A trip over the Mayo border to appreciate the beauty of our neighbouring county

COUNTRY FILE

NOW and again we have to take ouselves outside our own county boundaries, if only to remind ourselves of the good things we have at home.

And so we went to Galway - not to the city, but to the Connemara coast, where we found white sand, blue seas and sunshine, the like of which has been sorely missing in Mayo.

Yes, perhaps that same sun was shining back at home as well, and if it was then we left some of the prettiest places on the planet to go looking for more.

Now, how is this for a day trip? We travelled south through the beautiful Errif valley, through remnants of what was once a proper oak forest and along the banks of that esteemed waterway.

The diminished woodland is still impressive, with mature oaks lining dramatic upland as they did on a far more grand scale in the distant past. While some work has already been done, we can only hope for greater restoration here.

We would have stopped, but for Killary in the sun!

Is there anywhere in this country more grand than here? Crisp, clear light, a calm sea catching blue from above, and that twisting road south of Leenane into the heart of Galway made for a steady and thoughtful drive.

If this place was in any other country it would be filled with people. Thankfully, it is not, so rather than having to fight through long lines of near stationary traffic we could travel at our own pace.

The Joyce Country and Western Lakes Geopark is about to place this area firmly on the tourist map. Five years from now it will be far better known, which will be good news for those who welcome paying guests and bad news for those of us that like to keep the best things in life for ourselves.

With an emphasis on getting people to slow down and explore their surroundings to greater depths, this geopark initiative has been a long time coming. It will open opportunities for more to get involved in operating niche markets, and as visitors become reaquainted with this beautiful country we can rightly expect them to turn up in numbers.

But we had further to go. A short drive to the south of Killary Harbour we found roads worthy of north Mayo, that led us to Glassillaun (Green Island) beach, an isolated and near-pristine, sheltered stretch of golden sand bounded by rocks at either end.

Parking is limited at Glassillaun. I’d say get there early and bring a picnic. These days are so busy we need to make the most of moments of escape and Glassillaun is worth a few hours of indulgence.

After exploring rock pools and making a few exploratory (and unsuccessful) casts with the spinning rod, we were content to merely sit and soak up some of that sunshine before taking a slow drive to enjoy some of the near-matchless scenery the area has to offer.

There are plenty of other very fine beaches around here, though none quite compare to Glassillaun. Even the drive there, past Lough Muck and Lough Fee, is spectacular, although I imagine that any typically mist-filled autumn day of low cloud would paint a different picture.

A little further to the south the hills were a mosaic of colour, with low-growing gorse somehow in full flower and fully complemented with purple heather, harebells, and more blackberries than could be found on any Achill hillside.

While we fully appreciate all our home county has to offer, we have to give a shout out to our near neighbours. I’d even go as far as to suggest our own county boundary might be shifted 50 miles to the south, where it surely belongs! I’d go again, that is certain.