After some shadiness at the hostel in Letterfrack, I decided to skip my final night there and go str

After some shadiness at the hostel in Letterfrack, I decided to skip my final night there and go straight to Cleggan, where I’ll be going horseback riding tomorrow. Once I arrived it was a day of lazily wandering around quiet farm lanes and hanging out at a pretty little beach … in other words, exactly what I needed. As I walked around, I pondered how interesting it is that there are certain places that feel more home-y, comfortable and wander-able than others. Cleggan is a tiny fishing village, not glamorous or exciting at all. But it made me happy today. When I first arrived, I knew that there were several beaches around and wanted to explore one. I went into the village via the road, but couldn’t figure out how to get to the beach – any beach. After a few minutes of investigative wandering I stumbled on a small sign pointing the way along a grassy lane between two farm fields. The path ended up taking me back past my B&B and across some really lovely trails and lanes bordered by stone walls, farmhouses and fields. I said hello to a few sheep (who promptly ran away), and two horses and a donkey (who sidled over for nose rubs). Birds were chirping. The ocean swung in and out of view. It was sunny and breezy and peaceful and charming. It’s what I didn’t realize I was looking for. And once I got to the beach, it was even better. The sea was two different shades of blue-green and incredibly soothing. I was the only one there for quite a while, so it felt like my little secret… so astonishingly tranquil that I didn’t want to leave. (Once a few other people did show up, I also encountered a handful of friendly, adorable dogs, so that helped too). It’s ironic, but I think I needed some serene solo time away from my solo vacation. The hike at Diamond Hill was amazing, and so were the grounds at Kylemore Abbey, but there were usually quite a few people around exploring at the same time. Today I really felt like I’d been dropped into a pastoral poem and I loved it. -- source link

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