Recently we were back visiting the beautiful North Mayo. We only had a small budget for our few days away, but had a brilliant time nevertheless. Unlike other tourist hot spots on Ireland’s West Coast, most of the unspoilt Mullet peninsula does not vacuum visitors’ money straight out of their pockets. There are plenty of activities to do for a family on a budget. Here are a few ways how we enjoyed our weekend in Belmullet without breaking the bank.
Swim With A Difference
Go for a fresh sea water swim in the Belmullet Tidal Pool. As the name suggests, the pool fills by high tide water. That does not mean you have to check the tides, though, as there is always water in it. Outdoor tidal pools are very rare in Ireland, so this is a real gem. The views across Blacksod Bay are amazing and a sunset swim was a life-affirming experience.
Parking is available for pool users but it is also a short walk from the town centre along the seafront promenade. The pool has a shallow area for kiddies and a fabulous 20m deeper pool with a sloping floor. Lifeguards are on duty in July and August when safety and swimming lessons take place here. Great for a hot drink after your (probably somewhat cool) dip is the nearby Sea Biscuit Coffee Bar.
Access to the pool is free and it is open all year round – if you’re courageous enough!
See An Exhibition In Áras Inis Gluaire (Belmullet Arts Centre)
For something cultural, pop into the local Arts Centre to see an exhibition. The Arts Centre’s programme has a good offering of visual art shows, theatre, music, cinema and children’s and community arts. Outside is a kids’ playground and there is a lovely café with super friendly staff.
The centre is named after the mythical island off the West Coast of the Mullet Peninsula, Inis Gluaire. This is where the fabled Children of Lir are said to be buried after their 900 year banishment. The legend is that their jealous stepmother cast a spell on them to live out their lives as swans. When St Brendan The Navigator baptised them, they turned back into humans. But their bodies crumbled into dust and the children of Lir were laid to rest on Inis Gluaire.
Exhibitions are free, tickets to theatre shows cost around €15.
Have A Pint In McDonnells Bar Because It’s Weekend In Belmullet
Now this isn’t something we’d perhaps advise for families. But if you are here sans children, you shouldn’t miss McDonnells on Barrack Street. It is renowned for apparently pouring the best pint of Guinness in the area. Not that we tried all the competition, but we agree nevertheless. It’s a traditional Irish pub with a really warm welcome. Locals nicknamed it The Pot. As in the lobster pot – because once you’re in, you’re trapped and won’t get out. The owner might bribe you to stay with a free drink while telling you the establishment’s history.
McDonnells is not only a bar but also an undertakers and a national bus service stop. As such, it apparently has a bus stop licence, meaning it can serve alcohol from the early hours. We have not verified this information, as in keeping with our weekend budget, we did manage to get away after just one drink. There is an open turf fire and an outdoors area at the back when the weather is nice. The Thursday to Sunday traditional Irish music sessions are famous. It almost feels like a lot of what you need on your life journey is all here in one place.
Bring A Picnic To Belderra Strand
We felt lucky when we realised that our accommodation was only a short walk from the stunning Belderra Strand. This is a sheltered white sand beach on the Western side of the Mullet Peninsula, not far from the small town of Binghamstown. It has a handy picnic table at the edge of the dunes overlooking the cove. As the afternoon was sunny and warm, we decided to make use of it and come down to the beach for a couple of hours with drinks and snacks.
We packed provisions from the local shop plus our books and nibbled, sipped and read with the sound of the rolling waves keeping us company. The whole beach was ours for most of the afternoon, with the occasional walker waving hello from a distance. You could go all out and bring a small portable barbeque here and do your sausages and burgers. The view and atmosphere wouldn’t be any better if you were in the fanciest restaurant in town.
There is a sign warning of rip currents, so swimming on Belderra Strand is not recommended. Later we heard that the beach was popular with learner surfers, but we did not see any during our time. You can use the small car park if you’re not staying close by.
Walk The Erris Head Loop Trail
One of the most spectacular yet easy hikes is just a short drive away from Belmullet. Check out this post where we summed up everything you’d ever wanted to ask about the Erris Head Trail.
Visit The Oldest Rocks In Ireland At Ceann an Eanaigh (Annagh Head)
The remote, majestic beauty of this spot is simply magnificent. Here the ancient rock called gneiss is like the rock found in Greenland and Eastern parts of North America. At nearly two billion years (or 1,753 million to be a little more precise), they are the oldest rocks on mainland Ireland. If only rocks could talk, imagine! 80 million years ago huge pressures under the Earth opened the North Atlantic and Ireland became part of Europe. Apparently, it is still drifting away from America to this day, at the rate of one millimetre a year!
Spend some time watching the wild waves of the Atlantic break against the shore here while contemplating the tiny smidgeon of time a human life takes compared to the lifespan of the universe. From Annagh Head you can see Eagle Island with its lighthouse to the North, also visible from the Erris Head Loop Walk. The island to the South then is Inis Gluaire, so Annagh Head is a great spot to remember the ill-fated Children of Lir. There are walking paths along the cliff tops with outstanding views.
Travel And Accommodation For Our Low-Budget Weekend In Belmullet
The final number of how much you could spend on a weekend in Belmullet is completely dependent on your activities, where you stay, how often you eat out, etc. As there is no public transport to use on the peninsula, you do need a car to get around. Unless you want to cycle, of course, which is perfectly possible once you are here. But that would be a different kind of a weekend for us. This time, we left the bikes at home.
In terms of budget accommodation, we saw a couple of glamping sites. Geraghty’s Farmyard Pods in the town will set you back E120 per pod per night, sleeping maximum four, which is not bad. It is the same price for pods at the Belmullet Coast Guard Station on Claggan Island, looking back at the Mullet Peninsula and Achill Island. You could wild camp indeed, which is largely legal and free in Ireland. Full disclosure, the two of us are not huge camping (or even glamping) fans.
So it was an Airbnb for our weekend in Belmullet. We love this way of travel as we can cook our own meals and don’t need to eat out every day. On the way we did a shop in the local supermarket and had everything needed with us for the few days. Besides, our Airbnb hosts were so welcoming, giving us lots of tips on what to see and do. Plus, the house had the most amazing view. We stayed in Belderra Beach House and paid E125 per night for the two of us, so pretty much the same as the glamping pods if there’s only two of you travelling.
Spend The Weekend In Belmullet Exploring And Enjoying The Great Natural Beauty Spots
Because they are the main reason why we came to Belmullet and why you should, too. All the things to do in town are fun, sure, but the real destination is the Mullet’s spectacular coastline. Along this part of the Wild Atlantic Way, there are dozens of places that we did not mention in this post but that will take your breath away.
Go for hikes or cycles (such as Cross Loop Walk), have picnics and barbecues, splash or kayak in the sea (the beautiful Cross Beach is swimmable), explore the scenery and learn about local history (Cross Abbey and Cemetery). Discover the local way of life (talk to the neighbours), walk barefoot on white sandy beaches and watch the sunset. It is all free and you make some of the best memories. So go out and enjoy it.