17/9/18. Day 11. Galway to Doolin

Salthill campsite in Galway was the dearest so far, and perhaps a mistake as we didn't really need a campsite on this night. However, it was quite late by the time we got there and we needed to get parked up. It cost 30 euros for a pitch without electric hook up, it was another 6 euros for that.....we didn't bother!!
Joyce took the boys for a wander along the promenade in the morning as I finished getting the van ready and I picked them up a wee bit along the road. After my failed attempt to take them to the Sealife centre at Achill the Irish National Aquarium seemed like a good place to make up for that failure......we parked up and paid our 33 euros to get in......which was steep, but however well worth it. Its a superb mostly saltwater aquarium over 2 levels with huge pools with lots of the species that are found in Irish waters, from rays, to conger eels to huge bass which are now protected in Irish waters. There is also a Neolithic dugout canoe which emerged from a bog at Bearna, the sea had eroded the peat bog away, someone who liked to go to the shore after a storm came across it one day. It is now in the Aquarium in a encapsulated glass display that has a water supply running through it, its around 5000 years old.  We had a good couple of hours here, the boys enjoyed it, and then we had a fairly average, but above averagely priced lunch in the adjoining cafe. We should have looked a bit further into town or made our own. The boys enjoyed it however as they wern't paying, lol. Anyway, that put a fair old grump on my face for a while but soon we were on our way south leaving County Galway for a place called Doolin in County Clare.
Doolin had been recommended to me by a chap I spoke to up in the Rushin House campsite, supposedly quite a lively wee place. But en route, we decided to visit The Ailwee Cave and bird of prey centre, the scenery on the way is very interesting as we were now into The Burren. This is an area where the rock is Karst Limestone. Formed over 300 millions of years when Ireland was thousands of miles further south in the equator the limestone is actually an ancient seabed. Vast build up of mud and dead sea life, then water pressure on the muddy seafloor formed the rock, then Tectonic plate movement saw Ireland move north and collide with Europe, then add a few ice ages to shape the land into what we see there today. Its way more complicated than that but that's how I interpret what I have read and been told. So the hills are all grey and rocky looking from a distance, and carved into terraces with steep cliffs and level areas one after another so the hillsides look very stepped.
Ailwee cave is in these Limestone hills, this is an inactive cave system in that it doesn't flood any more (unlike Marble Arch cave), so at least for the time being what we see is pretty much how its going to be for a while. Its interesting, bit doesn't have any astounding formations, there is a 10000 year old bear skull and bones that was found in the cave, so humans weren't the first to venture in. However the cave and the bird of prey centre make a decent combination, though that's another 38 euros extracted for the pleasure.
Finally after a cracking bit of coastline driving, along which there were a couple of places we could just have parked up we arrived at Doolin. There's 2 campsites but we chose the one nearest the village as its not so exposed to the weather and was closer to the pubs....... I fancied a few pints of Guiness and a steak again, lol. We quickly got booked in, hooked up and showered and headed out to Gus O'Connor's pub which the Argentinian girl on the campsite reception had recommended as a good place for meat dishes, I figuired someone from South America would know a good steak when they had one. This was a big pub, and it was rammed (on a Monday), however, there was a wee room through the back with a few tables in it and we got in there along with a German couple and 2 couples from the states. It is a very touristy place Ireland.
My mussel starter was superb and much cheaper than Strandhill but our Sirloin steaks didn't quite match up the same, they were still very good however. The Guinness however was perfect. Callum and Logan behaved superbly and entertained our multinational dining room as always. At about 9pm the band got started up, in the main bar area 3 or 4 guys on fiddles got going and an old boy who looked like an old sea tar was doing some very good (and humorous) singing, then someone else would step up and do a few songs, traditional and very emotional songs which clearly meant a lot to the singer and probably the local peoples, sometime the place was silent as people listened to the words that were being sung, and at others punters would join in if the words were known. Callum and Logan were sat up on the bar......this would never happen in Scotland, lol. We stuck it till about 10.30 but by now the boys were tired and it was time to let everyone else enjoy the night without being interupted-not that anyone really seemed to care.