We started our day off with a bus ride to the ferry docks. We took two ferry rides from the mainland of Ireland to the pier of Inishmore. This is the largest of three Aran Islands off the coast of Ireland. It was a foggy and drizzly ride but we got a great view of the Atlantic Ocean! Once we arrived, we picked up our rental bikes and started on our biking adventure.
We biked through a beautiful countryside seeing lots of cows, horses, and stone fences.
The first stop along the trail was at the seal outlook where we saw several adorable seals relaxing just off the coast. We continued on our biking trip stopping every so often to take in the breathtaking view.
We reached an Aran Wool shop where we parked are bikes and headed in. Everyone had a fun time trying on beautiful scarves, sweaters and hats! The locals described how everything in the store was made on the island.
Next up was exploring the 3,000 year old ancient fort called Don Aengus! The long walk up the hill to the fort was well worth it as we were able to see great views of the island and several more cliffs that plummeted down to the ocean.
The sun came out as we enjoyed the scenic bike back to the pier. Most of the group stopped for lunch at the local restaurant Joe Watty’s. Their sea food chowder tasted great after a long day of exploring. We ended our time on the island by walking on the beach and dipping our toes into the Atlantic Ocean. We all enjoyed this fun day trip to the island and returned to Galway for our final evening embracing the culture that we have come to love.
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Anna K. and Katherine T.
