Castles, bikes and a hero dog: five go glamping in Galway

Alison Bough

Does the word ‘camping’ fill you with abject horror? Or does it bring back happy memories of a childhood spent cosily tucked up in a tent with your siblings? Well, 2017 has replaced camping with glamping and HerFamily are here to give you the lowdown on what it’s really like to live in a teepee with three children (and a man).

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:

From Galway City: 55 mins
From Dublin: 1hr 55 mins
From Waterford: 2hrs 10 mins
From Limerick: 1hr
From Cork: 2hrs 10 mins
From Belfast: 3 hrs 50 mins

What to do

The glamping village is the perfect base to explore the local surrounds from, either by foot or by pedal. We took the latter option and hired four of the quality bikes available on site. Our four-year-old pegged a child seat on the back of a grownup bicycle, while the rest of us were self-propelled. Everything is nearby, there are no busy roads to contend with, and our boys (who are seven and six) stuck to the safe pathways. You won’t have to cycle too far to see the sights, so don’t worry if you are no Bradley Wiggins.

Our first stop was the ruins of the 13th century Cistercian abbey in Portumna forest park. The abbey was abandoned circa 1595 and has a (very creepy) gap in the wall which provides a view of two ancient coffins – needless to say, this was counted as a highlight of the whole trip by my Indiana Jones loving boys!

We cycled on, past the park’s swimming and picnic area (given the inclement weather conditions we decided to skip an open swim in the beautiful Lough Derg). Seasonally, the swimming area has a number of jetties, lots of green areas to run and play, and a generous amount of picnic benches. In warmer months, I’m informed that the toilet and shower block is opened and there is also a life guard on duty. If you don’t fancy a ‘refreshing’ swim you can admire the view and feed the Lough’s resident duck and swan families.

Our next stop was the Harry Potter style Portumna Castle, built circa 1618 by Richard de Burgo, the 4th Earl of Clanricarde. The hugely impressive residence was the main seat of the de Burgo family for over 200 years, until it was sadly gutted by fire in 1826.

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.