Last week we took a visit to Inis Mór, the largest of the Aran Islands. The Aran Islands are off the West coast of Galway, approximately 20km from Rossaveal Co. Galway, and approximately 20km from Doolin Co. Clare. There are regular ferry services running from both Rossaveal Aran Island Ferries & Doolin Doolin Ferry Company to the Aran Islands.

We took the 10:30am sailing from Rossaveal to Inis Mór. The crossing takes approximately 40mins. The ferry arrives in Kilronan, the main town in Inis Mór.

There are plenty of horse and carts tours offered by local drivers, there were at least 10 or 12 carts lined up, there are also many mini bus tours offered, but we decided to tour the island by bike and rented bikes. There are several bike rental places around the harbour.

We cycled out to Dún Aonghasa, a famous stone fort sited on the highest point of the cliffs, it is over 2 thousand years old. It is about 10km from Kilronan, and a lot of small hills, some quite tough (I had to get off my bike and push several times!)  We took a detour to try and find the Poll na Peist (Serpent’s Lair)

Dún Aonghasa is worth the cycle, there is an interpretive centre at the foot of the hill, and then a 1km walk/climb to the actual fort. Unfortunately it was raining, so we didn’t stay too long at the fort, the views are spectacular, the sheer cliffs and the crashing ocean (next land mass to the west is America!!). The interpretive centre has a coffee shop, we dried off and warmed up with a well deserved coffee and hot chocolate!

We cycled back via the coast road, passing the Blue flag beach, which looked lovely, but as it was raining we didn’t stop! We passed the Seal cove and saw seals playing in the sea.

When we arrived back in Kilronan around 5pm, we dropped back our bikes and went to our accommodation. There is a 6:30pm sailing back to Rossaveal, so would have been possible to return at this point. There is a tourist office in Kilronan, where they will help you source accommodation on the island.

Inis Mór is accessible from both Galway & Clare, and with several sailings each day it is possible to enjoy the trip to the island as a day trip!

Article written by Etain, mum of 3.

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Have you visited Inis Mor? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.

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