Ireland 2026 - Day 6: Galway to Connemara
What a difference good weather makes as we rode the stunning route from Galway into Connemara along the coast.
Waking in the cottage we got ourselves packed up and had breakfast. The girls had got me a gift for organising the trip which I was really touched by. It had been so lovely riding with them so it was sad that it already has started to feel like we were nearing the end of our adventure. Usually by the 5th/6th day of riding every day my body starts getting used to being on the bike consistently and all the aches and niggles from consecutive days on the road start to fade and I get into the flow of a trip. I’d also really miss riding with the girls as they’re exceptional company and lovely people. This was to be the last full day together because one of our number would be leaving the next morning around 4am to ride to Dublin, get the ferry to Holyhead, and then ride back to London in a one-er! But we still had today together, the weather was amazing, and we had some fantastic roads in front of us.
Heading west through Galway we picked up the R336 through Barna. This road [1] hugged the coast and ran through beautiful seaside towns clearly full of holiday-makers enjoying the weather today. There was talk over the comms about an ice cream and that sounded a fantastic idea!
Instead of the direct route, which is also beautiful in a wide, open and sweeping way, we headed around the looped coast through Rusheennamanagh/Roisín na Mainiach [2], back north via Doonreaghan/Dún Riacháin, and then the next promontary via Callow [3]. As we rode along these winding and quiet roads, the grassy land gave way to what appeared to be an ancient lava field with rocks poking through the soft earth and really reminded me of the Snæfellsnes peninsula in Iceland! Although here in Ireland the rocks seemed softer and more weathered. I found myself getting quite emotional riding through such a beautiful landscape and wished I could spend more time riding these roads.
With about 30 minutes to go to the campsite we stopped at Coral beach [4] near Derrygimla to stop and admire the cobalt blue North Atlantic Ocean and the white sandy beach. It always feels special reaching the sea, maybe because it feels like a journey complete or possibly some ancient part of our souls that feel safest by the coast.
We then headed north again and made for Clifden, the “Capital of Connemara”, a beautiful coastal town which sits on the Owenglin river. From there we struck out west for our campsite, Clifden EcoBeach. We had missed a night due to the weather but it was great to at least get one night at this stunning campsite.
By this point the wind was a gentle breeze, grounding the midges, and the sun was lowering in the sky as a warm light draped over the site. We set up camp, had dinner of dehydrated meals and the rest of the Toblerone from the ferry Duty Free shop, and sat around chatting and laughing with hot chocolates with a good slug of Jamesons in them.
After dinner we had a walk out to the rocks of the outcropping next to the campsite’s beach and took in the scene around us while we watched the sun lower gently into the sea.
After a wonderful night’s sleep I woke at 4am to hear the familiar tone of one of the group’s motorcycles gently purring as it was steered out of the site, bound for London…a trip the rest of us would be doing the next day.
Stage Distance: 146 km (90 miles)
Overall Distance: 1317 km (818 miles)
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