Top Adventure Sports in County Clare

Stand tall and take in the breathtaking beauty of the Cliffs of Moher overlooking the spectacular Atlantic Ocean, trek through The Burren with its amazing limestone plateau, stone-age forts and dolmens, or discover the beauty beneath and deep in the Aillwee Caves.

Whatever adventure you choose, County Clare offers a fantastic platform to conduct many adventure and sporting activities. Listed is just a selection of adventure sports County Clare has to offer:

WATERSPORTS

County Clare offers an array of superb watersport venues suitable for angling, sailing, surfing, boating, kayaking, canoeing, windsurfing, skiing, boardsailing, sub-aqua diving and cruising on the River Shannon. No matter where you are in County Clare you are never far from watersports.

The purpose built University of Limerick Activity Centre is sure to please and offers most of the above activities and even more! Located just two miles from the picturesque town of Killaloe, this is a very popular activity centre that sits on the spectacular shore of Lough Derg.

Oceanlife Dive and Watersports Centre is another great activity centre with something for everyone. Offering PADI dive course and sailing courses in the beautiful and sheltered Kilkee bay. A visit to Oceanlife Dive and Watersports Centre is sure to get your adrenaline pumping when you discover the waters beneath.

GOLFING

Lahinch Golf Course is one of many golf courses to be found in County Clare. With breathtaking scenery, and overlooking the dramatic Atlantic Ocean, it is easy to see why Lahinch Golf Course is such a world-renowned golf course. Located close to the pretty village of Lahinch, this golf course is often referred to as 'The Saint Andrew's of Ireland'.

Founded in 1892, Lahinch Golf Course is said to be one of the oldest golf courses in Ireland and provides a tough challenge for even the most skilled golfer!

OUTDOOR ADVENTURE ACTIVITIES

The Burren Outdoor Activity Centre offers a wide range of adventure and outdoor activities which include: Team challenges, caving, canoeing, snorkelling, orienteering, sailing, rock climbing and hill walking to name a few! Not only will you get to experience the trill of such activities you will also get to explore the diverse and rich landscape of The Burren.

EQUESTRIAN
With a wide range of Equine based services available Clare Equestrian Centre is well worth a visit. Located just 3 miles from Ennis, Clare Equestrian Centre offers a great location for your equestrian experience. Activities available include: Hunt hire, student training, lessons and pony camps, trekking and cross-country.

SURFING

Located in the heart of the Burren in Fanore, on the coast road between Ballyvaughan and Doolin in County Clare, Aloha Surf School offers the highest quality and professional surfing instruction for people of all ages and abilities. No experience is necessary and all surfing equipment is provided. The beautiful beach of Fanore provides an excellent location for those wishing to learn how to surf.

There really is so much to do when you visit County Clare and when you tire yourself out, why not dine like kings in Bunratty Castle to the music of a piper or sink a pint in a cosy Irish Bar and soak up the friendly atmosphere and reputation the Irish are renowned for.

Breda Quirke writes for GoIreland.com - Ireland's leading travel and accommodation website.

Check out GoIreland.com for everything you need to know before you visit Ireland. GoIreland.com has low prices for quality approved hotel, B&B, guesthouse and self catering accommodation all over the country.

By : Breda Quirke

Traveling in My Younger Days

When I was a teenager I drove to Central America with a couple that made the trip every year to a few churches where they had met some of the local people. This couple were missionaries. And being a teenager I loved the idea of getting to drive them around down there.

We started out in my home state Florida and drove to the Border of Mexico at the El Paso crossing. It was exciting. This was my first drive down and we went all the way to the Honduras Border.

Over a period of 3 months we traveled through much of Honduras. We stopped and had church with different ones along the way.

We stopped in one town where the people were very familiar with the couple I was traveling with. They had been to this town several years in a row and were known by many of the locals. It was a special day for one of the locals as they were having a party out in the bush at their home place.

They asked if I wanted to come and spend the day with them. So I did and it was an experience that I still remember today.

They had a game where they raced up coconut trees. I was a teenager from the US out in the bush with people I did not know nor speak their language. I was alone because the couple I was traveling with did not want to spend the day at a party.

I did not feel scared or in danger at any time. It came time to eat a coconut still in the shell. I grew up in South Florida and we had always opened the shell by cracking it into small enough pieces where we could peel out the coconut flesh to eat.

But they cracked the shell, gave me a large piece and handed me the only spoon in their possession. I tried so hard to pry the coconut flesh out with this spoon that it broke!

Then, I was scared because I was an hour away out in the bush and had broken their only spoon. I had also managed to slice my thumb on the broken spoon. I still have the scar on my thumb to remind me.

We also traveled in the mountains of Guatemala and along the coast. We went swimming in Mexico City while staying at the Hotel Caliente. It was exciting and the people were all so nice and friendly.

Once when I was driving to a local market, one of the local buses met me on the road.

When they realized that I was a girl driver they went completely off the road in order to miss me. But then, this was many years ago when I traveled as a teenager. Things have changed some.

By : Marty_Townsend