When I went to Erris in Co. Mayo I went glamping! I’d never been before so I had no idea what to expect. Laurence, who runs the Belmullet Coast Guard Station on the stunning Claggan Island, offered me a night in one of the luxury wooden pods he has. Glamping is glamorous camping – so if a tent and stumbling across a field for the loo at 2am isn’t for you (it’s not for me!) this is the way to go.
The pods are just gorgeous, so cosy and warm. They sleep up to four adults and even have a toilet and sink. Just a short walk away is a fully equipped kitchen and a shower room.
When I arrived I was welcomed into the house by Laurence and Myra, his lovely wife. We had tea and a chat and his parents, who live just across from Laurence, came over as well. It was like a proper Irish welcome and I felt very much at home.
When Laurence realised I hadn’t seen much of Erris he took me out for a spin in the car. We had about an hour of light left, the photo of the Blacksod Lighthouse above was taken at 10.30pm. The lighthouse was built in 1864 and played a part in D-Day. You can read more about it here.
Laurence also took me to see some of Tír Sáile – which is a Sculpture Trail in North Mayo and is the largest public arts project ever undertaken in Ireland. Some of these were in such remote locations I’d never have found them on my own. It was like being on the edge of the world, looking at these wonderful pieces of art with the fierce waves crashing on the rocks.
When we got back to Claggan Island I settled into my pod and relaxed all tucked up in the lovely comfortable bed listening to the waves and the wind. I got up early the next morning to have a walk around the island and look at the hundreds of rabbits that inhabit the place – they move very quickly though!
There was also time for me to look at some of the many animals as Laurence and his family also have a working farm so you get to experience a bit of what it’s like to live on a farm. I love animals so this was a perfect place for me to stay.
My sincere thanks to Laurence and his family for such a lovely time and for all their help. If you are looking for somewhere special to stay check the pods out and if you don’t fancy glamping you could always stay in the coast guard station. You can find the website here.
The trip to Erris is part of my Wild Atlantic Wayfarer journey in conjunction with the Hawk’s Well Theatre, Sligo and LookWest.ie
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This sounds like – and looks like – heaven to me. I would love to go ‘glamping’ – especially in such a beautiful place as this most definitely is.
It was like heaven June
Looks amazing.
It was
It’s a gorgeous part of the world. One of my favourite places to visit from time to time.
It was lovely