2 Best Sights in Roundstone, Connemara and County Mayo

Dog's Bay Beach lies back-to-back with Gurteen Beach, forming a tombolo that juts out into the ocean. Unlike other local limestone beaches, Dog's Bay's brilliant white sand was formed from seashells, and its horseshoe shape stretches for a mile along the Connemara coast. Its clear, blue water is sheltered from currents, making it popular with swimmers and kitesurfers. Amenities: none. Best for: swimming; water sports; walking.

Just when you think you've discovered Connemara's final Atlantic frontier, Inis Ní (or Inishnee) Island lures you miles farther into its ocean-fringed wilderness. This is one of the most northerly outposts of the south Connemara Gaeltacht. The trailhead is by a car park close to Roundstone, and from there it's an easy mile of country road to a small causeway. Discarded fishermen's boats bob along a marshy inlet, at the start of the loop walk. The island's color palette varies with the season's blossoms, as you meander past deserted, forlorn graveyards, granite walls caked in lichen and moss, and a pier where fishermen sort their stock from brightly painted boats.