Clifden Eco Beach Camping, Connemara, Galway – Snorkelling

This is the snorkelling side of the Clifden Eco Beach Camping, as mentioned in the  previous post we loved the campsite and equally the snorkelling is great.

The campsite is situated on a small headland and is surrounded by magnificent clear water. There is plenty of safe access points in to the sea from the sandy beach and on the other side of the campsite off the rocks. The really cool thing about snorkelling here is that there is a drift snorkel which can be done when the tide is coming in. Chris was very helpful in showing us the best place to get in so if you are unsure just ask! The water gushes in to the inlet and carries you along around in to a calm cove. While the drift dive is great fun I do think it is best suited for people who are well used to snorkelling and that are comfortable in the water. We were told that Scuba Dive West regularly does a drift dive here.

The visibility is great and while snorkelling all around and amongst the rocks we saw plenty of crabs, little fish, lots of beautiful seaweeds and other interesting bits and pieces. We are very much looking forward to snorkelling here again!

Well Wrapped Up!

Dan Testing The Waters

Lovely Clear Water

Rocky Bottom! 

Well Camouflaged Fish

Sea Anemone

Creepy Crab!

Happy Out Snorkelling

Dan Finishing the Drift Snorkel

He Has Arrived!

 

Clifden Eco Beach Camping, Connemara, Galway – Camping

I am going to split this Clifden Eco Beach Camping post in two, the camping side things and the snorkelling information.

Camping: After being disappointed last year that this beautiful campsite was full, we knew we had organise another trip and luckily they had space for us.. booking in advance is recommended. After taking a slight detour we eventually arrived in Clifden, stocked up on supplies and continued out along the coast for about 10 minutes to the campsite. Driving in the winding sandy driveway, with cows to one side and white horses to greet us on the other, it was a good start! We checked in at the reception which is a great old homely mobile home. On check in we were given some seeds which was such a lovely touch, I got basil and carrots seeds! Tajana then greeted us and then showed us about the facilities and gave us a choice of either a spot overlooking the beach or a spot called the honeymoon spot… we went for the latter!

View From Our Honeymoon Spot!

Our Tent & Customised Chair!

Enjoying The View

Looking up the Coastline

The facilities include spotlessly clean toilets and showers, a campers kitchen with fridges, a freezer, microwave, kettle, sinks for washing dishes and tea/coffee-making facilities. Also provided was lots of information about the site and surrounding areas, fire pits can be rented for small fee and they provide free charging of phones, cameras etc, which is much-needed when you are in a tent! Of course not forgetting the gorgeous white sand beach.

The Beautiful Beach

On the eco side of the things, they have banned single use bottles as they have clean fresh water that they treat from their own well, so use glass or refill bottles you have. There is recycling facilities and you can contact the reception if you want to compost your waste. The campsite is low density so you are never too near your neighbours and also it is because the campsite is on a protected and fragile ecosystem called Machair. The small flowers amongst the grasses are just beautiful and dainty.

The atmosphere here is amazing, relaxing, warm and welcoming. Other campers were really friendly too. There is a great sense of calm and such peace and quiet. The owners Chris and Tajana have a real passion for their surroundings and are very welcoming and willing to help. They seem to be on top of everything knowing what is going on, which gives a great sense of security. I couldn’t recommend this place more and can’t wait for our next trip.

Lovely Sunset

Also there are plenty of things to do nearby. Myself and Dan went off driving about the area each day, we did the sky loop road which has great views, we went to explore the tidal island of Omey just a kilometre or so away from the campsite, walked about Clifden town and adventured out towards Cleggan, Ballyconeely and other small villages.

View of the Campsite from Omey

Horses and Cows Relaxing on Omey Island

 

                 

Coral Beach, Carraroe, Co Galway.

While on our way home from our short break we decided to explore the Coral Beach also known as Trá an Dóilin near Carraroe.  We got to Carraroe town and weren’t sure exactly where to go but we just followed signs for An Trá and eventually arrived. It was quite busy near the beach but there are plenty of little cove areas to find a nice spot. There is free parking beside the beach, toilet facilities and also the beach has lifeguards during the peak season which is always reassuring! There seemed to be plenty of other people snorkelling here too so that was encouraging and we couldn’t wait to get in!

Coral Beach

The beach itself is made up of tiny pieces of coral and shells, absolutely beautiful but they can be sharp, so wearing booties or flip-flops to the edge of that water is a good idea. We got in the water at a little cove in front of the life guards. The water was crystal clear and the colour of the shells and bits of coral were amazing to look at. We snorkelled along by the rocks and out a bit but there were vast Kelp forests on either sides which were a bit daunting,  we didn’t adventure too near them! Lots of shell-fish were about including Hermit Crabs and Common Crabs, it was a great snorkel as the water was just so clear. We would have loved some more time to adventure to the other little coves but alas we had to head off. It is definitely a recommended area to explore and we can’t wait to get back here!

Bits of Coral and Shells

Beautiful Tiny Shells

After our dip in the sea we just chilled out on a quieter section of the beach. We had worked up a hunger at this stage so we decided to stop in Spiddal at Buílín Blásta Cafe and we sat outside. Food was incredible and fresh, they are well deserving of their many awards. I had the roasted beetroot and feta, yum! We left happy and headed back home after our beautiful trip to the west coast.

 Snorkelling Stars (1=OK  10=Amazing): 8 stars!

 Spotted: Crabs, Shells!!

 Stopped At: Buílín Blásta Cafe

Little Killary Harbour, Lettergesh, Renvyle, Co. Galway.

I was dying to explore around Killary Harbour as I heard it has some of the best snorkelling in Ireland. A suggestion from my friend was to go to Little Killary the next bay south of Killary Harbour where Scuba Dive West is situated. This was a handy 20min scenic drive from our camp site, Renvyle Caravan and Camping. We had forgotten to bring booties (very silly) with us so we were luckily able to rent them from Scuba Dive West for about 10e which included use of their facilities – changing rooms, showers and a kitchenette area, a nice change from standing in a car park! There seemed to be a nice vibe about the place, the guy working was helpful and advised us where to go and to keep an eye out for a fast tide the further out we went.

Scuba Dive West Centre

There was a slip way down in to a small cove with perfect white sand and beautiful clear calm water. Straight out was where the reef started, maximum depth was about 4 m. The reef was teaming with life with a huge about of crabs battling on the sandy floor below us, lots of shoals of glimmering fish were about too. The highlight was when we spotted a couple of Spider Crabs nestled in between the seaweed.

Snorkelling Area

We got a little more adventurous and snorkelled out around a small headland to the right. There was a natural corridor through the Kelp which was great as I am not the biggest fan of swimming through Kelp! It was deeper around here but managed to see some Spiny Starfish. Towards the end we explored the shallow waters near the slipway. Out we got and rinsed our gear and enjoyed warming up in the beautiful sun and in the magical surroundings. Little Killary is a very nice spot altogether, definitely recommended.

Aprés Snorkel!

 

 Snorkelling Stars (1=OK  10=Amazing): 8 stars!

 Spotted: Spider Crabs, Spiny Starfish.

 Stayed: Renvyle Caravan and Camping