A day trip to Mayo

With this year being anything but normal there have been no trips planned. I don’t mind and it’s a great opportunity to explore places in Ireland. I heard about The Ballinglen Arts Foundation, which opened on Monday in Ballycastle, so I decided to pay a visit.

Jono came along with me for the spin and I noticed the On The Way Cafe in Killala serve takeaway afternoon tea, so of course I had to check it out. I’d pre-booked it and it was all ready for us to bring on our picnic, Carmel from the cafe was so friendly and welcoming and the tea was great.

It was a big box containing sandwiches, scones, jam, cream, and some little chocolate sponge cakes, rocky road and the nicest puff pastry cakes I’ve had in years. We had our Afternoon Tea picnic at Downpatrick Head – which is always well worth a visit.

I didn’t walk up to Dun Briste this time around, so I’m sharing some photos I took on previous visits. This magnificent seastack is approximately 50 metres tall and stands just off Downpatrick Head. It’s just absolutely breathtaking watching the waves crash and listening to the sea birds cry at this very special place.

Ballycastle is a lovely little village and the Ballinglen Arts Foundation is a welcome addition. I enjoyed looking at the art and the building is very impressive too. So if you have an interest in art do pay a visit. Again there was a very warm welcome from the people there and I’ve always found Mayo people to be very friendly.

Oh, and I had to visit Mary’s Cottage Kitchen and bring a piece of chocolate cake home.

No trip is a adventure if you don’t go off the beaten track so we followed the Wild Atlantic Way signs and headed along the coast road. It was my first time to visit Lacken Strand and it’s just a stunning beach, miles of sand and very quiet. The roads are quite narrow and a bit rough in places so just bear that in mind if you are going there.

All in all it was a lovely day out and there was still some afternoon tea left to be enjoyed at home, which is always a bonus.