Adventure Sligo have come up with 14 ways to thrill your Mammy this Mothers’ Day – all tested on their own mothers (or someone else’s!). Some are high octane, some more low key but all make perfect presents.
Your mother isn’t average – she’s special, she’s one of a kind and she deserves a Mothers’ Day gift with a difference. Doing an activity together is also a lovely way to spend quality time with your mother, making memories as you go.
Try these for size:
Have lunch on the hoof
If your Mum is game for an equestrian adventure on the Wild Atlantic Way, then look no further than Island View Riding Stables who have some fabulous Mothers’ Day offers.
Island View Riding Stables is a family enterprise run by Raymond O’Connor and Ursula Schweiger O’Connor. Raymond’s mother, 89 year old Granny Liz retired from riding a decade ago, but is still firmly ‘First Lady’ of the business, acting as receptionist and welcome committee. She’s also a baker of some repute, with divine apple tarts and brown bread a speciality.
How about a glorious, exhilarating trek with your Mum along Trawalua beach following the boundary of the famous Classiebawn Estate to Mullaghmore. If she’s up to it, a gallop along a sandy Atlantic beach is a thrill indeed. After that exertion, it’s time to take a break in the picturesque fishing village of Mullaghmore and have lunch at the Pier Head Hotel before getting back in the saddle to head for home.
As a Mothers’ Day special – it’s buy three, get one free, so Mum rides at no cost if two other paying riders are with her. Cost is €60 per person (€46 for a child). The ride starts at 11.30 am and takes at least two hours.
Book with Ursula 071 9166156 and ask for the Mothers’ Day Mullaghmore Beach and Bog lunch ride.
www.islandviewridingstables.com
Go to the seaside with Seatrails
Maybe the Mammy prefers to keep both feet on the ground and if so, this lovely 90 minute guided walk by the sea in Strandhill could be just the ticket. Archaeologist Auriel Robinson’s mother Mary has tried and tested many of her daughter’s Seatrails walks and this is one of her favourites. She lives in Meath but loves to visit her daughter in Sligo, and as a Spanish speaker is a particular fan of the Spanish Armada Trail.
The Mother’s Day outing is on the beautiful Coolera Peninsula overlooked by Knocknarea Mountain. The scenery is glorious and the Atlantic air fresh and revitalising. Your guide Auriel is a mine of information bringing the prehistoric past alive as you walk. Watch out for the abundant wildlife – on sea and shore. Visit an ancient church by the water’s edge – a photographer’s dream.
The walk starts at 1.30pm on Mothers’ Day (meet at the Cannon on the promenade in Strandhill) and takes an hour and a half. It’s an easy walk but there is some uneven ground and as always in Ireland you’re advised to dress for the weather. It costs €20 per adult and €5 for children.
Book with Auriel 087 2405071 and ask for Mary’s favourite Mothers’ Day Walk
www.seatrails.ie
Yoga and hiking for the young at heart
This gentle guided hike includes a hill-top yoga stretch so it’s good for body and soul and suitable for Mammies of all ages. Veronica, mother of your walking guide Barry Hannigan, thoroughly recommends the Hike to Yoga Excursion. It’s part of the Adventures in Wellbeing Weekend from Your Wellbeing Warrior which takes place the weekend after Mothers’ Day leaving the day itself free for feasting and celebration.
The Hike to Yoga Excursion takes place on Saturday 6th April from 10am-3pm and starts at the Riverside Hotel Sligo. It’s a Grade C hike, described as a leisurely ramble that will allow for mingling, sightseeing and earthy meditations. The yoga stretch is at the peak of the hill, then after a warming beverage and snack it’s back to sea level and reality. What a lovely way to spend time with your Ma.
Book with Blaithín 087 7782261 and ask for Veronica’s Hike to Yoga Excursion.
www.yourwellbeingwarrior.com
If you’d rather walk with your mother on Mothers’ Day itself, William Britton of North West Adventure Tours is leading a more challenging hike across the top of Dartry mountain range overlooking the picturesque Glencar Valley. Contact William on northwestadventuretours@gmail.com if you’d like to join in.
Or choose your own thrill
All 14 members of the Adventure Sligo network have options for Mammies on Mothers’ Day. Take to the high seas surfing wild Atlantic waves, angling, kayaking or learning to sail. Enjoy a guided walk or challenge yourself climbing in the mountainy wilds. Whatever your choice, it gets you and your mother right into the great outdoors with experienced guides and teachers plus all the specialist equipment you need. For beginners, improvers and serious sports people.
