Go Ireland:Squeeze the last out of the holidays with a day in the great outdoors. Sandra O'Connellhas a range of suggestions to bring out the wild child in all of you
Events around the country mark Wild Child Day today, August 21st. See heritageweek.ie for what’s going on in your area. The day starts Heritage Week, which runs to August 29th
Birdwatching in Wicklow
Enough of the Tweeting, it’s time to get the kids out twitching and Birdwatch Ireland has just the place. It runs the East Coast Nature Reserve, along the coast at Newcastle Village.
The conservation area is being restored to protect rare water birds and fen habitats. Birds you might spot of a day include the Little Egret, the Whopper Swan, Kingfishers and the Greenland White Fronted Goose.
As well as wetlands there are grasslands and woodlands, and the whole area has a series of boardwalks and hides, so you can get up close and personal with your fine feathered friends.
There are interpretive signs and leaflets telling you what to look out for – right now the swallows are beginning to mass for their long journey home – and best of all, the entire reserve is open to the public, free of charge, all day every day.
Birdwatch Ireland, Bullford Business Campus, Kilcoole, Wicklow, 01-2819878, birdwatchireland.ie
Dolphin spotting in Loop Head
Swimming with dolphins might be a little bit much for small kids but a dolphin spotting cruise is something even the tiniest tots can enjoy.
Geoff and Susanne Magee’s Dolphin Watch runs boat trips out into the mouth of the Shannon in search of schools of dolphins.
Being wild animals, you can’t of course guarantee they’ll show up but the firm has only missed seeing them three times this year, which is no mean strike rate. In the meantime the fully guided tours offer commentary on dolphin habits and habitats along gorgeous coastline and under dramatic cliffs.
Right now is a great time to go as the by now full-bellied cetaceans have time just to play, as the picture just posted by Susanne on the website, of a dolphin tossing a giant salmon into the air, displays.
And, once you catch up with your dolphins, the kids can listen in on their conversation via the on-board hydrophone.
A two hour trip on the 52-seat ferry costs €24 per adult, € 12 for under 15s.
Dolphinwatch Ireland, Carrigaholt, Loop Head Peninsula, Co Clare, 065-9058156, dolphinwatch.ie
Bushcraft in Louth
Kids and camping go together. Here’s a way to take it that bit further. Engineer Frank McKeown runs BushcraftIreland, offering training in a range of outdoor survival skills of a kind you hope your kids will never have to call on. But just in case, his weekend Family Bushcraft courses will have them building their own shelter, starting a campfire, sleeping under stars and tracking foxes and deer.
Skills include how to avoid getting lost and what to do if you do (handy for Dundrum), making distress signals, finding water and making it fit to drink, and foraging. You’ll also learn how to build a weather proof shelter, make fire using a number of different methods, cook over an open fire or in a pit oven, track animals and make traps. Happily you don’t have to actually trap anything because all meals are supplied.
Courses run in all but the most extreme weather conditions and take place 40 minutes from Dublin. Suitable for children of eight years and over, they cost €120 per adult and €75 per child.
Bushcraft Ireland, 087-2266922, bushcraftireland.com
Orienteering in Athlone
There’s nothing kids love more than a treasure hunt, which, at heart, is what orienteering offers. And there’s no better way to get kids out exploring the countryside.
Most of the orienteering in Ireland takes place in woodlands and almost all events have levels to suit children and beginners as well as seasoned professionals.
The aim of the game is to find the check points mapped out for you or, if you’re a competitive kind of family, to find them before anyone else does.
Event information is available from the fixtures section of the Irish Orienteering Association and if this is the weekend you decide to give it a go, you’re in luck. Past president of the Association Frank Ryan, of the Western Eagles, is organising a “come and find out what it’s all about” fixture today and tomorrow in Athlone.
And don’t worry about losing the kids in the woods. This event, which is free, is around the decidedly non-wild environment of the IDA Business and Technology Park.
Contact Frank Ryan at 087-6745595, wego@orienteering.ie or see orienteering.ie
Aerial acrobatics in Wexford
News of the fun, and value, to be had at Gravity, the extreme adventure outdoor pursuits site at Forest Park Leisure Centre in Courtown has spread like wildfire up the east coast.
There’s a climbing wall, zip wires, two levels of aerial obstacles to clear and, while the activities might be high the prices are set low, deliberately so according to management “because we want people to come back again and again”.
As a strategy it’s working. The centre, which opened earlier this summer, has been booked solid throughout August. Tickets cost €20 per person for a two-hour session, with a ten per cent discount available for families.
Chill out afterwards in the terrific pool with 65m slide and, to get you back outdoors, check out the activities at the Irish Seal Sanctuary, which is in the process of relocating to the centre. As if there weren’t reason enough to visit.
Gravity, Forest Park Leisure Centre, Courtown Harbour, Wexford, 053-9424849, gravityforestpark.ie
Mountaineering in Kerry
Bringing your kids up a mountain is not something you’d do lightly, unless you’re pretty experienced yourself. Which is why in many cases, it’s best to go with a guide.
Each Saturday mountaineer Con Moriarty of Hidden Ireland Adventures runs a guided climb up Carrauntoohil, Ireland’s highest peak.
The climb is suitable for older children – and fittish parents. And to take your mind off your wheezing, Moriarty provides not just the safest route up but a rolling commentary including history, archaeology and folklore along the way.
To make it really interesting, he also runs regular dawn and full moon ascents. There’s one the kids will be telling their grandchildren about.
The tours departs the store at 10.30am and prices start at €50 per person, depending on group size, including transport if you need it.
Just check with Moriarty by 6pm the evening before to make sure it’s safe to climb.
Hidden Ireland Adventures, Killarney, Co Kerry, 064-22681, hiddenirelandadventures.ie.
Trout fishing in Meath
The thing about fishing is, if you don’t know how to do it, where do you start? Try Rathbeggan Lake. Opened in 1998, the main lake is one of the top still-water fly fishing venues in the country. In July and August it temporarily allows bait fishing, which is the perfect introduction for kids.
Basic casting instruction is available and there are staff on hand to advise on such matter as bait (prawns are good, apparently), fly choice and leader setup.
The lake is regularly stocked, all fish are thrown back in, and even if you don’t catch anything, it’s a very laid spot in which to while away a few hours.
Kids can take a break, go ride in the pedal boats or feed the animals in the petting zoo, and then come back and pick up where they left off. It’s amazing to see just how patiently they can wait when they want to. Rod hire costs €10.
Rathbeggan Lakes Angling Centre, Dunshaughlin, Co Meath 01-8240197, rathbegganlakes.com
Mountain bike in Limerick
Bikes are too much fun to leave to kids, so if you can’t beat them, join them with a whizz through 90km of purpose-built mountain biking trail in the Ballyhoura Mountains.
It's the largest trail network of its kind in Ireland and provides terrific – and sometimes even terrifying – opportunities for off road cycling en famillethrough Coillte forest.
A number of looped rides are on offer, from 6km to 50km, all designed by a top trail rider so they are full of twisty bits, tight turns and technical rocky bits.
Tough forest road climbs are rewarded by sweeping, fast descents guaranteed to have the kids smiling and your hands aching from squeezing the brakes.
Bike and helmet hire cost €40 for a day or €25 for an afternoon, with family discounts available if you remember to ask. Height restrictions apply but it’s typically suited to children from age 10 upwards.
XCT1 Mountain Bikes, Kilfinane, Co Limerick, 087-2717330, trailriders.ie
