Gowlaun: Lettergesh Beach and the Renvyle Peninsula

The Connemara Caravan and Camping Park in Gowlaun offers direct access to Lettergesh Beach. Check the park’s current facilities before you arrive. The nearby Renvyle Peninsula also has other beaches, activities and cultural offerings.

Lettergesh Beach: shore, tides and film history

The Renvyle Peninsula is home to the sandy beaches of White Strand, Lettergesh Beach and Glassilaun Beach. The expansive Lettergesh Beach is ideal for beach walks and runs. At low tide, visitors can explore the entire beach and the rock pools that become visible. If you particularly want to see these pools, plan your visit for low tide.

A horse-racing scene from the film The Quiet Man was also filmed at Lettergesh Beach. For film fans, this makes the beach a specific location in film history.

Exploring the Renvyle Peninsula

The Renvyle Peninsula is accessible from the nearby area by car, bicycle or on foot. The ways of getting there and the leisure activities answer different planning questions: car, bicycle and walking describe how to reach the peninsula; swimming, scuba diving with Scuba Dive West and pony trekking are activities on the peninsula. This lets you consider your journey and activities separately.

Cultural offerings are also part of the region: traditional Irish music, sing-songs and Irish craic are available on the Renvyle Peninsula. So, alongside beaches and activities, cultural experiences are also an option when planning your trip.

Galway as a wider travel destination

In the wider Galway destination, you’ll find walking trails of varying lengths and with different destinations. The Family Trail in Coole Park is an easy 1.75 km walking route that passes the site of the former house and goes through the walled garden to the Autograph Tree. The 4.5 km Seven Woods Trail passes a viewpoint overlooking Coole Lake as well as extensive wetlands. In Connemara National Park, the 6.5 km Diamond Hill Walk leads to the 445 m summit of Diamond Hill. The routes therefore differ in both length and destination: a garden and the Autograph Tree, lake views and wetlands, or the summit.

Dún Aonghasa is also part of the wider Galway destination. The visitor centre is open year-round and offers guided tours; it is located at the start of a 1 km walking route to the cliff-top fort. Dún Aonghasa is over 3,000 years old.

Kylemore Abbey began in the 1860s as a castle by the sea, built by Mitchell Henry for his wife Margaret. An admission ticket includes the abbey, church, mausoleum, woodland and lakeshore walks, and the Victorian Walled Garden.

The Connemara Pony Heritage Centre in Letterfrack is also in the wider Galway area. Opened in November 2025, the centre presents the history, legacy, traditions and culture of the Connemara pony through storytelling, visual exhibits, digital and traditional images, and films.

Discover more destinations: Letterfrack, Kylemore, Monard, Craughwell, Cleggan, Furbo, Castlegar, Carraroe.

For the wider travel overview: Galway.