Any recommendations for paddling in Galway?^

[sweeneymarc]

The new wife and I are off to Ireland on Sat on our honeymoon : ) We are taking our sea boats and I was wondering if anyone could recommend a nice, fairly sheltered paddle in the area, we are staying on lough corrib but fancy getting on the sea too.
Thanks for any advice

Cheers

Marc

[steddyjames]

Congratulations on your marriage. Lough Corrib has some really nice spots. It's also quite large so whereabouts are you staying? This will really determine whether to go north, south or west.

Also you are aware the Volvo Ocean race stops in galway for the next couple of weeks? If not you are now. It's gonna be mental busy but hopefull good fun with lots of festival type events happening in the city and various boat races, triathlons, etc.

Anyhoo, as for sea kayaking the opportunities are really endless. I unfortunately haven't made the most of it since moving here which I fully intend to rectify this year.

If you're near Galway city then anywhere from Salthill west is nice sheltered coast. It can get windy but generally the swell doesn't reach that far in. Try Spiddal, Furbo, for close to town...or Carraroe, Clifden for further out.

If you're north on Lough Corrib then head to Westport. Clew Bay is sheltered with lots of Islands to explore. You can also walk up Croagh Patrick if you're that way inclined.

I can also recommend heading south to Kinvarra or further on into Clare. The coast from Black head onwards isn't sheltered so unless the weather is good you might not find the sea kayaking you're looking for but the coastline is fantastic nonetheless.

Having said that Lough Corrib holds some real nice opportunities if you have a sea kayak. The lake really is quite large and there are plenty of islands to explore.

Close by there is also mountain biking, diving, climbing, river paddling, playboating, surfing, etc. etc. If you want any advice on any of these then let me know.

Cheers
Steve

[AllanJ]

You're going to one of the finest seakayaking locations. Loch Corrib is nice, quite well sheltered too if the weather's bad. Further west, the area around Greatmans Bay, Gorumna Island etc. is very good and you can find sheltered passages between the islands. In settled weather the Arun Islands are well worth the effort.

Allan

[sweeneymarc]

We are staying near Claggan on the very north west of the Lough shore.
Thanks for the pointers, im really glad there is some sheltered sea stuff near by.
Just hope its sunny.

Cheers
Marc

[steddyjames]

We are staying near Claggan on the very north west of the Lough shore.
Thanks for the pointers, im really glad there is some sheltered sea stuff near by.
Just hope its sunny.

Cheers
Marc

Cleggan, I thought that was on the coast in west Galway! Must be another Cleggan on Lough Corrib I guess.

If it's on the north west of the lough shore then I woud say Westport and Clew Bay would be your best bet to take a look. Also you could take a drive up to Achill which is a really nice spot.

Ali Donald runs sea kayaking tours/courses up in Westport so if you wanted a local guide he is a really good bet. His company is called Saoirse Na Mara and he has a fleet of sea kayaks. He's not part of a centre and is mobile so seems to generally do whatever level people want. I would recommend giving him a call.

Steve

[Mrs Bod]

Hi Marc,

We spent a fantastic week in County Galway last year, staying at Renvyle. Unfortunately we didn't get the paddling weather we might have liked, and spent lots of time gazing wistfully at the coastline, trying to imagine paddling it without the choppy seas. On the one calm day we had, we paddled from Renvyle, which felt very safe and sheltered. The coastline is beautiful, with rocks and islands dotted around, isolated coves and a continually changing landscape. I don't think you'll be disappointed wherever you go, as all of the coastline is stunning.

If you travel there from Claggan, I would recommend the drive along the R344, the scenery is fantastic. I don't know if you get Ocean Paddler, but there was an excerpt from 'A Guide to the Irish Islands' book in issue 7 which you might find useful. I hope you both have a great honeymoon.

Cheers,

Hannah

[kernel]

Hi,

As mentioned above there are loads of spots around Galway for paddling. Last week a friend and I paddled to Kinvara. It's about 23k by the route below. It took about four and a half hours with a break for lunch on Tawin Island. We did it in old Gola Sprints, so you'd probably make a similar journey in better time in sea kayaks. Travelling perpendicular to the wind (force 3/4) with no skegs was quite bothersome.



Incidently, there's a great buzz and an awful lots of boats around the city at the moment, as the Volvo Ocean Race arrived for a two-week stopover on Saturday night.

Another vote for Ali too – you can contact him here: http://www.irelandwestseakayaking.com/

Cheers,
Ross

[sweeneymarc]

Just a quick note to say thanks to everyone that got back to me with some information ,
Thanks for the recommendations, we paddled on lough corrib and had a few lovely days paddling around the clew bay area.

The info really improved our trip.

Cheers

Marc .