Our passage to the Aran Islands was pretty uneventful as there was no wind to start off with and when any did come, as we were almost there, it was bang on the nose. A day of motoring with little to see, no other boats, not much coast after Loop Head as the visibility was moderate and our course came away from the coastline. The steep cliffs at Loop Head were dramatic though.
We arrived in Gregory Sound, between Inishmore and Inishmaan at 1700 and made our way round to Kilronan harbour, picking up one of the visitors buoys, which obviously hadn’t been used for a while judging by the amount of weed on it.
In common with the rest of the day’s passage there were no other yachts around although the quayside was busy with fishing boats, ferries and tripper boats. We opted to stay on board and go ashore in the morning.
After breakfast we headed ashore to visit the tourist office, do a little shopping and look at the options for touring the island. There were three, minibuses, pony and traps or bicycles. The guys with the pony and traps did their best to persuade us to part with 25 euros each but we thought bikes would give us more exercise and flexibility. One thing we learnt straight away is don’t try hiring anything just after the ferry comes in. There were hoards of people after all the means of transport so we headed back to the boat with the shopping and went back ashore after the fuss had died down.
The place to visit on Inishmore is Dun Aonghasa, one of the finest prehistoric forts in Western Europe consisting of three dry stone ramparts.
Looking around they were not short of stones to build walls and the alternative of digging trenches was impossible. Taking in the remains of a fourth rampart the fort encloses an area of eleven acres. The fort also contains an area of upright stones forming a defensive band or “chevaux de frisé”. Protection against cavalry. With its location, on the edge of sheer cliffs dropping straight down into the sea the whole thing was spectacular.
We were warned by the man hiring the bikes that although there were cafes at the start of the trek up to the fort we would have a long wait to get any food. How right he was, the place was heaving with bikes, minibuses and pony and traps everywhere. We were glad we stopped off at the Spar shop in Kilronan for sandwiches before we left. The walk to the fort did thin the visitors down a bit but there were still plenty of people at the site. Nevertheless not to be missed.
From the fort we went on to visit the site of seven churches. On a small site there were the ruins of seven small churches spanning a number of centuries. Why it was felt necessary to build new churches rather than repair or extend the existing one is beyond me! The graveyard contained a number of family plots which were still being used.
We headed back towards Kilronan via the North coast road which, as well as having good views, was quieter and flatter than the main road we came out on (not that any roads on the island could really be considered main or busy).
We had intended to have a lateish night at one of the bars just outside the town advertising live music but we were worn out when we got the bikes back. Instead we arranged for dinner at Bay View restaurant looking out over the harbour.
The setting was very nice but the meal was, frankly, a disappointment. The food was OK but not special and the service very slow. One to cross off the favourites list!
As the wind is in the North West we have opted for a quiet day on Sunday, hoping for a bit more West in the wind tomorrow. We’ve topped up the water with dinghy trips ashore, which takes quite a while.
We can’t get diesel until tomorrow morning but as we are only aiming for 28 miles tomorrow we should have time to fill the diesel cans in the morning. Although the breeze is quite strong the sunshine and blue sky has made for a pleasant, relaxing day.
Sailing Lacerta 