Looking for peace and serenity? Explore Connemara's winter wildness
Pines Island in autumn at sunset, Derryclare Lough, Connemara, County Galway
If you stand at the top of Diamond Hill in Connemara National Park, you can see all the way to the sea; the silvery curves of Ballynakill Harbour, the pointy peak of Tully Mountain, the long, low shape of Inishbofin Island.
To the north are the dark mountain shapes of Clare Island and Achill Island. Far below is Letterfrack, where Kylemore Abbey sits silently overlooking a dark blue lake.
What you can’t see, on a clear day in winter, is crowds on the trail below. Or even other people. On the calm, crisp day that we climb the hill, we have the mountain summit and views to ourselves and it’s bliss.
Diamond Hill, also known as Binn Ghuaire (binn meaning peak or cliff) or Bengooria, is one of the Twelve Bens of Connemara. The summit is reached via two walking trails forming a 6.7km loop.
Although the hill is only 442m high, the last part is steep so the hike can be strenuous, but most of the trail is paved. This, plus easy access from the visitor centre of Connemara National Park, makes it a popular hike.
The reward at the top is views across Connemara, mountains and lakes punctuating swathes of rough brown and orange bog. There are patches of dark forest, scatterings of rock and blue-grey sea inlets.
It takes us just under two hours to reach the summit and 1.5 hours to descend, but all day we see only seven other hikers on the trail.
Myself and a hiking pal are visiting Connemara for a winter escape, and it’s on this visit that I notice the real magic of the winter light.
The landscape here is known for its light, where vistas across moody boglands, dark lakes and reflective bays, helped by the absence of trees, attract artists and photographers. Irish poet Michael Coady described Connemara as “a state of light”.
As we first drive out from Galway city, Galway Bay is bathed with a golden light. The sun is low in the sky, giving everything a soft glow. It’s like the pre-sunset golden hour that photographers love, but it’s nearly all day.
The day we descend Diamond Hill, the low sun paints the clouds around it a watery orange and lights up the bog beneath it, adding a silvery glint to the curved stone trail.
Arriving in Roundstone village in the late afternoon, it’s quiet. There’s nobody on the streets, no traffic. We’re checking in to Within the Village, where three old townhouses on the main street have been carefully restored and converted into 5 luxury self-catering spaces.
Welcoming its first guests in October, the front doors open onto the street and at the rear, there are private bay views.
Inside, it’s cosy. There’s underfloor heating and a solid-fuel stove. The finishes have been inspired by the local landscape, with house themes such as bracken, bog cotton, lichen and kelp.
The Within The Village project started in 2020 when Galway friends Lorna Mayne and Maria Murphy saw that a pub and guesthouse in the village (Connolly’s) was for sale.
Bringing Lorna’s brother, Keith Kissane, on board, the vision of the trio, who all have a background in hospitality, was to create luxury self-catering with design appeal and sustainability at its core.
During the restoration, original aspects of the houses were kept, such as the windows and stone walls, along with additions such as sleek hand-hewn oak kitchens and concrete worktops incorporating material from the sea.
Collaborating with local craftspeople on designs and furnishings, beautifully chosen pieces reflect Connemara’s understated riches with marine images by Dorothy Cross, photographs by Cliodhna Prendergast, tactile Tweed Project throws and willow nests made by Joe Hogan from Lough Fooey.
Many places in Ireland close down for tourists from the end of October until Easter. In Connemara, businesses such as Within the Village aim to extend the season, staying open for off-season visitors.
This also spreads tourism out from high season and benefits the local community from an environmental, social and economic point of view.
Co-owner Maria Murphy says that in summer, the area is busy but winter can be nicer as crowds are gone.
“You get the same welcome, but you can go out and walk empty beaches, then sit in front of a roaring fire with a chowder or a Guinness.”
The Visitor Centre at Connemara National Park used to close for three months in winter but, since 2019, it has been open year-round. During winter, they maintain and repair the trails — we see bags of rocks and gravel along the trail.
