During the week Mairead got an email from listener Lorraine who was planning a staycation with her family this summer, and they wanted to go camping.
However they ran into an issue when every campsite they tried had no availability on the dates when they could travel and were considering trying wild camping in 3 different spots for 3 nights each.
We put it out to the Today FM listeners, and along with great tips like remembering to leave no trace behind and not to camp near water, here are the spots you recommended:
- Wild Atlantic camp in Donegal, there is availability for tents there.
- Go on Facebook look up Wild Camping Ireland. It's a good group and you will get loads of advice there. Dancing Postie
- I don't know about wild camping in the area, but I know some northern public parks have a toilet block with showers in them. They are free to access . There is a block beside Lough Melvin in Garrison, Co Fermanagh. Maybe some other nordies could chip in with more places like this.
- Pipers Inn in Killaloe, Clare.
- Fanore Caravan Park in County Clare is an option for that person, beside the beach!
- Lisadel beach in Sligo. People wild camp all the time. You will be ignored so long as you behave. The toilet is a spade I'm afraid! Helen in Sligo.
- Try The Apple Farm in Tipperary. They’re an apple farm with a campsite attached. You get a bottle of apple juice on arrival!
- Hey Mairead. We did wild camping a few weeks ago in Mayo near Lousbourgh and it was a great experience. Would recommend telling that lady to purchase a chemical toilet if they are going wild camping. (in Lidl at the mo!)
- Hi, please tell Lorraine that the Ox Mountain Adventure Camp in the sticks of Co. Sligo might be a possibility. Dermot is very accommodating and can provide loads of activities for the three kids, from hiking, archery, shelter building, bouncy castles etc. You can camp out yourself, or you can stay in a log cabin, a bunk n' barn and now even a treehouse. A lovely location, in a county that provides so much more including great hiking trails, beaches etc. Shane, Sligo
- My wife and 3 grown kids and occasionally our big puppy Blue (4 year old German Shepard) go wild camping. It's difficult, but once you leave nothing behind but footprints and take nothing but memories you will have no issues. Be respectful of folk’s lands, boundaries and the country rules and you should have no problems. We camp in Kerry every year and have done for nearly 15 years, the beach in Tralee is one of our favourite place. Jason
- Hey Mairead, in relation to the wild camping query it is pretty hard to find spots in Ireland as most land is either privately owned or where there is public land, camping is prohibited. Coillte does have some wild campsites but they are aimed at backpackers and would not work for a family with a big tent. I would suggest contacting the camping and caravanning club for a full list of campsites. In my experience many of the small campsites do not have websites or do not show up in Google so you have to go old school and search them out in directories, hopefully this helps and they get to go on their camping adventure! I would also highly recommend Cronis Yard in Kerry at the base of Carrauntoohil, it's pretty wild!
- Hey Mairead, get your listener to try Battlebridge Caravan and Camping in Leitrim village. If they don’t have space, they’ll know someone who has. It’s only 10 minutes drive from Carrick on Shannon and is a great central location for getting to most places from Mullingar to Sligo.
- There's a brilliant place down near New Ross outside Inistioge called In The Wild campsite. It gives you a wild camping experience but it technically is a campsite. Check out their Facebook page. The scenery is absolutely beautiful with pitches along the river nestled in trees and the owner John will help bring your camping gear to the perfect spot. There is also one composting toiled on site. Highly recommend. Niamh.
- Try strand camping in Doonbeg, they had availability for some tents. Or Nagles or O'Connors in Doolin. We are taking our 1988 VW camper to Clare for our first trip away today. Also need a chemical toilet and toilet tent, they're only about 20 euro.
- Hi Mairead, I can’t advise the listener on wild camping - no loo or washing facilities are not for me - but she should definitely abandon the idea of pitching the tent 3 times in 3 different places with 3 children in tow over 9 days unless she wants to end up killing someone or divorced!!!
Tune in to Mairead Ronan weekdays from 12pm.
