Camping In Mountshannon

The day we packed up our things from carvanning in Kerry, we headed up the road, past Limerick to Mountshannon in County Clare for a 2 night stay. Before I start this blogpost I have to confess, as we didn’t have space for camping gear, thanks to the Irish Caravan And Camping Council, we stayed in a caravan on site. We had as close to a camping experience as we could get! You’ll need to play the video to see more.

Journey Time

It took us about 3 and half hours to make the journey from Kerry to Mountshannon, the biggest traffic issue was crossing the bridge in Killaloe. We stopped in Killaloe and stocked up on a few provisions in SuperValu before continuing on our journey.

Mountshannon

We stayed in Lakeside Holiday Park which is about 2km outside of Mountshannon by road, but shorter as the crow flies and even shorter again if you take a boat.

If you’re looking for a total escape in an idyllic location then this is the place to go. I had virtually no phone signal in the holiday park, and certainly no internet access. I see a new business opportunity there for Lakeside – ‘Modern World Detox‘ holidays where you don’t even need to hand up your devices before you enter!

Our accommodation was a basic caravan with plenty of space, right on the lakeside and even though we were beside a camping area we barely saw anybody else, and it was exceedingly quiet. The campsite and park itself is HUGE and spans many hectares of woodland on the lake’s edge. There are trails to wander on and plenty of options when it comes to pitching a tent. There are great communal toilets, showers, kitchen areas and a tv room (including free-sat digital tv which the caravans have also).

What We Ate

Again I cooked fresh food that we had brought with us.

What We Did

The standout activity for us was lighting the campfire and toasting marshmallows which you can see in the video above. The 14-year-old had bought a bag of marshmallows on the first day of our roadtrip in the hopes that she would get to do this. Campfires (controlled in a responsible way) are encouraged at Lakeside.

It was wonderful to make these memories with the kids as the weather in Mountshannon wasn’t as good as Kerry.

There was also loads of walking in the forest and along the trails, particularly at night. My hubby is a big messer and a regular ‘Irish Dad’ offender when it comes to white socks with open sandals.

Cons

If I’m honest, Lakeside is beautiful and we would like to go back when the 2-year-old is a bit older and more easy to manage. As it was, we felt like we were constantly on stand-by, whereas he had a bit more freedom when we were in Kerry. The 14-year-old had a grand swim in the lake in the evening and proclaimed it lovely.

Would We Go Again

I think I’ve answered that above! We know that the Eireball run is swinging by Lakeside on their tour – do check out that link to see when there will be a vintage VW camper convoy passing by your town. As a family member is travelling with the Eireball we were delighted to call him on the way home to fill him in on the great spot he’ll be stopping at.

Disclosure

We stayed as guests of the Irish Caravan & Camping Council at Lakeside Holiday Park for 2 nights. All my opinions are my own and I am not paid to give them. We paid for all travel and expenses ourselves, including any activities mentioned above.