Ireland’s island wilderness

The Aran Islands are "the wild west of Europe", says Martin Doyle in the Times. Lying at the mouth of Galway Bay, ten miles or so off the west coast of Ireland, they're on the edge of the continent, but feel as if they're "at the end of the world". In the past, artists and writers were drawn to them by their "rich history, primitive way of life and austere beauty", and they are still sparsely populated, surrounded with "fantastic beaches" and strewn with "ancient churches, holy wells and castles", such as the "awesome" 4,000 year old fort of Dun Aengus. These days, however, their wildness also has a few unobtrusive limits – most pleasingly, some fine restaurants, such as the "acclaimed" Inis Meáin Bialann & Seomrai So. Aer Arann (0870 876 7676) flies to Galway from five UK airports from £112 rtn. Take the ferry from Galway. ·