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Chilled and relaxed in Strandhill

7/16/2018

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Driving into Strandhill on a wet day in July , we couldn't but smile when we came down the hill into the village with views opening up towards the Atlantic ocean.
We had just missed the fabulous weather which lasted for a couple of weeks in Ireland, but the swell had arrived again after a few weeks of calm seas.
Strandhill is a small, thriving village in the North West of Ireland along the Wild Atlantic Way, located in beautiful County Sligo.
Strandhill has established itself as a surf mecca in ireland, and can be compared to Gracetown in Western Australia, Encinitas in San Diego or Laheina in Maui .

But Strandhill is so much more than just another surf town, there is a real community spirit which has turned this village into the place to be. For the surfers, there is everything you need, from the many surf schools to the brilliant waves.

But after some fun in the water, you might feel hungry. And for a small village like Strandhill, you will find an amazing amount of brilliant establishments serving great food. From a burger at the Burger Shack (https://www.facebook.com/BurgerShackStrandhill/) to the Draft house (https://www.thedrafthouse.ie/) where we sampled the fabulous flatcap mushroom and fivemiletown goat cheese burger, there is plenty of choice.
Feeling like a snack after your meal? We did, so we had a fabulous Ice cream from Mammy Johnston's ( https://www.facebook.com/MammyJohnston/) which is located at the beachfront.

And after all that food, you would think we couldn't fit any more food in our bellies, but we did. The next morning, we went to Shells cafe where we enjoyed a fabulous breakfast.
And shells (https://www.facebook.com/shellscafe/) is one of these establishments where you can sit down for a few hours watching the world go by. Watching the many surfers carrying their surfboards along the promenade, the seagulls gliding in the wind, the many campervans arriving and leaving this beautiful village, we couldn't but admire the amazing community spirit which we discovered during our visit to Strandhill.

Everybody is proud of this little gem located under the shadow of Knocknarea, and that shows even when you walk along the promenade. From the many flower pots to the nicely painted houses, from the sign telling every visitor to help out and do a #2minutebeachclean to the free car parking , it is unique to find such a community in today's modern society.
So what else is on offer in Strandhill ? You have the fabulous Voya seaweed baths (http://www.voyaseaweedbaths.com/) , you have the many walking trails along the beachfront and up Knocknarea, you can enjoy yoga sessions at Salt&Soul Yoga (http://www.saltandsoul.ie/) or outdoor Yoga excursions with Wellbeing with Blaithin ( https://www.facebook.com/wellbeingwithblaithin/ )
On a Sunday, you can walk through the dunes towards Strandhill Airport where every Sunday, a brilliant market is held between 11am and 4pm.
Our advise is to talk to the locals and discover all the local secrets and events or head towards Strandhills website ( http://gostrandhill.com/ )

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In search of a Jedi

5/27/2017

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We have travelled along the Wild Atlantic Way in search of a Jedi, but so far our search has been in vain.
But what we have found is a rugged coastline, amazing scenery and great encounters. Star Wars VII and VIII were filmed along the Wild Atlantic Way, to be more precise, Skellig Michael featured as a teaser in Star Wars VII.
But they came back, Star Wars VIII was not only filmed on Skellig Michael, it was also filmed in Malin Head in Co.Donegal, Loop Head in Co.Clare, Sybil Head in Co.Kerry and final location Brow Head in Co.Cork.

But for ourselves, travelling the Wild Atlantic Way has been a great experience, one where each day revealed even more amazing and spectacular scenery.

If you want to travel the entire lenght of the 2500km Wild Atlantic Way, we recommend you take at least 3 weeks to cover the entire distance without feeling rushed. If you don't have 3 weeks to spare, why not complete a portion of the route and return back at a later date to complete the final section.
Also, when you are in the planning phase of your trip, don't expect to average 100km/hr on the Wild Atlantic Way. The roads you will be driving on are small and wind all along the Emerald Island's coast, so be preparred to drive at a much lower speed as you are used to.
You might even find yourself in a local traffic jam, a flock of sheep crossing the road or a farmer bringing his cattle to another field.

We enjoyed our adventure, one which started in Co.Cork and ended in Malin Head.
We had our Wild Atlantic Passport (http://www.outdoorfitnesssligo.com/travel-blog/wild-atlantic-way-passport) in one hand and the camera in the other. Each of the 188 discovery points along the Wild Atlantic Way want you to discover the next one, each discovery point will showcase another amazing location.
From soaring mountains to towering cliffs, from castles to quiet beaches, from islands to fjords, the Wild Atlantic Way is there to be discovered.

