18 TREW’S TRAVELS June 2015 Travel News

FOR MANY MONTHS drivers along the westernIrish coast from Cork to Donegal have beenmystified by new road signage composed of an

inexplicable symbol resembling the WWW of theWorld Wide Web.

I say ‘inexplicable’ deliberately, because everybody Iasked—from filling stations to roadside cafes -- wasclueless as to the meaning of the scores of expensivemetal signposts that have sprung up on every seasideroad I have visited in the past 18 months, from Donegaland Sligo – including the section aroundMULLAGHMORE which has been given globalcoverage during the recent Royal Visit.

However, it was only when we arrived in our newfavourite destination in the Republic, namely NorthMayo, that we discovered that the ‘Wiggly Signs’symbolise WILD ATLANTIC WAY, the latestinitiative by the Irish Tourist Board to sell its utterlydelightful coastal scenery. Among other advantages ofthe idea, is to direct tourists to all the little roads thathug the coast instead of staying on the newerthoroughfares that now criss-cross Ireland along inlandstraight lines , linking one business park to another.

The total length of the meandering Wild AtlanticWay is 2,500 kms -- that’s a bewildering 1,550 miles; itwould cost many hundreds of euros to fill our Volvo’sinsatiable tank to take us from the culinary capital ofKinsale in West Cork, to unappetisingly blustery MalinHead in Donegal.

Why on earth did the tourism bodies on this weeisland not agree to include Northern Ireland’s equallyenchanting CAUSEWAY COAST from Magilliganto Ballycastle? That’s faces the Wild Atlantic, doesn’tit?

Anyway, we chose to test-drive a section of the WildAtlantic Way which we have never travelled before,namely the coast from Ballisodare,through the surfingcentre of EASKEY and along the eastern estuary ofthe River Moy to the colourful family resort ofENNISCRONE which appears to be enjoying arenaissance.

Our destination,BALLINA is not just famous asIreland’s Salmon Capital, but is also home to two ofthe finest hotels we have enjoyed for many a year, themulti-award winning MOUNT FALCONsurrounded by its own 100-acre Estate, and thecontemporary / traditional ICE HOUSE on the otherside of the spectacular River Moy.

MOUNT FALCON ESTATESTILL SOARING TO SUCCESS

IT IS EASY to see why the luxury four-starMOUNT FALCON has just been named as ManorHouse Hotel of the Year – yet another accolate to beadded to the galaxy of awards discreetly displayed amidthe Irish Country House ambiance of the immaculateentrance area.

This is the sort of place that says ‘welcome to yoursecond home’ from the start; Ireland’s symbol ofhospitality – a blazing fire in the Main Lobby -- maynot have been needed when we checked in for thewarmest Spring weekend stay of 2015,but it’s thethought that counts…

Our guest room was straight out of the TraditionalComfort catalogue, with all the accoutrements I lookfor – local bottled water; full hospitality tray; great,easy-to work shower; flat-screen TV with good choiceof channels; lots of pillows and classy bed-linen. Plus,of course, the No 1 essential -- a strong (and free) wi-fisignal to ensure we can use Skype to make our familyjealous of our swanky surroundings.

Rooms are only one option in an establishmentwhich is properly known as MOUNT FALCONESTATE because its hundred busy acres include thebest choice of self-catering accommodation I have seenin the West of Ireland.We were treated to tour byHead of Sales and Marketing EVAN BUTLER, whois one of the many passionate professionals weencountered on our stay. Three ‘villages’ of luxurious 3 /4 bedroom Guest Lodges are located amid the forestssurrounding the imposing 32-guestroom Victorianhotel that commands the whole site.These beautifullydesigned and landscaped developments are called TheCourtyard, Woodlands and my favourite,Lakeside,which overlooks a well-stocked trout lake so

close that rental-guests could almost cast a fly fromtheir kitchen!

Huntin’,shootin’ and fishin’ packages are very muchat the heart of this former millionaire’s Fishing Lodgewhose Estate still includes two miles of exclusivedouble-bank Salmon Fishing on Ireland’s celebratedgame-fishing river, the Moy.

