Looking out the window you cannot see the top of the mountains they have disappeared in the clouds or mist, as it is quite cold this morning everything inside is damp. I am hoping the weather clears, as there are tiny patches of blue sky in the distance over the ocean and I am not sure which way the rain comes from. Our walk around Westport yesterday afternoon was cut short due to the heavy downpour.

Westport House looks like a grand old manor across the ornamental lake from the bridge entrance at Westport Quay. Built in about 1730 for the Marquess of Sligo the house contains a mixture of antique sliver and furniture and modern entertainment facilities including a miniature zoo. The lake was created by controlling the tides of Clew Bay. Pity we arrived too early opening time is 10am and it would have been lovely to explore the house and gardens. There is plenty of entertainment for the children with the all the rides at the amusement park.

Time to move on we enjoyed the scenery of the Croagh Patrick (mountains) while we travelled round the foreshore of Clew Bay passing through little villages till we reached Louisburgh. Unable to get proper directions to the sights we wanted to see and being lead down narrow lanes through marshlands wasn’t nice. We know what peat bog looks like.

The R335 from Westport to Aasleagh Falls inland is very bleak, barren mountainous terrain (good peat bog country) with marshlands, patches of woods and forest, farmhouses can been seen here and there with sheep grazing in the fields as we drive through the valley. The road is narrow and bumpy as we wind through the valley with huge mountains (Sheeffry Hills) all around us, you feel so remote and lonely only a few vehicles travelling this way.

Stopped every now and then to soak in the panoramic views met another couple parked near us. Stuart buys and sells motorhomes (he is trying out one of his vans) and is very interested in our motorhome so he gave us his details for when we leave the UK.

What a surprise we got when we came up over the ridge Doo Lough (lake) a magnificent view is such a barren mountainous countryside lovely drive round the shoreline but you had to have your wits about you with oncoming traffic as you wind around the water’s edge. Small waterfalls stream down the mountainside into little brooks and you had to be careful of the sheep on the road. The scenery changed to tall trees and thick vegetation as we travelled in line with the stream passing over many little bridges and rocky brooks weaving our way on the mountainside edge of Killary Harbour (river) to Aasleagh Falls.

Many other tourists here madly photographing the falls, quite cold and windy but the view was well worth it watching the three chaps fly fishing for Salmon. The poor Atlantic Salmon make the hazardous journey upstream in the Erriff River to spawn every year. Continued over the bridge to Leenane which we saw in the distance when we stopped to take in the views of the lake/river of Killary Harbour where there are a lot of mussel farms.

Now we are winding our way round the mountainside on the other side of Killary Harbour can see all the houses on the roadside tucked in the mountain from where we were previously on the other side. Stopped to take in the panoramic view of Ireland’s only fjord (just looks like a very wide river with mountains on either side) you can take a cruise to view.

The views from Leenane to Clifden on the coast and Oughterard on the N59 Wild Atlantic Way are very much the same as driving from Westport to Leenane. Very mountainous (Maumturk Mountains and the Twelve Pins) lots of lakes, streams, skirted round the Connemara National Park, views at times of the coastal bays at Letterfrack, Moyard and Clifden.

While we were talking we missed the turn to take the coastal road R336 to Galway but by now we have had enough of mountainous barren countryside with many lakes. The countryside from Oughterard changed back to the normal scenery we are used to with the small villages, farmland, sheep and cattle grazing, woods and forests. As we get closer to Galway there are more houses by the road and in the distance.

Galway is a very large town after finding a good price for diesel €1.179lt the young lass there points us in the right direction to Salthill by Galway Bay to wild camp tonight and then tomorrow we will stay at the Salthill Caravan and Camping Park for a long hot shower.

Don’t know what the attraction is but the seafront of Salthill is swarming with people reminds us of when we were in Brighton and their soccer team the Seagulls won the league final the first time in years. After surveying the area (height restrictions on beach carparks) Richard met a lovely family who showed us where to park for the night by the Leisureland Centre where there are toilets and to forget about the signs “No overnight camping”. He said the Irish people take no notice of these signs.

There must be a function on at the Leisureland Centre lots of coaches going in as well as people walking along the footpath by us. Entertainment for us as well as the people walking past our motorhome.