Park ranger Eamonn McLoughlin says that because the trail is well maintained, it’s safe even in bad weather (although he recommends avoiding the exposed hill on windy days). In summer, there can be 2,000 to 3,000 visitors a day. It’s a fraction of that in winter.
“In winter, you get to experience it for yourself,” he says. “It’s the chance to experience the wildness of Connemara and the views in a safe way. It’s peaceful. There’s almost a serenity going up there in winter.”
Early one morning, I walk to the small pier in Roundstone and look back across the water to the village. The row of mostly white facades are perfectly mirrored in the still water below, every detail of the old buildings is reflected.
The trees along the shoreline are flawlessly doubled. The last time I was in Roundstone, on a summer’s day, it was so busy with cars, I could hardly see half of it. Now the water is so calm, the air is so clear, the reflection shows me the village twice.
At times it feels like we have the place to ourselves. But then we open the door of a shop or a pub, and there’s a friendly face, a warm fire, voices or laughter.
The pace in Connemara is never rushed but it’s slower in winter and people have more time. We don’t need to book restaurants, service is not hasty, people have time to chat.
The advantages of off-season travel are many — accommodation prices are lower, car hire cheaper and there’s plenty of parking — even in tiny Roundstone, where there have been ‘road rage’ incidents over parking spots in summer.
The weather is not always on our side. Some days are windy and stormy, others are crisp but cold, so we plan outings carefully in consultation with weather forecasts.
It’s not warm on the mountaintop, so we don’t linger or crack open the flask until we get back to the car, where the joy of a hot cup of tea is magnified.
Anyway, this is the west, so bad weather can feature in any season. I’ve been on summer holidays in Ireland when it lashed rain the whole week and we had to light the fire.
As the saying goes, there’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing.
On a windy day, we walk the dune-backed beaches of Dog’s Bay, examining the sand, made up of tiny shells.
On a brighter day, we walk the old Famine Walk along Killary Harbour from Rosroe to Leenaun, admiring how the light sweeps across Mweelrea Mountain, bringing the colours alive one minute and casting them under shadows the next.
There are bare trees, old stone cottages, black-faced sheep and pure white Connemara ponies grazing on the grassy ridges of the fjord.
I’m surprised when we see a group of walkers. It’s the most people I’ve seen all week, but then I realise it’s Saturday, and we’re going to have to share the trail...
Spring rates at Within The Village start from €350 per night in a one-bed suite (sleeps two), up to €900 for a three-bed townhouse (sleeps seven). All five houses can be taken together by groups to accommodate 28. withinthevillage.ie.
In North Connemara Killary Lodge on Killary Harbour can be rented out on a self-catering basis. The price for up to 20 guests is €1,500 per night (€30 per extra guest, up to 36). killaryadventure.com/killary-lodge.
A compact manual car starts at €185 per week from Hertz (excess €445) in low season. hertz.ie.
In Roundstone The Shamrock Bar, next door to Within the Village, serves bar food and tasty pizza, which can be taken away.
After a swim, enjoy warming coffee and sausage rolls at Coffee Cottage at the top of Roundstone Pier. (Open 9-4pm daily during off-peak school holidays including Christmas and mid-term. Reopens fully on March 16)
O’Dowd’s Seafood Bar and Restaurant in Roundstone is open year-round. Stick with their shellfish, including oysters, crab and mussels.
In Clifden, Guy’s serves a crowd-pleasing menu that’s especially popular with families.
The Signal Bar at The Clifden Station House Hotel, an atmospheric setting in the former Clifden Railway Station, is open year-round and has an open fire.
SuperValu in Clifden offers a full supermarket experience for self-catering.
An unexpectedly fun activity in winter, if you’re staying at Killary Lodge, check out the Killary Fjord Sauna which guests can rent privately for €250. The wood-fuelled sauna takes up to six people and is set on a beach on the fjord with blissful views of Mweelrea Mountain through its window. The idea is to take cooling dips in the fjord’s clear waters and then hop right back into the sauna to warm up.
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