A remote bay, nestled along the Wild Atlantic Way is Ireland’s most beautiful beach. This guide explains how to get there and what else not to miss as you drive through the Connemara National Park.
How did we get to Dog’s Bay
We were staying in the city of Galway so the drive was 90 minutes each way mainly on N roads (National Roads in Ireland). Even the regional road as you got closer to Roundstone were good quality so you can enjoy the scenic drive rather than worrying about dodging too many potholes. Majority of the route is the Wild Atlantic Way where you get smooth road with some of the best views of Ireland.
We were planning on only staying at the beach for a few hours so rather than bring a picnic we stopped at My Little Flower Coffee in the beautiful village of Oughterard. One of many things we loved about Ireland is the amount of independent restaurants and coffee shops, no Costa or Starbucks in sight. In each of these coffee shops, you get quality barista coffee and freshly baked food, not the same ultra processed and packaged goods that are blanket rolled across the country. I also noticed in several, there is a community notice board with mum and baby groups and local events proving that smaller village life can be a lot more friendly and less isolating than city life which quite a few of my friends are struggling with.
When typing the address into Google Maps I recommend putting Gurteen Beach car park instead of Dog’s Bay as the car park at Dog’s Bay is tiny and I’ve seen reports on other websites that cars have to reverse back down a tiny road for others to get out. The car park we chose was free with plenty of spaces and portable toilets. When I first saw the “toilets this way” with a sign that was pointing to the sea I thought it was tongue in cheek but there are actual porta-loos there.
Connemara National Park
On the drive to Dog’s Bay from Galway you’ll pass through Connemara National Park including the Twelve Bens and Pines Island Viewpoint. Driving back to the city you’ll get another take on the truly panoramic views making the drive part of the day out in itself. The scenery felt different to the Ring of Kerry and other parts of the Wild Atlantic Way, more Fjord like as if you were in Norway or New Zealand.
Gurteen Beach
On the other side of the sand pit and tombolo to Dog’s Bay is Gurteen Beach. With powder white sand, crystal clear water and the views of the mountains of the Connemara landscape its surprising that this isn’t voted Ireland’s most beautiful beach. It’s easy enough to cross the tombolo to visit both beaches.
We walked all along the bay here, admiring the sand dunes, collecting sea shells, listening to the soft waves crashing into the shoreline. We visited mid week but there were only a couple of dog walkers. To have somewhere so beautiful almost completely to yourself felt so special. You are pretty remote, the nearest village being Roundstone.
Dog’s Bay
This bay is so sheltered and remote from any pollution there is no typical sea salt air. Being the Atlantic, the water was still cold early September but great for a cold water dip. We visited during the week, so there were few other people there but I would imagine it gets busy on summer weekends despite being more remote.
This was the perfect swim spot, powder sand that’s easy to run across, crystal clear water and boulder rocks scattered making it look like a beach from South East Asia or the Seychelles. On our last full day in Ireland this really was the cherry on top of a fantastic trip exploring the Emerald Isle and already know I’ll be back to explore more of what this beautiful and wild scenery the country has to offer.