Surf’s up: elemental experiences along the Wild Atlantic Way

Simon Calder braves the waves off the West Coast of Ireland before enjoying a classically Irish spa experience

I love how the Wild Atlantic Way steers you around the western Irish coast and through superb scenery. But I also relish exploring the towns along the way – with Sligo one of my favourites. Beside the Garvoge river, a new skyline has risen, with the most dramatic dimensions delivered by the Sligo Glasshouse Hotel. Inside this crystal palace, it’s smart and sophisticated, with plenty of art and colour.

People who stay in glass houses shouldn’t throw away the opportunity for discovering more about their location – so I met up with Melissa Ni Mhaolanfaidh, founder of Sligo Walking Tours. She took me to mediaeval Sligo Abbey, built in 1253, and to the statue of William Butler Yeats – winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature and Ireland’s national poet. In County Sligo, she says: “You can see the scenery, and how it inspired him.”

Time to get more involved with the wild Atlantic. Ever since I was a young boy, I’ve dreamed of the West Coast surfing experience. And while it may have actually been the southern Californian shore I’d see in those dreams, it’s said among the pros that the waves on the West Coast of Ireland are even more impressive.

Among the surfing pros singing the praises of the West Coast of Ireland is Seamus McGoldrick of the Sligo Surf Experience. At the resort of Strandhill, he taught me how to hitch a ride on the water that has powered its way 3,000 miles across the ocean.

“It’s a very established fact that Ireland has some of the best waves in the world,” he says.

Surfing is all about balance and reading the water. And when you’re a novice, about going back time and again to try to master standing up. I proved not to be one of his best students, but had a great time. He reassures me: “Being a good surfer and being a happy surfer are very different things.”

It seems the ocean wins every time – but after this taste of the Wild Atlantic waves, I’ll be back.

To follow the surfing experience, I recommend continuing the ocean theme with a seaweed bath. At Kilcullen Seaweed Baths they have been sharing the fruits of the Atlantic with an eager public since 1912. At this exciting and uniquely Irish version of a spa, water is pumped in from the ocean and seaweed is harvested at low tide. The promise is: “A tranquil amber tinted sea of unashamed luxury”. The overture to the seaweed bath is the steam cabinet. After clambering into what appears to be a tilted horizontal wooden wardrobe, you proceed to have your whole body steam cleaned with a system that sounds like a fire-breathing monster.

The man in charge of dispensing humid hospitality is Edward Kilcullen, grandson of the founder. “We don’t have hot springs, we don’t have muds,” he says. "But we’ve got copious amounts of seawater and seaweed. There’s a feelgood factor associated with having a seaweed bath. It’s fantastic for the skin; the benefits are obvious and immediate.”

Once in the bath, massage the fronds into your skin to release all the alginate and iodine. Best of all, unlike your bath at home, you can float because it’s good Atlantic seawater.

Heading west on the Wild Atlantic Way, an essential stop is Ballina – where the road crosses the beautiful River Moy, which rises in the Ox Mountains of County Sligo. Many people come here to see the SS Crete Boom – the concrete hull of a ship built towards the end of the First World War, which ended up in the river after a series of misadventures.

The architectural highlight is Belleek Castle – now a country house hotel. The river is a favourite with anglers, and there’s a salmon leap in the centre of town.

If you’re pausing here, the Ice House Hotel is an excellent place to check in, with a terrace overlooking the river.

On this stretch of the Wild Atlantic Way, you really get some elemental experiences. From surfing to seaweed – with spirituality thrown in. After my immersion and indulgence today, I’m ready for some sweet dreams of the ocean and adventure.

Best of the northwest – along Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way

Find out more about the Wild Atlantic Way and the unique adventures it offers, and start planning your own Ireland escape.

Thanks to the Common Travel Area, British visitors do not need a passport or a visa to travel to the island of Ireland (though check with your travel provider for any ID requirements).