Achill Island, just 26 miles from Westport, Co. Mayo offers a mixture of beautiful scenery, beaches, onshore winds and late night craic and as a result has become a place for an annual pilgrimage for some avid kiters. SEE BELOW FOR DETAILS. |
| Achill has many lovely beaches including Keel, Dugort, Dooniver and Keem. However Keel Beach, located on the west of the island and partially surrounded by beautiful cliffs, is the best for sporting activities because of its long sandy but firm strand. In most cases, the other beaches are either too small for kite buggying or too stoney. All of the above beaches with the exception of Keem is suitable for kite surfing and body surfing. |
Duncannon Beach |
Duncannon Beach with car |
BloKart |
Keel Beach attracts holiday-makers and sports enthusiasts alike but thanks to the long strand they rarely collide! Beside the life guard station the hire of wet suits and body boards is available should you wish to join the kayakers and surfers. It is also a common sight to see paragliders launching from the cliffs.
However, for kiters the usual onshore wind guarantees a good day flying and particularly for those on buggys, the seaweed and stone free yet firm sand ensures you have the full run of the beach. Thankfully, cars have no direct access onto the beach so the only obstacle faced is the group of keen onlookers who always manage to stand too close! |
From our experience of staying in Keel, there are a number of accommodation options – B+B’s, a hostel and a large well serviced camping and caravan park. The cost of camping at the Keel Sandybanks Camping and Caravan park (open May – Sept for the August Bank Holiday weekend 2002 was €30 and there was no need to make a reservation as the campsite can hold over 100 tents. The park is safe and well kept and offers a range of services including shower, kitchen and laundry facilities as well as a TV room. Camping was our preferred option because it offers more freedom and thanks to its communal nature provides the opportunity to meet drinking partners.
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Achill has many watering holes to offer and most are located in Achill Sound or Keel. However, be aware that the only ATM machine for the island is in Achill Sound. In Keel, the Village Inn offers a unique experience with the front bar crowded with locals and ‘older adults’ whilst the back bar attracts a much younger crowd. Further along is the Annex Bar which is smaller in size but attracts the ‘sporty blow-ins’. The music and craic comes well recommended. For a more surreal experience the ‘disco’ was held in the local hotel. It gathered a mixed crowd and sometimes the choice of music was questionable but even more bizarre was that access to the toilets was through the ‘take-away’!. But again it was worth the visit.
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Despite Achill being a small island it has a lot to offer while waiting for the tide to ebb or the rain to stop but a car is a must. A trip to the deserted village and megalithic tomb in Keel is advisable but it is well recommended to do the Atlantic Drive especially between Dooega and Dereens where the scenery of cliffs is spectacular. The drive to the smaller quieter beach in Keem (further west than Keel) is also enjoyable.
Overall, Achill is well worth a visit. |
| For alot more photos check out our photo gallery |
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