When King Writes

The first time I heard about Kylemore Abbey, I had imagined some kind of traditional church — one with a row of wooden pews on each side and an altar at the front. But that couldn’t have been farther from what the abbey in Galway, Ireland actually offers.

Sure, they do have a neo-Gothic church inside the 1,000-acre estate that makes up the entirety of Kylemore Abbey. But when I came to visit while I was in Galway, I found there was a lot more to discover on this historic piece of land.

From exploring the Victorian walled gardens and the property’s numerous woodland hikes to seeing the actual halls and rooms of the Abbey, spending a day immersed in one of Ireland’s most treasured attractions is simply not enough.

Kylemore Abbey

The first thing I saw coming from the parking lot was the picturesque Kylemore Abbey itself. Admiring it from afar, as you can see in the short video below, is already a visual treat worth all the trouble of getting there.

Rising from the edge of the lake, Kylemore Abbey looks more like a storybook castle than anything resembling a traditional abbey. With its long stone façade, turrets and tall arched windows, it felt like the building itself naturally belonged to its surroundings.

Some might say spending a good 10 minutes in that spot, just admiring the abbey and surrounding nature is excessive. But with the sound of birds chirping, trees swaying and wind gently blowing all around me, and the calm waters making soothing movements on a rare sunny day in Ireland, I was, as a matter of fact, just pressured to move on for the sake of seeing more of the estate with the little time that we had there. If time was of no concern, I would have stayed and admired that specific view from the video much longer. I would have cherished everything — the sight, the sounds and even the smell of freshly rained-on grass.

Anyway, I’m sorry to say that I no longer have a copy of the photos I took in the abbey. Most of our files from this trip are gone forever, so all I have to work with are a few videos saved on my mobile phone and… my imperfect memory.

Based on my memory, inside the abbey itself, the experience shifts from a grand landscape to something far more intimate and personal. Before I entered the double doors, I had thought I’d see either some kind of church or vast, echoing halls. But… I was mistaken. And boy, was I glad I was. 

The rooms inside the abbey felt like… home. As I moved from elegant sitting rooms and drawing rooms to the dining room, complete with a long table, and then to other personal spaces on the first floor of the abbey, the humanness the entire abbey gave off within its walls really drove home the fact that it was once a place lived in by real people.

Victorian Walled Gardens

But like I said, time was not on my side when I came to visit. So I had to move on to the next point of interest, which is the walled gardens.

The place is easy to explore because of the detailed map you’re given upon entry, as well as the shuttle bus that comes to pick up visitors from point to point within the estate (if you have the patience to wait for it).

In peak season, I imagine the gardens would have been filled with life and color. When I came in autumn, life was still abundant, but not much of the colors of spring and summer.

Still, it was a treat to walk around. The quieter paths and fading blooms gave the garden a peaceful, reflective atmosphere — one I really appreciated, especially because of the hectic past few days I’d experienced before visiting the abbey.

I stayed for a while, seated on one of the many benches on the sides of the garden, watching the few people who came and went, including the gardeners tending to the flora.

Walking Trails

Of course, I couldn’t waste the opportunity to explore more of the outdoors. I visited Ireland for that anyway. The Abbey offers numerous trails depending on how much time you have and what kinds of trees and plants you’d like to see.

We were told by the guide that Kylemore Abbey is home to the “best walks in Galway,” as if I needed any more prompting to prioritize exploring the estate’s gifts from nature on foot.

Since we were short on time, my fiancé and I chose a 20-minute walk that would take us to a herd of native Connemara ponies. But I think we walked too slowly because it took us around 45 minutes to get to the other side of the trail. 🤣

But honestly, who can blame us? The walking trail we chose offered so much peace and so many unique trees to admire that we couldn’t help but stop and stare every now and then.

You might think I’m too corny, but I realized the walk felt less like a delay and more like a gift (after the initial feeling of paranoia and fear that we were lost in the woods 🤪). I held my fiancé’s hand as we strolled to our heart’s content, feeling so so so grateful that we were given a few moments in the infinite space and time to have that trail all to ourselves.

Dining and Horses

Yes, the trail we chose eventually led us to the horses I’d been wanting to see ever since I saw on the map we were given at the entrance that they were there. I’d been waiting for that moment.

Alas, when we got there, the horses were too far away. Like, even if I zoomed in on my camera, I still wouldn’t see them as close as I wanted to. I waited for a few minutes to see if they’d come nearer, but my fiancé’s tummy was sounding a quiet alarm, one that I’d heard, so I said we should head to the nearby café.

Anyway, I realized I’m really happy that the horses have the choice to be really far away from the viewing point. That just tells you they have plenty of land to run around and graze, which means they’re living their best lives on the estate.

The café wasn’t too far from the viewpoint for horses. In fact, the café has a floor-to-ceiling window that looks straight onto the viewpoint. So if the horses come around and feel like being near visitors, we could have easily seen them from where we were seated.

We sat right beside the windows, which honestly had such a romantic vibe even if we only ate sandwiches and drank warm coffee. We stayed there until the shuttle arrived to take us back to the main entrance.

And So Much More…

And so the adventure ends here, but only for the one we had at Kylemore Abbey. We only had half a day to explore the estate because the rest of the day was spent on the road, getting to the next destination. As you might know, Ireland’s attractions are so far apart that if you wanted to explore more of the country, half of the time you’re there would be spent on the road.

If we had more time or if we ever come back someday, I’d like to see the churches, mausoleum and meet more animals and walk more trails on the estate. I’d also explore the rooms inside the abbey for longer.

But with the time we were given, I am and always will be incredibly grateful. Sometimes a brief visit is enough to leave a lasting impression, and Kylemore Abbey did exactly that.