|
|
Clare Island is situated at the
entrance of Clew Bay in County Mayo, north of Connemara. Westport
is the nearest town. The ferry for the island leaves from Roonagh
pier, near Louisburgh.
All our courses begin with people
taking the early evening ferry on the first day, arriving at the
Centre for dinner. The courses finish after brunch on the last day, in time to get the lunch time train back to Dublin.
We will let you know the time of the ferry you should take for your
particular course (normally between 5.00 and 6.30 pm) when we confirm your
booking. The ferry crossing takes about 20 minutes. Please do not
make your own arrangements with the ferry operators in advance.
Travelling from within Ireland
If you are driving, from Westport take the coast road (R335) to
Louisburgh (10 miles), drive straight through Louisburgh over the
bridge, through the first cross road, and about a quarter of a mile
after the village, just after the "Nomadic display" factory, take a
right turn to Roonagh (the road is clearly signposted for Roonagh Pier
and Clare Island.) It is a further 4 miles to the pier. The drive from Westport to Roonagh takes about 35
minutes.
From Leenane and
Connemara, take the N59 towards Westport. After 4.5 miles, turn left on
the R335 towards Louisburgh. It is a very beautiful drive, first along
the North shore of Killary harbour, then up into Delphi valley towards
Doo Lough Pass and finally on to Louisburgh (25 miles). Turn right at
the cross road when you arrive at Louisburhgh (away from the village,
signposted Roonagh Quay), and about a quarter of a mile after the cross
roard, just after the "Nomadic display" factory, take a right turn to
Roonagh (the road is clearly signposted for Roonagh Pier and Clare
Island.) It is a further 4 miles to the pier.
There's plenty of parking space near
the pier.
If you are driving, let us know (on
the booking form) if you are willing to give another course participant
a lift (car pooling).
If you are travelling by train, you need to take the 12.40
train from Dublin Heuston to Westport. Note that it is uusally far cheaper to book your journey on line in advance, rather than buying your ticket at the station on the day.
If coming by bus, you need to be
in Westport by 4.00pm. We will organise transport from Westport to the
ferry for you, either a lift from another course participant, or if
numbers warrant, a taxi/minibus. If this is the case, expect to pay
between 5 and 10 euros.* If for some reason you need a taxi, expect to pay
around 30 euros for the run from Westport to Roonagh. To
arrange a taxi, ring Michael O'Hare, 087.2202123 or Noel Staunton, 098.28856 and mention you are
staying with us on Clare Island.
Please note that if
you are coming for one of our courses outside of the summer season, you
might need to take the morning train, or an earlier bus, as ferry times may
be earlier.
Coming from abroad
The most straightforward route is to fly to Dublin and then travel by train from
Dublin to Westport. For scheduled courses, we organise either a shared
taxi/minibus or lifts from participants with cars from Westport station
to the ferry. Shared taxi fares is usually between 5 and 10
euros.*
In order to get to the island in one day, you need to get a morning
flight, arriving in Dublin airport no later than 11am, so as to be able
to take the 12.40 train from Dublin to Westport. This train leaves from
Heuston station (about 40 minutes by taxi from the airport). There are
also direct buses from the airport to Heuston station (called Airlink,
route 748, takes about 50mn). The journey from Dublin to Westport takes
about 3 and a half hours by train. It is possible (and cheaper) to book
your train ticket in advance throught the Irish rail website.
Another option is to fly to Knock, a
small airport which is roughly an hour and a half from the pier. The
onward journey from Knock by public transport can be problematic.
However, it is possible to get a taxi (60 - 80 euros) from the airport
to Westport where you can join the organised transport for the ferry. It
is usually possible to avail of public transport for your return journey. If you can get a
cheap light,
the shorter overland journey may be attractive, despite the high
taxi price. Ask us for advice on which flights will work for
this option. For shorter courses, it might make sense to rent a
car from Knock airport. Knock airport is often the cheapest option if more than one
person is using this route and share the cost of the taxi.
From the UK or France, it is also possible to fly to Galway, about 2
hours by bus from Westport, with plenty of buses to choose from. See
www.galwayairport.com for
details of flights to Galway and the Bus Eirean
website for details of bus connections to Westport.
Flying into Shannon airport (between Limerick and
Galway) is an option only if your flight gets in before 10.00
am or if you are prepared to spend the night in Westport or Galway.
Travel time by bus is over 5 hours with at least one change.
If you are concerned about the environmental impact of air travel, note
that it is possible to take a ferry from Hollyhead to Dublin or Dun
Laoghaire (a few miles south of Dublin) and from there take the train to
Westport. There are also ferry services from Scotland to Belfast
and from France to Rosslare or Cork. While it does take a little longer,
cost are about the same and stress level is much lower.
For information about flights to Ireland, see the websites of Aer Lingus, Aer Arann (flights to
Galway) or Ryanair.
For information about train schedules, see
The Irish rail website. You can also book your train ticket online, and we recommend you do this as it is cheaper.
For information on bus schedules, see the Bus Eirean
website.
For information on how to travel from the UK to Ireland without flying,
click here
For details of ferry schedules, see the websites of Irish ferries or
Stena Lline.
Travelling back from the island
All courses at the Centre finish after brunch on the last day, either
with the 10.00 scheduled ferry or a later boat at 11 or 11.30am. You
will be back in Westport in time for the 13.05 train back to Dublin.
Usually, there is no need to organise a taxi from Roonagh pier to
Westport, as it is easier to arrange lifts. If you travelling back to
Dublin to catch a flight on the same day, you need to book an evening
flight, one that departs after 7.30pm, to allow for
possible rush hour traffic to the airport and then time for check-in,
etc.
If possible, spending a
night in Dublin, Westport or Galway either before the course begins
and/or after it finishes, will help reduce stress levels!
Special
note for winter course:
Please note that in the winter, it is not possible to travel to
the island by public transport in one day from abroad, as the last boat leaves Roonagh
before the afternoon train arrives from Dublin, so you will have to
stay overnight in Dublin or Westport. (Wesport is a better option, as it
is a lot cheaper, quieter, and finding a place to stay there isn't usually a
problem in the winter). If you are staying in Westport, we recommend The Westwood B&B,
(353)98.25520 a friendly place near the train station. Another nice place to stay is the Abbeywood house, a friendly hostel type accommodation near the town centre, but unfortunately not always opened. The Mill hostel, (353)98 27045
in town is open all year round.
If
you need further help or advice with your travel arrangements, please
.
|
