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27th March 2017
10:59am BST
Where
We stayed at the Pod Umna Glamping Village in the town of Portumna, South East Galway. With its magnificent castle, 13th century Cistercian abbey ruins, historic workhouse, award-winning forest park, and picturesque setting on the River Shannon and Lough Derg, Portumna makes for the perfect family adventure weekend. A great selection of shops, pubs and restaurants, ensures that you won't be left wanting in this market town.
Why
Pod Umna Village provides a family camping experience without the hardship of cold groundsheets and washing yourself over a bucket. With off-road parking, the site is fully secure and gated, monitored by CCTV cameras and has a staff member on call 24 hours a day. Each warm and cosy Pod has a lockable front door and comes with two wall lights, electricity sockets, electric oil heaters and a mirror. All of the Pods also come with comfy camping mattresses and luxury bed linen (duvet and pillows) - yippee!
We chose to stay in one of the village's three canvas bell tents to get an even more Indiana Jones-esque experience. The roomy tents, which are available from March until September, sleep a family of up to six people and are raised off the ground and fixed to a decking - meaning no damp, cold ground. The kids all had single mattresses and we were as snug as five bugs in a...well, in a bell tent.
Get there
We drove from Kildare to Portumna in just under two hours, but getting to the Galway town shouldn't take too long no matter where you're coming from:
Although her Ladyship declined to get off her comfy bike perch, our boys were in their element peeking through the castle's windows and hypothesising about what sort of 'prisoners' had been kept in 'the dungeons'.
Another favourite moment of of our trip was what became known as "the lovely dog plaque". The plaque, built into the castle's south porch, records the death of Fury the dog in April 1797 and nearly had us all in tears:
"This stone is erected to the memory of a much lamented animal who with a beauteous form possessed those qualities which are esteemed most valuable in the human species; Fidelity and Gratitude, and dying April 29th 1797 aged 11 years was interred near this place. Alas! poor Fury. She was a dog. Take her for all in all. Eye shall not look upon her like again."
We later found out that local legend says a child fell from one of the castle's upper windows. Fury, an Irish wolf hound, apparently raced over and broke the child's fall, saving its life. Fury's grave was discovered and excavated as part of the restoration work on the building and she is now on display inside the castle itself.
Our last bike stop of the day was Portumna's playground, located just outside the village. The grownups enjoyed a much deserved sit-down and the kids tired themselves out completely.
The following day we made use of the dry weather to walk, scoot, and bike through the beautiful 15,000 acre forest park with its nature walks, bike trails and native woodland full of various wildlife. The forest park also boasts an impressive wheelchair and buggy-friendly walkway and a viewing platform for people with special needs. We were very excited to spot not just one, but four, red squirrels clambering through the tall trees above our heads.
Eat
We had a top-notch family friendly breakfast in Blas Gourmet Deli and Bakery on Clonfert Avenue. Serving up locally sourced produce, high quality in-house baking, and vegetarian and gluten free options, the lovely Majella was the perfect host to our windswept party of five. The kids were catered for to the point of being completely spoiled,and the selection of games on offer meant mum and dad were able to eat in peace. The food was delicious - so much so, that we ended up having a three-course breakfast. For dindins we enjoyed (huge) pizzas at Bethlehem, a family run Italian style pizzeria and pasta restaurant on Dominic Street. Waistlines be warned, the portions are mammoth AND tasty!
Kid friendly
Pod Umna Glamping Village have gone out of their way to make camping with kids as stress-free as possible. There are baby changing facilities onsite in De Burgos Gate Lodge and a built-in baby safety seat in the shower area. There are high chairs in the dining room and travel cots for smallies to sleep in. A babysitting service is also available if you fancy a couple of drinks in nearby Curleys or An Caislean. Our three made good use of the great selection of lego, cars, and building blocks in the well-stocked playroom; a saviour for parents if the Irish weather isn't playing along with your plans.
Whatever the weather, it's safe to say that this family of five are glamping converts. We'll definitely be back for another holiday - even if only to visit poor 'aul Fury the dog. Sniff.
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