I stumbled upon my favourite place in Ireland. And I had it all to myself.

Whenever the weather is nice in Ireland, I get in the car and go explore. I go with no plans or agenda. It's easy to do here, we have marked out routes like 2500 km Wild Atlantic Way.

It was July. Kerry had the "Fully Booked' signs up while Mayo, in the northwest of Ireland, doesn't get enough visitors. That's down to lack of promotion, not lack of beauty.

So I headed out to Mayo looking for the WAW sign. I didn't even know if I would head north or south once I got on the route. The luxury of living in Ireland. I can always come back.

Wild Atlantic Way Loops

You can read more about my few days in Mayo here. My rough plan was based around visiting Downpatrick Head. I had a lovely few hours there and then continued west. My target for the night was Belmullet.

I was headed there when I saw this sign for a Loop off the Wild Atlantic Way. Loops are suggested detours off the main WAW route.

Some are hits, some are misses.

This sign had a lot of Irish on it. I'm an Irish speaker, and I always like an opportunity to practice. At the very last second, I swung the car down the loop, not knowing what was at the end of it.

Labhair Gaeilge Linn

"Speak Irish With Us". My heart lifted when I saw this sign. I saw a man standing at his gate, as you do in rural Ireland. I rolled the car to a stop and started speaking Irish to him. He responded in English 😆

After the mandatory five minutes of pleasantries, I asked what to see around here. He just pointed up the hill and said to follow the road.

I was dubious. I drove on along a narrow two-way road. I had stop to let the sheep meander across. They had no fear of me. Maybe because they weren't used to cars.

WOW on the WAW

Well, what waited for me at the top of the hill had me actually shouting out loud in joy. I was blown away that not only did a place like this exist, but that I was the only person here. I spend two hours here and didn't see anyone.

I recorded this video to capture my excitement.

The Cliffs

We all know the famous cliffs in Ireland. Well they're not the only ones, just the most crowded. The cliffs here had no protection against falling, I edged as far as I could to get photos before my vertigo kicked in. The sheep looked on bemused.

The Pool

I kept walking along a trail that barely existed. Not enough people come here to stamp down a clear path and came upon the pool.

I don't know what it's really called, but if it wasn't Ireland, somebody would be charging a fortune to relax in it. Although, I suspect the sheep may use it as a toilet. Shame, it was a hot day, I could have done with a cooling dip.

Kid Island

Ahead is Kid Island. Hard to believe, but sheep graze here during the summer, I don't know how they get them on the island. People in these isolated parts of Ireland are inventive.

The cliffs below were full of life. Birds swooping & screaming. I saw a boat. Where it was going, I don't know but I wished I was on board.

The scenery was just outrageous. I've been all of Ireland and thought I'd seen it all. I kept looking around waiting for ten bus tours to show up, because if this was in Kerry, it would be mobbed. Instead, I sat down and spent a good hour just taking it all in.

The Turf

Just when I thought my day could not get any better, I walked further along and saw a row of freshly dug peat turf out drying.

Behind it, was an old man wearing a full suit digging the turf. This could have been 1825 instead of 2025. It was such a dignified setting that I couldn't sully it by taking a photo of him. I left the man in peace and privacy. The memory is engraved forever though.

The Beach

Very reluctantly, I drove away, trying to process what I had just seen. It was nearly too much to take in.

And the Gods sensed it, for I saw a sign towards An Trá, the beach.

I drove down the steep incline and looked down upon a perfectly turquoise crescent beach. The Caribbean in Mayo.

I parked the car and joined the dozen other people on the beach. They were swimming, I was drowning in thoughts of how a place like this can exist and no-one knows about it.

An Bhinn Bhuí

I've kept the name of this very special place from you. That is intentional. I wanted you to earn it, to put the effort into learning about it. The place deserves it.

This is Benwee Head, An Bhinn Bhuí.

Now you know about it. Plan your trip to Ireland around it.