Trip date: September 2019
I had been on my own for 14 days, but now I was leaving Galway to drive to Westport and meet up with Forest and Nicola. I was beyond excited!
It was just a 1 ½ hour drive to Westport, and the girls' train wasn't arriving until late afternoon, so I decided to stop at the famous Ashford Castle on the way. It was raining pretty hard when I pulled up to the main gates and when I inquired about having lunch at the casual restaurant on the grounds I was told they were only open Friday and Saturday; it was Monday.
So thinking maybe the rain would let up I drove to the nearby town of Cong and had some excellent fish and chips at Pat Cohan's Bar aka The Quiet Man pub. The movie was filmed here and in other parts of the area so it's quite famous.
The rain hadn't let up but I still thought I would take a stroll around the Castle grounds and get some good photos. When I came back to Ashford's main gate the guard did not think me paying €15 to walk around in the pouring rain was such a great idea, so he kindly let me in without the fee. I parked in the cafe/gift shop parking area and walked to the pedestrian bridge.
He was right, it was nice to get up semi-close to the castle but unless you are a registered guest you can't enter the building, and paying to walk to the other side of the bridge, where the view of the castle wasn't even as good, was a waste of money.The next morning the weather was gorgeous so after breakfast we set out to meet a friend of Nic's at Croagh Patrick. We explored the park across the street while we waited for him, there is a very moving Famine Memorial sculpture of a ghost ship and also a small abandoned abby.
Back across the street we started up the holy mountain that is a famous pilgrimage for many. At 2500 feet elevation and about an 3 ½ hour climb none of us were interested in trying for the peak. But the views of the sea and the village of Murrisk from the trail were lovely.Other posts from this trip:
Michelin Stars and Cocktail Bars in Dublin
Ireland Road Trip: County Kilkenny
Ireland Road Trip: County Cork
Ireland Road Trip: Kenmare and the Ring of Kerry
Ireland Road Trip: Dingle Town
Dingle Peninsula Archeology Tour
Ireland Road Trip: Cliffs of Moher and Galway
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