Ballynahinch Castle, Ireland
Best for fabulous seafood and outdoor pursuits
The west coast of Ireland is a magical place of mountains, sea, bog and lakes. Soft drizzle, driving rain and brooding skies make its cosy pubs with traditional music particularly inviting in autumn. It’s also the best time for walks on its deserted white sandy beaches, and for exploring Galway city and pretty Clifden without the crowds. Fishing, cycling and mountain hiking are year-round pursuits and at Ballynahinch Castle (ballynahinch-castle.com), waterproofs and wellies are pretty much offered on arrival so you can make the most of the walking trails in the grounds. Join local fisherman John at nearby village Roundstone on a fishing trip – explore the remote, uninhabited island of Inishlacken, spot seals, check lobster and crab pots, then eat the haul for dinner back at Ballynahinch. The castle lobby’s open fire, luxurious bedrooms and welcoming pub are the perfect antidote to the wild outdoors.
Coastal Connemara is known for its seafood and salmon, and pubs serve big bowls of mussels with a hunk of soda bread, or crab sandwiches and Guinness. At Ballynahinch’s Owenmore restaurant, a very comfortable spot overlooking the salmon river and grounds, Irish produce is the star. Local suppliers are namechecked and the menu has a warm informality, advising ‘we throw in a little foraging, wild game and garden herbs when we can’. The walled garden is being restored and already supplies some fruit and veg. Plates are simple and beautiful: Dooncastle oysters served with trout roe, chives and wild flowers; multi-coloured beetroot with goat’s cheese and contemporary touches such as dashi in its cod, mussels and seaweed main course (five-course dinner, £64). Breakfast is generous: carve off slices of honey-roast ham, sample Irish cheeses or a full Irish. Nearby, O-dowds in Roundstone (odowdsseafoodbar.com) serves seafood chowder, beef and Guinness stew and Irish craft beer (mains from £12). Galway is just over an hour’s drive away and is Connemara’s foodie hub. Visit Sheridan’s cheese shop and wine bar (sheridanscheesemongers.com); hyperlocal Aniar restaurant and cookery school (aniarrestaurant.ie), the relaxed restaurant Ard Bia (ardbia.com) and myriad pubs.
The castle lobby’s open fire, luxurious bedrooms and welcoming pub are the perfect antidote to the wild outdoors