Inishmore - Rossaveal - Curraroe (Connemara)
Spent a fine and sunny day on Inishmore. We cycled to the western end of the island, visiting Dun Angus on the way. Dun Angus is a big iron-age fort at the top of a high cliff on the south coast. We also stopped to see a round stone-built house called Clachan na Carraige from about 500 AD. We had a picnic lunch nearby. The western end of Inishmore is very rocky and quite deserted, apart from flocks of sheep nibbling at the grass in the cracks between the rocks. The cows are kept in grassy fields surrounded by stone walls. There are many wild flowers here too - we saw a very tiny gentian whose flowers were minute violet bells.
Most people seem to live in newish bungalows although we saw a few old style thatched cottages being restored.
We took the 5pm boat to Rossaveal, stopping at a B & B in Curraroe. Curraroe is a small resort village west of Rossaveal, with a big lake. We had a meal in a nearby hotel (previously run by a US company but now under new management). At the next table was a large party of the quietest and most bored-looking french people that we have seen - we later deduced that they were Carrefour managers.