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5 things to do along the Wild Atlantic Way during an Irish heatwave

5/2/2017

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Go to the beach:

No shortage of amazing beaches along the Wild Atlantic Way. If you are lucky, you mioght even see a pod of Dolphins or the odd basking shark swimming nearby the shore. Some of our favourite beaches:
1. Five Finger Beach, Inishowen, co. Donegal
2. Dunmoran Strand, co.Sligo
3. Keem Strand, Achill Island, co.Mayo
4. Glassillaun Beach, co. Galway
5. Tralua Beach, co.Sligo
6. Barleycove, co.Cork

Climb a mountain

A lot of times, mountains are covered by a tick layer of clouds in Ireland, probably with some added dampness falling out of these clouds as well.
So during an Irish heatwave, head for the mountains and enjoy the amazing views.

Go to an offshore island

There are plenty of offshore islands of the Wild Atlantic Way. Why not take a boat, a cablecar or even drive the car to these islands and discover the history of them.
Drive to an Island you ask?, Yes, at low tide you can drive to Coney Island in co.Sligo or Claggan Island in co.Mayo. A cablecar? Yes, Dursey island in co.Kerry is reached by cablecar.
Further, you have the many Islands which can be reached by ferry ( Skelligs, Inisbofin, Aran Islands, Rathlin,...)

Participate in an outdoor adventure

From the many golf courses to the Atlantic and rivers, there is plenty of choice for an outdoor adventure. Not sure where to start, why not join one of the many outdoor adventure experts along the Wild Atlantic Way.

Watch the amazing sunsets

The sunsets in Ireland are truly amazing. The colours vary from yellow to red to purple. Watching the sunset after a glorious day along the Wild Atlantic way is just brilliant.

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the longest defined coastal road in the world

3/3/2017

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The Wild Atlantic Way, a 2500km route travelling from West Cork to Donegal, has been a huge success since it's launch .
The route travels along the rugged atlantic coast of Ireland, taking in all the amazing scenery, tourist attractions, villages,...

But although it has been huge since it's launch, it is nothing new. The roads have always been there, the amazing scenery hasn't changed in 100's of years , but the launch of the Wild Atlantic Way was a stroke of genius.

We have travelled it numerous times, and we can confirm it will give you an unforgettable experience. So what can you expect?

Amazing scenery:

Tourist attractions

Great food & Accommodation

Before you set off on your adventure, buy yourself a Wild Atlantic Way passport. The Wild Atlantic Way passport act as a recording souvenir of your completed journey.

Along the Wild Atlantic Way , there are 188 discovery points along the route. Each discovery point has it's own stamp. The passport is a bit along the lines of the Camino Route stamps you can get. The passport is €10 and can be bought from selected Post Offices. The stamps for each of the discovery points are unique, and you can obtain these stamps in local post offices or Tourist Information Offices.

Along the route, you find loads of waypoints which are well signposted. Each waypoint is clearly marked with the WAW sign and a sign with factoids. All we can say is pack your bags, book your flights or ferry and plan your trip through the official website www.wildatlanticway.com

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Wild Atlantic Way Passport

7/30/2016

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For people travelling along the Wild Atlantic Way, you can now buy a passport from An Post. The Wild Atlantic Way passport act as a recording souvenir of your completed journey.

Along the Wild Atlantic Way , there are 188 discovery points along the route. Each discovery point has it's own stamp.

The passport is a bit along the lines of the Camino Route stamps you can get. The passport is €10 and can be bought from selected Post Offices. The stamps for each of the discovery points are unique, and you can obtain these stamps in local post offices or Tourist Information Offices.

Once you have received 20 stamps in your passport, head down to the Tourist Office and receive a Wild Atlantic Gift.

And the fun of it all is to play honest. it is easy enough to get stamps although you didn't visit the location, but that would be cheating.
The other beauty of the system is that you might get some local knowledge from the An Post employee. For example, we went in Ballydehob in the post office and we got great information from the lady regarding the area. this made us discover some other local scenery.
Get yours now and join in the fun. More information:

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Authors

We are Peter & Dolores De Bie. We love the great outdoors, discovering new parts of the world and writing about our adventures along the Wild Atlantic Way and further afield

Destination Sligo & Wild Atlantic Way Blog

Chilled and relaxed in Strandhill

In search of a Jedi

5 things to do along the Wild Atlantic Way during an Irish heatwave

the longest defined coastal road in the world

Wild Atlantic Way Passport

Authors

Archives

Categories

Contact us

Our websites QR code

Where are our visitors from?

Destination Sligo & Wild Atlantic Way Blog

Chilled and relaxed in Strandhill

In search of a Jedi

5 things to do along the Wild Atlantic Way during an Irish heatwave

the longest defined coastal road in the world

Wild Atlantic Way Passport

Authors

Archives

Categories

Contact us﻿

Our websites Q﻿R code﻿

Where are our visitors from?

Contact us

Our websites QR code