It was a rather long drive to Galway due to a few stops made along the way.
I started with a visit to a Star Wars film location known as the Meditation Rock. Whether it’s legitimate or not, I’m not sure, but although the weather wasn’t the greatest, it was quite a calming and tranquil spot.
After that, I looked up a few castles to visit en route and hit the road again. I stopped at Listowel Castle, tried to see Glin Castle (but it’s a private residence, so no luck there), then Glenquin Castle, followed by a stop in Limerick for lunch and a quick look at King John’s Castle. After that, I pushed on to Bunratty Castle before finally arriving in Galway around 5.30pm. A very long day—but well worth it.
I checked in to the hostel, then headed out for dinner, which was an eye-opener. Masses of young teenagers were out for a Friday night party, dressed in a way that made me wonder how their parents let them out—especially in the cold, wet weather. Crazy kids.
I managed to catch up with Lauren, who had also arrived in Galway, and then it was back to the hostel to rest up for the next day.
I was up early, grabbed a complimentary breakie from the hostel kitchen, and headed off to get the car. Today’s mission was to see the Cliffs of Moher. It rained pretty much the whole day.
On the drive down, I managed to visit a few more castles: Dunguaire, Gleninagh, and Ballinalacken.
I stopped for lunch in the town of Doolin at McDermott’s Pub, where I had an amazing homemade cottage pie. While eating, I overheard people talking about the Doolin Caves and a huge stalactite. Intrigued, I quickly looked it up and saw it was only a 5-minute drive away—so I decided to check it out.
The descent into the caves was down a 70m shaft and then through some low-ceiling tunnels. The stalactite was massive—apparently the third oldest in the world. Not the longest, but definitely the widest, and estimated to be over 300 million years old. Very cool.
After the caves, I headed to the Cliffs of Moher lookout. These cliffs were used in Harry Potter (when they’re searching for horcruxes) and also feature as the “CLIFFS OF INSANITY!” from The Princess Bride. No issue with the heights here, as I wasn’t too close to any sheer drops. The heavy wind and sideways rain didn’t deter the crowds—there were still plenty of people out checking out the famous cliffs. They were pretty amazing. Were it not for the weather, I would’ve spent much more time there. The cliffs rise up to 200m from the sea—so high that they were covered in cloud for a good part of my visit. I had a quick look at O’Brien’s Tower before jumping back in the car to head home.
Just as I was leaving the car park, I noticed two people trying to hitchhike. I felt bad seeing them in the rain, so I offered them a lift. Turns out they were a mother and daughter from Italy on a girls’ trip. They were also staying in Galway, so no issue at all giving them a lift. We chatted about travel, and I got some interesting tips on places I might add to my itinerary.
I dropped them at the hostel and drove to park my car at the ferry terminal, where I’d be leaving it for the next few days. I walked back to the hostel to find out that a mains pipe had burst and half the city was without water. No hot shower for me.
I went out for a bit of a solo pub crawl and caught some great live music. Saturday night seemed to be the night for bachelorette parties—I saw at least four getting around and was even accosted by one. Should make for some funny photos in someone’s album (not mine—I was thoroughly confused as to what was happening most of the time).
Back to the hostel—still no water. Hopefully it’s repaired before I leave.
Tomorrow, I’m off to the Aran Islands for a few days!
