kylemore Abbey and stopped for a bowl of soup in Leenane before crossing the border into Mayo. Throughout the afternoon the weather remained miserable, however a combination of the beautiful scenery and a strong tailwind ensured that our spirits remained high. We travelled along the main road towards Westport which formed part of the course for this year's Gael Force West, and soon Croagh Patrick came into view. The weather cleared as we reached Westport in the early afternoon. We will enjoy a relaxing evening in town tonight before heading for Ballina tomorrow and then onwards to Sligo (and our next day off!!!)