Diamond Hill Hike

“Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity” 

-John Muir, Our National Parks

Recently, I discovered that I love exploring world-known monuments and museums, but sometimes I just want to go on another path, one less taken by most tourists. When I was organising my upcoming Irish travel, I decided it was time to get a little active during my time abroad. I already knew I enjoyed  hiking back at home, so why not try it in another country? After all, Ireland is renowned for its beautiful scenery. I chose the "Diamond Hill" hike, because it seemed easy to access and didn't require a lot of preparation before-hand. Let's just say I wasn't deceived by it.

1. The drive

Whenever I go somewhere abroad and drive, I always bring a GPS with me. Thinking it could be practical, we settled the GPS to get us there using the shortest road. Of course, I didn't know the Irish back-country road had a higher speed limit than the public road. We left our hotel from Galway and, a few minutes later, found ourselves deep on the countryside, hanging out with sheep. After quite a few adventures, we finally made it to the mountain.

2. The nature

Connemara National Park is famous for its wildlife and woodland, surrounded by diversified plants. When we started the hike, we were surprised at how well the site was preserved, knowing it is visited by many people every year. We were even greeted by horses and ponies.

3. The hike

Of all the days, we decided to go on a mountain on a rainy day. "Not very smart" you will tell me, but I assure you it was all worth it. On the way to the top, we saw magnificent rock formations and breath-taking sceneries. To top it all, the mountain was covered with a mist, as if it was out of a movie. A small 445m altitude made it even more enjoyable and easy to hike.

4. The top

Since the weather was awfully Irish that day (meaning rainy), we were the only ones at the top. At first, we couldn't see anything, but the sky suddenly cleared out, leaving us speechless to the beauty of the site. From our spot, we could see Kylemore Lough and a bit of the Twelve Bens. We felt blessed, enjoying the magic of the moment as it was impromptu.

5. The descent

After a while, we were pretty exhausted and decided to go down the hill. On the way back, we stumbled upon a magnificent waterfall and stopped to admire the view. The mist was still present, but got lighter as we descended. After an hour, we were back at the car, content of our achievement and filled with the desire to go on another hike.

No matter where I am in the world, I always seem to go back to nature. Discovering a country isn't only about its culture, it's also about its wilderness. Hiking is one of the activity where we are lucky enough to experience it. I hope that I convey my passion to you and that you will have a beautiful hike.

Enjoy,

The little traveller's boots

Xox