There is scenery and then there is Connemara scenery.
Okay, our destination isn’t strictly in Connemara, but it is very close by, as is some of the most incredible scenery I have ever seen.
The Delphi Resort is based in Leenane, Galway on the border of Mayo. A 15 minute drive will take you to Louisburgh in Mayo, a village so picturesque it should be illegal.
I’ll be honest, I’m not one for adventures. I’m more of a pint at the bar, read the paper, don’t be annoying me kind of guy, so the thoughts of staying in a place geared towards that didn’t exactly fill me with excitement. Still, I was keeping an open mind as I checked in with a few pals on the Friday evening.
It’s a fine looking building with an incredible backdrop of a huge mountain and glorious countryside. The building at nightime looks like something from The Hobbit which adds to its charms.
The accomodation was perfect, spacious and had no TV. What?! Yes, no TV.
That’s a good thing.
You are in the countryside, being as one with nature and you do not need a TV. If you really, really want one, there is a TV room which has a giant screen projected onto the wall and if you are badly stuck, they will loan you a DVD/TV combo unit.
We rose early on the Saturday morning as we were booked in for some coasteering, which is essentially climbing along the rocks on the coast and jumping into the sea. You are given a helmet, lifejacket and a wetsuit. All you have to do is follow the instructor and trust me, this is an adrenaline rush of epic proportions.
The instructors are all sound heads and yes, that makes a huge difference. Most of us mere mortals are enveloped in fear and uncertainty so it’s a bonus that the instructors fully understand that and are not there to judge or rebuke, but to encourage and have the craic.
Next up was the zip-line trek. Zip-lining sounds good, but if you have a fear of heights, it’s probably not for you. You are, of course, attached to a line with a harness and you are asked to negotiate obstacles that are so high up that looking down would give you a nosebleed.
Of course, you do get to fly like a bird and that for me was the clincher. Thanks to Kevin the instructor, I overcame my initial dread when I saw how high up we were and before long I was bounding around the course like Tarzan on steroids.
Our final activity of the day was the high ropes. Again, the safety harness is on and you are negotiating freakish heights. Even though you are attached to the harness and can’t actually fall, it doesn’t stop the fear and dread, but again, it was another brilliant, sweat-inducing activity.
There’s a lovely coffee shop there where you can chill or if you fancy something stronger the hotel bar is upstairs. There are two restaurants on site and if you feel like the activities have taken too much from you and you need to be pampered, fear not, as they have an in-house spa retreat too.
There are other activities too such as archery, kayaking, surfing, canoeing, moutain biking and loads of stuff to get the blood flowing.
I had a ball down there with the lads and never stopped laughing the whole time. The activities are fantastic, the scenery is breathtaking and it really is the perfect getaway from the cluttered city.
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