Grainne

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Glen of Aherlow, Tipperary

Peaceful, pristine and spacious camping with glorious views of the Galtee Mountains In the heart of the midlands in Co Tipperary, the secluded Glen of Aherlow (meaning the “low land between two high lands”) nestles between the Galtee Mountains and the Slievenamuck hills. This area is steeped in history and folklore. Slievenamuck – Sliabh Muice – means “Mountain of the Pigs”, deriving its name from the hundreds of wild pigs that once roamed here. Legend has it that it was here that Fionn mac Cumhaill slew the dangerous sow, Beo, who was devastating the people of Munster, and presented it to the local master smith as a bridal gift for […]

wavecrest camping
Kerry

Wave Crest, Caherdaniel

Waterfront 4 star camping on the Wild Atlantic Way One of the most sought after camp sites in the country, Wave Crest is located just outside Caherdaniel on the Ring of Kerry and Wild Atlantic Way. For our family, the location is the biggest draw because it’s so close (10 minutes drive) to Derrynane beach, in our opinion the best beach in the country (more about Derrynane later).    Wave Crest occupies an elevated position along a rocky south-facing hill benefitting from glorious views of the Atlantic ocean as well as the majestic mountains of Kerry. Pitches are a mix of hard stands and grassy plots arranged in terraces, so they […]

killaloe camping 2
Clare

Killaloe Camping, Co. Clare

Easygoing and peaceful, this campsite is located in a field behind The Piper’s Inn just outside the beautiful hidden gem village of Killaloe on Lough Derg, straddling counties Tipperary and Clare.  It’s basic, but what it does do it does very well. Pitches are arranged in a circle on lush green grass backed by hedges, with a pathway and small green area in the centre with gorgeous views of the East Clare hills.  There are electric hook-ups at all pitches and spotlessly clean shower, toilet and wash-up facilities. There’s no campers kitchen, but the restaurant at the award-winning Pipers Inn gastropub is top class and reasonably priced. Or head in to […]

Sligo

Strandhill Camping, Co. Sligo

We never actually stayed in this camp site…boy did we try though! We booked a weekend in early July which turned out to be the big storm of the summer, so bailed at the last minute. I actually met a fellow camper in Kerry later in the summer who had stayed in Strandhill that same weekend, and according to her it was not fun. Bullet dodged.  The owners were very sound, allowed us to postpone until late July. But yet again a miserable forecast ousted us. Postponed to September. Then my other half broke his ankle and I had to make another phone call. Sligo wasn’t meant to be this […]

curracloe camping site wexford
Wexford

Curracloe Camping, Wexford

Miles of glorious white sandy beach in Ireland’s sunny south east The beach the beach the beach the beach…that’s all you need to know really. Curracloe camping is in Co. Wexford nestled in the sunniest and warmest (most of the time) corner of Ireland. It’s our go-to camp site not only because it’s close (1 hour 20 minutes door to door) but because it’s so gorgeous and easy. The beach is just stunning. Long and wide, but not too wide, spotlessly clean with fine white sand, it’s really safe for swimming and sheltered by rolling sand dunes perfect for dune surfing. The camp site is just behind the dunes, about […]

dunmore east holiday park camping site
Waterford

Dunmore East Holiday Park

Family camping in a classic Irish seaside village I got a major wave of nostalgia this summer in Dunmore East which makes no sense at all because I’d never been there before. We camped at Dunmore East Holiday Park for the August bank holiday weekend, and I felt like I was reliving a family holiday from my childhood. It was less the place itself and more… just everything. The ice-cream shop on the corner; the kids racing down the slipway to the beach every morning; the instant friendships they made; the furious sand castle building; the begging us for money for the sweet shop. It felt so familiar, except now […]

Lettergesh beach
Galway

Connemara Camping (Lettergesh)

Magnificent camping on the edge of nowhere Did that really happen? Looking back on the photos from our trip to Lettergesh this summer and honestly I’m pinching myself. We had such a brilliant, action-packed few days, but I don’t think it hit me at the time how utterly gorgeous the place is. We were a few weeks out west by the time we landed at Lettergesh and in hindsight must have acclimatised to the visual awesomeness of Connemara. In fact I remember being a little disappointed on arrival. We were a large group of families with a gaggle of kids, so had booked well in advance. I called en route, […]

Inishwallah food truck Inishbofin island
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Inishwallah food truck on Inishbofin

The best darn eaterie west of Galway city Boy was I excited to get back to Connemara this July. The camp site was booked, the weather was glorious and the food mecca of Clifden beckoned. Little did I suspect that our most taste-buds exploding experience would be  at a food truck! Inishwallah is an old London double-decker bus  parked up in the westquarter of Inishbofin island serving delicious Indian fusion street food. We had heard about it at our camp site, so got the 11am ferry from Cleggan, arriving just before midday and headed straight there  (about a 20 minute walk). I ordered the insanely good fish stew – delicious […]

Eco Camping Clifden
Galway

Eco Camping Clifden

Waterside camping in Connemara with panoramic views of the Twelve Bens There’s something about Connemara that feels so wild and remote. Situated in the western extremities of County Galway, beyond the majestic Twelve Bens and Maumturk mountains, you enter an ancient and tranquil landscape of white-washed cottages, stone-walled fields, windswept bogs, wild ponies and enormous skies with moody, constantly-shifting clouds all bound in by the wild Atlantic ocean. Oscar Wilde loved the “savage beauty” of this “wild mountainous country, magnificent in every way”. The coastline here is long and varied, a mess of jagged inlets, sandy coves and tiny islands surfacing and disappearing again with the changing tides, that has […]