Inishbofin Island

If the weather is fine, a delightful day trip can be taken to Inishbofin Island. The Inishbofin boat leaves from Cleggan pier at 11:30 am, returning at 5 pm (the crossing takes less than an hour). Be at Cleggan pier half an hour before sailing time and buy your ticket at the Pier Bar. Sailings depend on weather conditions, so it’s best to phone ahead to verify departure times. (Kings Ferries, Cleggan, tel: 095 21520 or The Inishbofin Experience, the O’Halloran family, tel: 095 45903/45806/45831.) The boat sails into the sheltered harbor presided over by the remains of a Cromwellian castle, and you wade ashore at a cluster of houses that make up the island’s main settlement. Many islanders have left in search of greener pastures and their cottages have fallen into disrepair, but those who remain eke out a hard living from the land and the sea. As you walk down lanes edged with wild fuchsias and brightly colored wildflowers, whitewashed farmhouses appear and you see fields dotted with handmade haystacks. (Regrettably, the odd, long-abandoned, rusting car spoils the scene.) At the far side of the island, a row of cottages fronts the beach, one of them housing a welcoming little café, where you can have lunch or tea before walking back to the harbor to take the evening boat back to Cleggan.