The Doolin Ferry and a Whiter Shade of Pale

I think I now know where Procol Harum got the title for the famous song. I believe it was while crossing on the Doolin ferry from Doolin to Inishmore, one of the Aran Islands off the coast of western Ireland.

A few days ago about 15 of us plus our bikes boarded the passenger only ferry in Doolin for the 90 minute crossing. Within minutes of leaving the dock I had to put my stomach on lockdown orders. So did everyone else. That’s when I noticed that the seats were welded, not bolted to the deck so what we were to experience was probably pretty typical.

At first everyone was quite jolly and laughed as gear scattered with every hit of a wave but when the waves started washing over the back deck it wasn’t quite so funny. Then I think we are all secretly wondering why on earth we are going over to these desolate, god forsaken islands.

Fortunately after about an hour we got into the lee of some of the smaller islands where it was tempting to remove the lockdown orders. That wasn’t to be as the strength of the waves picked right back up in between islands.

Once we did reach Kilronan some of the locals said they were too scared to take the Doolin ferry and preferred the larger one out of Rossavael. However the Doolin ferry permits a nice circle bike tour out of Galway but wish we could pick our travel weather in advance.

Once on Inishmore there are quiet roads verging on goat tracks at times for truly lovely cycling. You can visit Don Aonghasa, a spectacularly situated fort dating back to 2000 BC. Cycling along the coast is also possible for about six kilometres and all the while you can enjoy the vistas and the incredible patchwork of rock walls. Birdlife is first rate too.

You don’t usually need to reserve ahead of time for the Doolin ferry and it will be an unforgettable jouney.

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