There are lots of Golfin’ packages,too,thanks to theproximity of 15 facilities - including three championshipcourses at Belmullet, Enniscrone and Ross’s Point – aswell as a popular on-site driving range used by gueststo Mount Falcon like Tiger Woods and Sir NickFaldo. Archery and Clay pigeon shooting are also onthe sporting menu.

Personally, Karen and I would be more likely to behaving a treatment by the team at the Elmis Spa orenjoying the 17metre heated pool,sauna,steam roomand jacuzzi. We are less likely to hire a mountain biketo follow the Estate’s jogging/biking trails on the bestpocket map of hotel facilities I have seen since our laststay in Gleneagles.

Indeed, Mount Falcon reminded me of Gleneaglesin a number of ways – particularly relating to thesuperb sportin’ facilities, the brilliant French cookerywith a local twist, the on-site kitchen garden and, ofcourse, the Falconry (which is much better thanGleneagles’ or Turnberry’s.)

HOW I MET A FLIGHTY NEW FRIEND ATMOUNT FALCON an eagle actually landed on mygloved wrist, delivering my most exciting hotelexperience since the alligator ate my golf ball at theDoral Resort in Florida! Funny enough, my new friendis a Harris Hawk also named after an American state,Arizona. She’s just one of the many magnificent birdsof prey that wedding parties, hotel guests and othervisitors to Mount Falcon Estate, will encounter on aunique Hawk Walk with the affable falconer JASONDEASY who gives breathtaking demonstrations of anancient art worth every cent of the price.

Enniscrone-born Jason has been passionate aboutfalcons all his life so he offered his services to MountFalcon which had been using this noble bird as its logosince the Maloney family launched their thrivingenterprise a decade ago. It has proved to be a matchmade in heaven, and Jason’s immaculate menagerie ofhand-reared hawks, owls,falcons,eagles and the like hasnow been complemented with sleek little ferrets and ahandsome Hungarian hunting dog which works intandem with the birds. The speedy sky-diving hawksput on an aerial display thet the Red Arrows wouldenvy. What a sight for nature lovers (except localrabbits!)

As a keen gardeners ourselves, we were thrilled tomeet another Mount Falcon resident who is passionateabout sharing his role with guests and groups, namelyFrench head gardener, ALEX LAVARDE . He lovesto take green-fingered enthusiasts around hisKITCHEN GARDEN which aims to provide thehotel’s two Award-winning Restaurants withorganically-grown herbs and the tastiest, freshest,mostunusual vegetables I have ever enjoyed outside of myown raised beds. Dreadlocked Alex pulled some of hisplumpest asparagus stems and picked deliciouslysugary peas to give to the chefs for our dinner thatnight – complete with viola blossoms for edibledecoration.

They adorned an incomparabe Fish Plate of very‘chefy’ seafood canapés which won my Award as Starterof the Decade when we had our first dinner.We had atotal of five meals which were – in the words of mymentor and friend BRIAN GARRETT who insistedthat we went to Mount Falcon in the first place –“Beyond criticism.”

ICE HOUSE IS AN ALTOGETHERDIFFERENT KIND OF COOL

THE ICE HOUSE is an intriguing name for whatis surely one of Mayo’s most stylish destinations,described by one reviewer as “the very definition of ahip luxury retreat” with its outdoor spa, riversiderestaurant, clever cocktails and youthful service.

We came upon it two years ago en route toWestport and had delicious salmon lunch whilewatching two expert fly-fishermen, happily failing tocatch salmon while knee-deep in the tidal waters of the

JOHN TREW enjoys close encounters of thebird kind along the Wild Atlantic Way...

SUN DECK of Ice House overlooking the scenic River Moy; in the distance is the former WWI concreteship ‘Creteboom’.

The Falcon lands in North Mayo’smagnificence...

Moy. “We will return,” said She who Must be Obeyed(my wife Karen). And that’s why we added a day to ourtrip to North Mayo.What a wise decision!

