Rabbits & Romance: Glamping in Belmullet

Recently I starting dating a very nice chap I met on Plenty of Fish (don't judge yo) and we headed to Claggan Island in Belmullet for a romantic weekend away. I asked my mum for a recommendation on where to stay and she suggested glamping in a wooden pod in Belmullet. She's stayed there before so she was able to tell me exactly what they were like.  
It took us around 1 hour and 40 minutes to drive there from Sligo, so by the time we arrived we were glad to stretch our legs. You can't beat the fresh sea air after a drive! We had a bit of a hairy moment when we tried to drive over the beach but thankfully we made it without any car parts falling off into the sea.

When we arrived we were greeted by Laurence - which was funny because my boyfriend is also called Laurence! - who owns the Belmullet Coast Guard Station and the glamping pods. He gave us a brief explanation of the surrounding areas and the nearest town, before showing us to our pods. The pods are made out of wood and reminded me of log cabins - I'd imagine they'd be extremely cosy in winter! As soon as we walked in we were hit with the smell of wood and the natural warmth of the pod.

Each pod contains a double bed, sofabed, toilet & sink, and a table and chairs. There are 2 pods on the island with a couple of picnic benches beside them and a fire pit so you can get that real camping feel and toast marshmallows while singing Kumbaya.

As well as the pods, there's a fully equipped kitchen and showers in the converted barn. I went camping once at Sea Sessions and it wasn't the most pleasant experience, so this was about 500x nicer. I actually felt super relaxed after going - after Sea Sessions I felt like I needed a Valium and some brain bleach.

After enjoying each other's company for a bit we decided it'd be a great idea to walk to the pub. We were walking for around 40 minutes before I decided to check Google Maps to see how much longer we had to walk. Turns out the pub was a 2 hour walk! We took a slow walk back to the pods and watched the beautiful sunset over the water. It was so serene - we even got to see loads of baby rabbits hop across the sand! Apparently the island is rife with them and they try and burrow under the pods. We ended up driving to the pub for a quick drink to check out the 'nightlife' nearby. 

When we came back we had a gourmet dinner of a Pot Noodle in the converted barn kitchen and stayed up chatting.  The beds in the pods are really comfy and the island is so peaceful you're guaranteed to get a good night's sleep. I find hotels can sometimes be noisy and less romantic so this was a perfect alternative. I did wake up at around 7 a.m. to a cow stampede - it's a bit scary to wake up to deranged moo-ing and trampling noises!

The next morning my lovely boyfriend cooked me breakfast with the duck eggs Laurence (not my one) left out for us. I've never tried duck egg before and was pleasantly surprised. You can't beat fresh eggs, especially when you've seen exactly where they come from.

After a brief chat with Laurence and his dad Laurence (3 Laurences in the vicinity, what a coincidence), we got some duck eggs to bring home which was a lovely touch. Then it was sadly time to leave. It was a shame to snap straight back to reality after a nice relaxing break, so we decided to stop off at the Gateway in Belmullet for a spot of bowling. I got brutally beaten but I beat Laurence at air hockey so we were even. After a quick bite to eat we were on the road home again - but I'm certain we'll go back!

If you're looking for an Irish break with a difference away from the hustle and bustle, definitely check out Belmullet Luxury Pods. 

Swept Away: Snorkelling With Wave Sweeper

I wasn't literally swept away at sea, don't worry. I recently received a message to my blog's Facebook page from Mark at Wave Sweeper inviting me to come on an adventure. I could choose from snorkelling, kayaking or coasteering. The choice was an obvious one for me - it had to be snorkelling!

Me and mum headed up to Mullaghmore on a rainy, dreary Friday to dive straight in (excuse the pun). Mark met us down by the water and complimented my clever idea of wearing eye makeup to go snorkelling - I'd forgotten my makeup wipes, alright - before setting us up with wetsuits and snorkelling gear. Initially I was more afraid of the thoughts of attempting to get into a wetsuit than I was of the various creatures in the sea but after lepping around in the trailer (changing room) like a deranged kangaroo I eventually got the damn thing on. I felt like a pork sausage trying to wiggle into it. Word of advice, don't wear a wetsuit if you're having a fat day. EVERY. SINGLE. BUMP.

I snapped on my uber sexy gloves, hood and wetsuit socks and we headed down to the water (after going flying on some slippery seaweed-y rocks - not even in the water yet and I nearly die, typical). Mark explained the process, a few signals we had to do and how to work the snorkel. He made me try to breathe with it in my mouth and then shove my head under the water to test it out. When we decided we were good to go we popped on our flippers and had a little swim to get us started. I kept forgetting to stand up you have to roll onto your back and not literally stand because the flippers won't allow you to do that, but I sussed it in the end.

We swam together while mum took some pics on an underwater camera (no one looks attractive in snorkelling garb, alright), looking out for fish and other sealife. I will admit for the first 10 minutes I started feeling extremely panicky and breathing very quickly and heavily and I wasn't sure if I could do it. I don't like feeling a loss of control and it was a bit claustrophobic with all the gear on and it did take a while to adjust to this, so bear this in mind if you're anxious.

After a while I relaxed and concentrated on admiring the seaweed, starfish and shoals of fish we swum amongst. It was like something out of the Little Mermaid - absolutely magical - apart from when I got seaweed all up in my face. Mark dived down to pick up sea urchins, starfish and a sea cucumber (yes, that's a thing) to show us. I got well excited when I picked up a whelk! We also saw various types of fish and even some crabs, one of which Mark put on mum's head causing her to freak out. Too funny.

Mark and I embracing (ha!)

We swam a kilometre in total and we were out at sea for around an hour and a half. Everything was going swimmingly (heh) until I suddenly got leg cramp and Mark had to swoop in and literally scoop me up so I could get rid of it. Proper damsel in distress, me.

It's funny swimming with low visibility. I kept accidentally grabbing someone's arse or face or nearly getting knocked out by a flipper. At one point we sat up against some rocks and waves kept flinging us off which me and mum thought was the funniest thing ever. Mark swore we were high off seaweed or something.

We eventually got washed up ashore and after waddling up the ladder to the pier it was time for a sit down and to inspect the various beasts that had clung onto Mark's sleeve. It was time to head back to the trailer and try and peel our wetsuits off and put our clothes back on, during which time I nearly fell over and mum yelled 'I CAN'T FIND ME KNICKERS'. So eloquent.

After the struggle of getting dressed again we decided to head for a drink to warm the cockles. We sat and chatted for a while about the other activities run by Wave Sweeper and I've decided I might bite the bullet and try coasteering sometime. Next up though is surfing and I can't wait to blog about that!

Thanks a million to Mark for inviting us along. It was truly one of the best experiences of my life and I loved every second of it that I wasn't having a panic attack. I'll tell you what though, my jaws are aching and I can barely walk today. Get your minds out of the gutter! Check Mark out on Facebook here - and go snorkelling, it's incredible!