Adventures With Felicia - Strandhill

You will notice that Haley is not in any of these pictures.  That's because she got sick!  So, we had to go places without  her to be sure Felicia got to see some of the lovely scenery Ireland has to offer.  We started with a trip to Strandhill.  If you recall, we went there with Connor last summer.  It is a lovely place - on the Northwest corner of the island.  A strand is a beach.  There is a lovely beach here and apparently some fantastic surfing.  There is also a lovely golf course and Knocknarea overlooks the town and course. Benbulben is also visible from this town.  There is also an airport here - more on that later...

In these photos, though it is hard to see, there are about 4 or 5 people in the water.  Strandhill is popular for swimming and surfing.  This particular area is extremely rocky and there are lots of signs posted that say no swimming.  Also, it was a very chilly day.  I was wearing my down coat AND my wool sweater from the Aran islands!

 As you can see below, and I have said this before:  The Irish are a Hardy People!  Apparently, they are also risk-takers...

There is a path along the sandy coast, which also goes through larger sand dunes on the South side of the town.  The town is surrounded by sand dunes, and some are as high as 39 meters. In the 18th Century, the village had to move to the "top road" at the base of Knocknarea because of the encroaching/moving Dunes, but they were planted with Marram grass in the 19th Century and have thus been stabilized.

It was an absolutely gorgeous day.  So glad Felicia was granted a reprieve from the winter rains!  We also had chowder and fish and chips in the local pub.  It was a lovely adventure!

Ta Da!

This is a shot of the golf course in the shadow of Knocknarea. 

And this is Benbulben in the distance as we walked along the coast heading north of the town, towards the airport.

The map shows various routes around the village.  The yellow loop around the town is about a 6 km trip, and would take about 1-1/2 to 2 hours to walk.  We did not have that much time, as it was already mid-afternoon and the sun would be setting in under 2 hours.  So, we just walked along the route going along the beach and then veering towards the airport.  The airport is the black runway on the map - it is a short strip with water all around and also, a very small airport.  Obviously, 747's don't land here!

The part on the Hillside that says Dolly's Cottage is where one could connect with a path that leads to the top of Knocknarea and Queen Maeve's Cairn.  That would take some significant time to complete as well!  I have not walked up from there, but am thinking I should give it a go!