Trendy architects have transformed this ornateVictorian salmon regrigeration centre, once calledIceland Cottage, by adding contemporary hotelfacilities and 28 chic guestrooms to it, while providingtraditional ‘feel’ in the four remaining Heritage roomswhich also feature modern quirks like cedar-woodbaths. As visual arts enthusiasts, we love the artyambiance of the public rooms, thanks to importantworks by Charles Tyrell, Martin Gale and John Devlinas well as local commissions.

There’s lots more interesting stuff to see outside, asyou catch a few sunbeams on the Spa’s sun deck. Notonly do you get close to herons and cormorants, there’san utterly unique spectacle down-river at BallinaQuay—a concrete warship said to have beendeliberately sunk there after WWI to slow the Moysilting up.

With its eclectic mix, the ICE HOUSE is thecoolest place in Mayo for people-watching;sophisticated local girls looking for a bridal venue rubshoulders with an Ulster travel writer enjoying thefinest Eggs Benedict he has ever enjoyed! Cool. Yeah.

EXCITING DRIVE BACK TOTHE STONE AGE

DURING OUR four-day sunny stay, we followedthe Wild Atlantic Way (WAW) at Ballina to explorethe north-western coastline of Mayo as far asBroadhaven Bay , starting at the Moy River estuary. Iam proud to be the first travel journalist to have beengiven the all-new, hot-off-the-press North MayoTourism Map by local marketing co-ordinator NicolaFlynn.

It’s an invaluable Guide for first-time explorers andthanks to it we soon found three of North Mayo’sfamous ABBEYS, MOYNE,ROSSERK andRATHFRAN,and then discovered the vast unspoiltbeach of LACKEN STRAND.

We stopped at the noted sea angling centre ofKILLALA to see its Round Tower and followedNicola’s tip to have a snack in front of the turf fire atthe popular Mary’s Cottage in BALLYCASTLE.These are characterful wee towns of the type that arebecoming rare in the West of Ireland,so we savouredthem. We aimed for the WAW Signature Site ofDownpatrick Head where we saw its sea-stack and

blow-hole as well as the 2014 Spirit of Place artinstallation.

The 1000ft cliffs around here are every bit asdramatic as the Cliffs of Moher further south, and cannow be widely appreciated, thanks to the WAWsignposts which encourage tourists to drive alonglittle-used single-track coastal roads that they wouldotherwise ignore or think to be too dangerous.

This fascinating – if slightly scary in places - 80 mileround trip took Karen and I to one of Ireland’s mostastonishing, yet hardly known, attractions, theCEIDE FIELDS VISITOR CENTRE nearBelderg. This lighthouse-looking building (open May-Oct) overlooks the world’s most extensive Stone-Agemonument to agriculture. It’s the only place on earthwhere you can plainly see field systems whereprehistoric farmers kept cattle in enclosures and grewwheat; they lived in harmony together and builtmegalithic tombs more than 5,000 years ago.

Friendly staff guided us towards the exhibits offarming life in the New Stone Age, before we climbedup to the 360-degree Viewing Platform in ideal sunnyconditions. On the land side we marvelled at theancient stone walls,tombs and dwelling sites whichwere totally covered by blanket bog beforeinternational archaeologists removed much of it in the1970s and created a network of boardwalks for visitors;on the ocean side we had a falcon’s eye view of coastalscenery that took away any breath I had left. I reallyneeded that cup of tea in the wee café below (even ifthe girl admitted to burning the scones and offered mea BOGOF deal!)

I was reminded of a Seamus Heaney poem aboutStone Age querns for milling wheat; I looked it up inmy tattered copy of North,his 1975 collection, and wasthrilled to see it entitled BELDERG; it was actuallyabout this very place which he visited before theVisitor Centre was built and “millstones were piled likevertebrae” in nearby cottage.

OTHER ATTRACTIONS

JACKIE CLARKE COLLECTION-Museum ofhistoric documents (with garden) bequeathed to hisBallina birthplace by a remarkable Irish Nationalist;BELLEEK WOODS - Europe’s biggest urbanwoodland.FOXFORD WOOLLEN MILL - One-stop gift shop popular with Americans; next door isquirky museum devoted to Foxford-born ADMIRALWm BROWN, Father of Argentine Navy.

The Harris Hawk Arizona meets Yours Trewly