Over The Edge

I was hoping I wouldn't have to call this blog something to do with actually falling off a paddleboard but alas, apparently my co-ordination and balance wasn't as good as I thought!

I finally bit the bullet yesterday and decided to try SUPing. As I loved the snorkelling so much I was excited to broaden my horizons more and try out another watersport. I decided stand up paddling would be next so I arranged to meet with David O'Hara from SUP For All and go for a paddle (and a swim!) at Inisfree. 

After chilling by the fire for a bit with José the dog - who took quite a liking to me and fell asleep on my lap - it was time to put my life jacket on (I went to put it on backwards, first bad sign). David explained to me that 85% of his clients are female which is unusual for sports, and that paddling is about zen. Much like driving, if you can focus on not looking down and controlling the paddle you're pretty much good to go. I thought it was gonna be a piece of cake as I can drive but I was proven very wrong!

The first feat was to actually get on the board and stay on it. This went relatively well apart from a slight wobble. We paddled a little across the lake and it wasn't long until I went flying off, naturally. It is a bit of a shock falling into a not-so-warm lake fully clothed but the water only went up to my waist - and a bit up my nose which was very unpleasant - so it wasn't too bad. The lake had a sandy bottom, which is what I also had at the end of the paddle!

I started getting the hang of it eventually, after getting stuck in reeds and taking about 4 years to free myself from them. The fact it was quite windy and choppy didn't help as we had to fight against the wind. I was out on the water for around an hour I'd guess, and I fell into the lake twice more. By that point though I was already wet so I just got back up on the board and I was off again. 

I did find it a bit difficult learning to control the paddle and I kept wobbling whenever I did a backwards stroke which knocked me off, but in the last stretch of the paddle I managed not to fall off - mainly because there was a huge group of kids watching and I didn't want them to laugh at me! Ewana (I've probably spelled that horrifically), who works with SUP For All, took over from David and kept an eye on me. She was also a very good teacher, you need some patience to teach me! Alan, who also helps out at SUP For All, had a really cool 360 degree camera which he used to get some footage of us on the water. I dread to see that footage. Even José came along - and he was better than me!

I'm delighted I got the opportunity to experience stand up paddling as it was on my bucket list. It was very relaxing once I got the hang of it and the views of Inisfree from the water are just stunning, especially seeing as it was such a lovely sunny day. I was really hungry and thirsty when I finished, which is surprising considering I swallowed half of the lake!

In the evening mum and I popped along to the opening of The Fairgreen café and art gallery. It's a lovely addition to Skreen and the free wine and brownies didn't hurt! I'd like to think I burned them off by all the nervous energy I used during stand up paddling, wishful thinking. We then headed down to Enniscrone beach as it was such a lovely evening. We walked along the pier and the beach and I took a few snaps for my Instagram (@lifeofluce). Choosing Instagram filters is hungry work so we went to Frydays (ha) chipper in Enniscrone and shared fish and chips - a perfect end to the day.

If you think your balance is better than mine and you'd like to try out stand up paddling (one of Ireland's fastest growing watersports) check out David and SUP For All here. Thanks a million to David, Alan and Ewana (and mum for the photos) for a nice day out.

Seaweed Baths, Sand & Shells

I'm a bit (2 weeks) delayed in writing this blog but better late than never as they say.

For my best friend Bethany's birthday we decided to head to Strandhill for a relaxing night away. Last year for her 21st we went to Spain so this was a bit of a contrast but still involved the beach! I see a theme here...

Recently I was lucky enough to win a brilliant prize from Rude Health magazine consisting of an overnight stay in the 4* Strandhill Lodge & Suites, dinner in Trá Bán, a soak in Voya seaweed baths and lunch in Shells for 2 people. It came at such an opportune moment what with Bethany's birthday coming up.

After a brief bit of panic when the bus from town to Strandhill was 20 minutes late we arrived with about 20 minutes to spare as we booked our dinner for 6.30. We sat at the beachfront looking out onto the sea and then headed up to Trá Bán for our meal. I've eaten at Trá Bán before (read my previous blog here) but it was Bethany's first time doing any of the things in the Strandhill package so she was excited to see what all the fuss was about.

She chose the lamb pie, beef medallions and then apple crumble for dessert whilst I chose the fishcakes, cod and chips and chocolate chilli brownie. The food was amazing, all cooked to perfection and couldn't be faulted, as usual. Bethany said hers was cooked to perfection (and if she says that you know it's good) and went down well with a lovely glass of rosé each. Unfortunately the little compact camera I brought with me isn't great in low light so I didn't get any photos of our food but I can assure you it looked great! Trá Bán is such a gem, we don't know how lucky we are having places like this in Sligo. 

After a few minutes to let our food babies develop a bit we trekked up the hill to the suites. Let me tell you, it felt like walking the Camino Trail after having such a feast, but we made it in the end after a bit of groaning and complaining. I had been up earlier to drop my bag off and scatter a few balloons around to surprise Bethany so I knew how gorgeous the place was. The reception is so inviting and warm - not to mention how friendly the staff are. David, the owner, was so obliging and even found me some candles and matches to stick in a birthday muffin I got for Bethany! I lit the candle and set out a bottle of wine before Bethany came into the room so it would be a bit of a surprise for her.

