The family that we rented the Air BnB gave us a hearty breakfast that morning. We left early from the house because our destination is to an airstrip not far from the house owned by Aer Arann at Connemara Airport. We are going to visit Inishmore the biggest of the Arann Islands.
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| flight from Connemara to Inishmore |
Aran Islands are a trio of island on the Galway Bay. We are visiting the Inishmore Island, the biggest. There is also Inishmaan and the smallest, Inisheer which we will not be visiting. On Inishmore we will be doing some hiking to an Iron Age fort on top of a cliff on the other side of the island. There will also be seal spotting along the way. BTW, you can also get to the island by ferry and there are a few operators which you can browse online.
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| Connemara Airport |
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| one of the three Britten-Norman Islander aircraft |
Connemara Airport is the base for Aer Arann Island which operates 3 Britten-Norman Islander aircrafts (8 seater) that serves all three islands. The flight we took lasts about 7minutes.
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| Fay on the weighing machine |
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| Safety Instructions |
At the terminal, they weigh us just in case. Since it's a small aircraft, it needed to be properly balanced. Once on board, the pilot carried out the routine check and we taxied to the runway and after a few revving of the engine, we were off!
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| Inishmore Island, biggest of the 3 Aran Islands |
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| Inishmore Aerodrome. IATA: IOR |
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| Bus to Kilronan village |
We enjoyed the flight! The sea so blue and the birds eye view of the island was terrific! It was over when we landed...but ahead adventure awaits. A bus took us to the Kilronan village where we could start our journey, either by bicycle, a horse carriage ride or hike all the way. We took the horse...
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| ruins and ruins... |
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| part of the harbour |
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| we had lunch here before returning to the airstrip |
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| our carriage approaches... |
This is our second time in Ireland which we use this sort of transport to get around the place; and may I add so far on this journey I've only met the best and politest Irishmen. The ones we met were very friendly and very understanding. The menu's were clearly stated if there's alcohol in the batter of the fish and chips.. but as soon as we said "We're Muslims, we don't consume alcohol.." the response was polite and just comply with our request. I will write more on this.
Maybe we were the lucky ones. Anyway, the driver urged the horse which I thought was in Gaelic every so often and in between talked about the island and its surroundings. He showed us the seals and the ruins around the area, churches mostly till we arrived at the base of Dún Aonghasa (Dun Aengus fort). I would like to thank all the Malaysians in Ireland, the medical and surgery students. You're in their good books... please continue to show the best side of Malaysia to them.
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| stone wall separate each plot..every plot has its owner |
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| more favourable plot...one with grass |
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approaching the ice cream cafe and the
Dun Aengus info centre |
I bought tickets for the lot of us and half an hour hike up the hill, we reached the fort. The edge of the inner fort is a raised stone platform and most visitors would take pictures of themselves there peeking over the 300ft cliff edge. The fort was built during Bronze and modifications were made during the Iron Age, all in all it encloses an area of 6hectares. The info centre at the base of the hill shed some light on the fort, and its use during the period. I wish I could stay longer but madam and the children made a beeline to an ice cream shop not far from the info centre. The carriage was also waiting to take us to the harbour.
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| walk all the way to the top...route clearly marked |
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| cliffs at the fort....straight down, 300ft height |
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| The inner fort |
We were really enjoying the carriage driver's company, asking if we are spending the night there. We could be visiting more ancient settlements if we stayed longer. On our way back, we were fortunate enough to see the seals at the viewing point, basking in the sun. A few days at the island, cycling and hiking would be nice as the temperature was different from the mainland and the sun was shining! It was great to be outdoors!
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| seals at the Viewing Point |
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| Fay, the animal lover...snakes included. Why la.. |
After lunch at the Bayview restaurant, a bus came to the town to send us to the airstrip for our flight back to Connemara. Again, it was a magical flight for us. I certainly will repeat and spend more time on the island...hope the air service will stay beyond the December 6th 2018 deadline.
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| off we go! |
Below is the video of the aircraft taking off from the island... terribly sorry, I'm bad at taking photographs and videos too.
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