Ireland’s #Hiddendrives

When  my friend comes over for a visit from Germany, we always do a day of exploring around Ireland. Generally around the region of Sligo. She hasn’t been to visit me since we moved to County Kildare. Can you imagine how much we have to explore here? It would take us days, if not even weeks. We only live at the border of County Dublin and everything is so easily accessible once you have a car with an up to date insurance ie. Chill.

But back to Sligo… We never really have a destination when we explore Ireland. We take one road and that’s it. Who knows where it is leading us to. That way we have found some amazing and beautiful gems. Some that I would like to share with you and maybe you might even want to explore yourselves in the near future.

Streedagh Beach, Co. Sligo

This beach is located outside of Sligo on the way to Bundoran/ Donegal. It’s actually near Mullaghmore which is off the main road. We discovered this beach randomly. This was sometime in  May and the weather was nice enough to walk around. I used to be a big climber when I was a child but not so much now. The view from one of the cliffs on Streedagh Beach is incredible though. Definitely recommended to all photographers out there.
On the way you can even visit Mullagmore. It is famous for its dolphins and I think you can even take a boats tour depending on the weather. There is a pub beside the hotel which does delicious fish and chips.

Lissadell

Another place we explored together is Lissadell and its beach. To get to Lissadell, you have to take the road to Bundoran/ Donegal again but turn off in Drumcliffe. For this adventure I also took Matthew with me. He loved all the running around on the long beach. He is a huge fan of the beach in fact. We haven’t been to the beach in quite some time now. It is a bit further away for us now but we can make a day trip out of it.
We didn’t go into Lissadell House. I can’t remember if it was even open at the time because I know it was closed for a while but it has since reopened and they have exhibitions running.

Caves of Kesh

This was probably the most adventurous experience we have done. I would recommend to wear good boots. Hiking shoes would be more appropriate. It involves a lot climbing and you certainly get your work out from this. Located on the outskirts of Ballymote, Co. Sligo is a little village called Kesh. It’s in the middle of nowhere but the caves from the top give you the most beautiful view.

Knocknarea

It wasn’t the brightest day when we decided to climb up Knocknarea in Strandhill, Co.Sligo. In fact it was in January. Not the nicest weather to be expected in that month, especially in the west of Ireland. We walked it anyway. Not too long they opened a new nature trail called Queens Maeve Trail. They’ve designed a set of wooden stairs to go around the mountain. We didn’t have the time to do the whole lot as it will take you around two hours.

Have you explored any of these hidden gems before? 

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