The Connemara National Park is one of the most exhilerating activities to do in Connemara. It will most certainly be one of the highlights of any trip to Ireland. Located just ten minutes walk from the Lodge the park will present an eclectric array of views and landscapes which unfold into better majestic panoramic scenery as you venture up the hill. At top the whole of Connemara seems to feel at your fingertips and one can sence the splendid diverse range of rugged beauty that Connemara has a reputation for.

A recently built path of stone makes the journey more pleasent and accessible to a wide range of walkers. Infact, the park is divided into three different walks which suit the beginner to the more avid walker. Becuase they cover different areas many people do different paths on different days, so be warned The Connemara National Park could become your second home.

From the start of the walk you are presented with the view of Tully mountain and its adjacent winding bays of clear blue water. As you go further up the view of Lettergesh and Renvyle Strand comes into sight which is North West Connemara. Keeping going up and Cleggen and Clifden will present themselves. At the top of the Mountain Kylemore Lake will introduce itself alnong with Kylemore Abbey, the Inagh Valley, and on a really clear Day Westport and Achill Island

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You also may pass various animals and wildlife peculiar to Ireland. Connemara Ponies, Rams, Deers, Insects, Birds, running around marble, natural stones, Heather, rododendrums and many more.

At this point you may see unusually contrasting views. The Irish weather has its quickly changing moods as it could well be raining on one side and very hot on the another. Clifden could be cloudy and Tully Mountain may have all the sun. By the time you finish the walk it will be vice versa.

the walk it will be vice versa.

Of more practicle conveniance the path is well signposted so it would extremely difficult to get lost in the wilderness. If something does happen one of a dozen extremely friendly Park rangers will be there to help. We came accross a man near the top of the mountain who was searching for a wallet that a travellor had lost.

Once at the bottom of the National Park you can relax in front of the pond area surrounded by large trees, or go for a coffee and browse the Museum.

Letterfrack is a small vibrant village on a crossroads beside the sea with a large village green surrounded by trees and overlooked by the majestic Diamond Mountain and Connemara National Park.

The village is renowned for its live traditional Irish music. The well known environmentalist and music lover Leo Hallisey organises two weeks a year Bog Week and Sea Week when musicians and music lovers congregate for music as well as hill-walking and a programme of talks and discussions on environmental matters. Candlelit music sessions and poetry readings are held nine Fridays through the year in the local National School (see Events Calendar). As well as other organised and impromptu sessions there is live traditional music every Sunday through out the year in the Bards Den Pub.

The village also has a great choice of places to eat and drink from its three pubs two of which serve a high standard of bar food and dinners to the award winning and atmospheric Pangur Ban restaurant or dine in the old style elegance of The Rosleague Manor Hotel. The village also has a great café and take-away just off the village green and a tea shop at the National Park.

Connemara consists of a number of peninsulas surrounded by Bogs and Mountains. Its beauty is unheralded and charm is maginificent. Connemara has often been described as a 'feeling' . It seems to have a life of its own with constant changes in weather and light and colour in the weather and the landscape and the seasons.

Connemara is also like a jungle of little quaint villages all with its own identity and distinct charactoristics. Kylemore Abbey and the Connemara National Park are the most popular destinations for tourists.