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, because I do remember being a bit underwhelmed on first sight of Lettergesh.

We were a large group of families with a gaggle of kids, so had booked well in advance. I called en route, the owner was off-site, so she told us to just go ahead in and grab a pitch.

The site is a small, mostly flat, grassy field with an incline at the end, the beach being just over the brow of the hill, so you can’t actually see it from the pitches. It had been overcast all day and was just starting to drizzle as boots were opened and equipment dragged out. The communal mood was a shade gloomy, until someone suggested a quick swim before putting up the tents.

What an excellent idea that turned out to be! We grabbed togs and towels, ran up the hill, down the steps, peeled off and fell in to the tepid Atlantic waves.

And boy what a beach! This is ocean swimming the way I like it – all the vastness with none of the scariness. The large inhabited islands of Inishbofin and Inishturk surface in the distance with smaller ones dotted closer to shore, so you’re actually quite sheltered from the roar of the Atlantic. We could hardly believe it when we spotted some dolphins frolicking in the waves about 50 metres out. The tide was in that first evening but when it’s out you can walk for miles along the flat golden sand.

That glorious first dip in the rain set the tone for the three days we would spend at Lettergesh, which was a mixed bag weather-wise. In the west of Ireland, four seasons in one day is par-for-the-course, but thankfully Connemara is equally if not MORE stunning shrouded in mist as bathed in sunshine. Forget checking the forecast, you just have to take what you get, embrace the clouds and kiss the rain. Even when it’s gloomy it looks colder than it actually is, and a sunny spell is always around the corner.