Ireland: Day 3 (to Leenane)

Wee-hee, on Sunday we were off at last! Well, the most we'd get done would be to get to the Wild Atlantic Way - fair enough. We would never manage the whole thing - the plan was to go as far north as Leenane, which I figured would be scenic enough to justify the mileage. We'd head straight there, where we'd start the coastal route. And so, armed with small bottles of water and hats to keep the sun off when we got out, we headed over the hills to Galway.. where we stopped as soon as Helen noticed a Dunnes store at the side of the road.

To be fair, with all my dire weather warnings, she hadn't packed enough summery clothes. Plus, she'd been well impressed with the Dunnes she'd so briefly seen the night before. So we parked at Dunnes in Terryland, where she did a fair amount of shopping - good range, good price. By the time we'd done, it was about time for lunch, which we had in the little cafe just across from the entrance to Dunnes. And after we'd eaten our mains, they had a most excellent selection of cakes and pastries..

Leaving there at last, we passed through a large traffic-light-controlled junction that, in my days living here, used to be a roundabout, then followed the signs for Clifden (for the moment) to get us out of the city. Not that Galway itself wasn't on my itinerary, but we'd be coming back that way, and I was anxious to get north. And north we travelled, stopping briefly at the picturesque little park on the far side of Oughterard that I remember from childhood trips up here:

Out the road a bit, what should we come across but a sign for Glengowla Mines, with guided tours and gift shop. Ok then, and we headed in. It's a small, family-run operation, and Roisin, who guided us around the small museum and into the mine itself, was just being trained. Making sure we were fitted out with hairnets and hard hats (available in a variety of colours), she expertly guided us around the exhibits of the different types of rock mined there, and the mining equipment, before leading us into the mine.

She'd checked to make sure we weren't claustrophobic - we were headed (I think) 25 metres underground. I was just relieved to see that the steps all had handrails - there were parts where I had to go slowly, but I was fine. We were also warned that it'd be a lot cooler in there - well hey, that'd be a relief! The day was very hot.

More photos available at https://www.facebook.com/teddytush/media_set?set=a.10154248732122433.1073741991.762887432&type=3.

The mine's full depth extends to 40 metres, but the staircase doesn't go that far (and neither do the tours). By the time we got right down, our breath was misting in front of us. It's a fascinating underground trip to one of the lesser known places, and on the way we saw a couple of sets that were used in film shoots:

130 steps to get all the way down, and 130 steps to get all the way back up, but handrails and lighting all the way. Highly recommended - and a hot day was the perfect time to do it. Really, by the time we got all the way back up to the final flight of steps to the outside, we were reluctant to make the final climb - it was nice and cool in the dark, and we could already feel the heat from out there! A brief trawl of the gift shop, and a couple of purchases, and we were off again. Well worth a visit, if you're in the area.

We continued along the main road as far as Maam Cross, taking a right, finally for Leenane, where we managed to get a room at the Leenane Hotel. We didn't have accommodation booked in advance anywhere - which rather alarmed Helen, but I'm used to doing it this way in Ireland, and really, if you have a car you're never stuck. And as she was to discover, we were never without a bed for the night. I think the receptionist mentioned it was their last twin - in the annex, but that was fine : parking right behind it, and potentially less noise from the hotel. Ground floor, which was handy for the luggage.

We ate in the hotel restaurant, with a view of Killary fjord, the only one in Ireland - and ate extremely well. Had a brief stroll around the harbour:

See the above picture link for more photos of this lovely place. Helen remarked on a giftshop she wanted to visit, and the Sheep and Wool Museum - both closed at this point, but we determined to visit before we left next day. And so to bed - this was the first of a whole series of nights where we stayed somewhere that promised free WiFi. Free it may have been, connecting was another matter - the connections were uniformly woeful, and we were internet-free for the duration of the trip. In fact, here I had to go outside even to make a call on my mobile..