We got a suite - the Atlantic Suite - which was incredible. The bedroom looked out onto the sea and Strandhill golf club and the views were beautiful. I don't know how many times I said to Bethany 'I want this bedroom' but it was probably way too many. The whole suite was so bright and airy. Huge velux skylights in the bedroom, a bright shiny bathroom, an impressive kitchenette with a Nespresso machine, a Bose sound system and 2 big wall mounted TVs with built-in DVD players.

After gawking at the room for a bit we pondered whether to check out The Draft House or just relax with some wine and a movie. The wine and movie option won because we were both already in our robes and pyjamas! I headed down to the lounge to pick a DVD from the extensive collection and also picked up a couple of hot chocolates from the free hot drinks machine, just about managing to resist the pain au chocolat. Little touches like these make a stay so much nicer!

After an amazing sleep (the place was so quiet and comfortable) it was time for breakfast. I didn't know breakfast was included in the stay until I booked so it was a pleasant surprise. For a continental breakfast the selection was great - cold cuts, cheeses, yoghurt, fruit, pancakes, eggs, cereals, loads of different teas, not to mention a huge range of gluten free cereals and bread. You really couldn't fault the breakfast.

After a massive breakfast we walked down to the main street for our seaweed baths. I've been to Voya before but again, Bethany hadn't, so I was excited to see her reaction. I know some people feel a bit funny about lying in a bath full of slimy seaweed but she found it so relaxing. I'm sure it would've been even more relaxing if we weren't being eejits and pretending to be mermaids shoving piles of seaweed on our heads. Regardless, when we left we were so chilled we nearly fell asleep.

 As we were still a bit full from breakfast we were debating skipping the lunch at Shells but decided we would take it on. As Shells is so popular we had to wait 15 minutes to get a table so we had a dander about the Little Shop. When we eventually got seated and had a look at the menu Bethany decided on a burger and I got a chicken salad as I wasn't that hungry. I also decided to try a matcha latte for the first time to see what the hype was about. It tasted a bit like the seaweed from that morning's seaweed bath mixed with some milk but it was surprisingly nice! 10/10 for Shells food as always.

Sadly it was then time to go home. After such a lovely relaxing holiday we truly felt like we'd had a holiday and didn't really want to go back home! If you're after a similar experience check out the Thrill of Strandhill package which offers all this and more - it's perfect for a weekend getaway.

Life's Sweet @ Sweet Beat

If you live in Sligo you may know that an exciting new café has entered the scene. Sweet Beat is a vegan café serving healthy, fresh food. It's refreshing to see something like this in Sligo - although there isn't a massive vegan crowd in Sligo the café thrives and already has quite the following. I'm not a vegan or a vegetarian myself so from this review you'll see you don't need to be to enjoy what Sweet Beat has to offer.

I was greeted by Carolanne, the owner of Sweet Beat, and her sister Denise who was more than happy to show me around and explain the menu. If you frequent Strandhill People's Market you may know Carolanne under her pseudonym Green Warrior.

After a quick tour of the café and a study of the menu it wasn't hard to decide what I wanted to get. I did plan to get one of the super salads as the weather has been nice lately but when I went in yesterday it was a dull day so I went for the vegan lasagne, their Daily Warmer. They also do brunch - avocado toast (which has caused quite the stir, I hear), hummus toast and their own homemade beans on toast. I treated mum to lunch and she chose the hummus toast which she enjoyed but said it was a little too spicy for her taste, which I did agree with. 

As well as all those yummy offerings they also serve raw vegan brownies, chocolate and homemade smoothies and juices. I went for a Rocket Cow smoothie (I assume this is a play on 'raw cacao' - I like it!) made with almond milk, nut butter, banana and cacao powder. 

The service was very quick considering it was the lunchtime rush and they were rushed off their feet. Mine looked and smelled great so after taking a few snaps I dug in. I'm not gonna lie, I wasn't sure how a vegan lasagne was gonna work but it was delicious - so full of flavour. It did taste like a normal lasagne but 'cleaner' and obviously without the mince. It was served with 2 super salads - chickpea and green bean salad and carrot salad, both yummy.

The Rocket Cow smoothie also didn't disappoint - I make this kind of smoothie quite a lot at home anyway so I knew what to expect. It's like a healthy chocolate-peanut-butter smoothie and it was surprisingly filling. So smooth and creamy considering it's totally dairy free. Among the other smoothie offerings was a turmeric smoothie (not sure how I'd feel about that), iced coffee, wheatgrass shot, ginger shot and a beetroot, sweet potato and ginger juice - as well as the usual tea and coffee. 

I was extremely tempted by the tempting brownies on the counter but I decided to be good and I was extremely full up - my lunch kept me going for the whole day.

You can find Sweet Beat on Bridge Street (where Chapters used to be, sob) or check them out on Facebook here. I give it my (non-vegan) approval!

Thanks a million to Carolanne for inviting me along and for the yummy lunch.