Lough Ree East Caravan and Camping

07/10/2026

While our season is officially over, the mild — at times, actually warm — weather has brought a surprising number of requests for October stays. So, where we can accommodate them, we're continuing to take bookings until the end of the month.

We do, however, have a big maintenance job underway, so we'll be closed from Friday, October 9th to Wednesday, October 14th (this coming weekend), reopening on Thursday, October 15th for the final two-ish weeks of 2026.

And that last couple of weeks includes both the October Bank Holiday weekend (23rd–26th) and Halloween (31st). 🎃
Halloween camping at the end of October might sound like a slightly mad idea — but if you're looking for a quiet night or weekend away from all the Halloween madness, perhaps it's not such a bad one!
Just one important disclaimer: there will be no Halloween activities here! 😄 Just Lough Ree East, peace and quiet, and hopefully some more of this remarkably mild autumn weather. 🍂🏕️

To Fiona Lynch who sent me this calm and peaceful Autumn evening photo of the lake, taken on her recent family stay - thank you - love it!

24/09/2026

📱 A quick heads-up — my phone isn’t working....other than on WhatsApp!
Now, some of you might say, “Does it ever?” 😂 Rest assured, it does… just not at the moment!
I was arranging a new (and stronger!) broadband/phone contract today. Everything was shut down with the previous provider, only to discover that my phone is locked to them — and it could take up to three days to free itself so I can use my new SIM.

So, for the moment, if you’re trying to phone me, please call me on WhatsApp instead.
📧 Email is working perfectly as usual: [email protected]

It was all supposed to be a smooth, seamless transition… the best-laid plans! 😅
And, of course, with our official final weekend of the season coming up, the timing couldn't be better! 🙈
Hopefully normal phone service will resume very soon!
Meanwhile, looking forward to seeing everyone for the weekend.

Thanks again to John Busher for the second of his 'Lough Ree East Sunset in September' series ....literally, the last seconds.....almost where we are in the season!!

17/09/2026

We’ve had a lovely mix of visitors from across Europe over the past couple of weeks, all making the most of a September that is still (surprisingly) warm — even if the weather can’t quite make up its mind from one hour to the next!
The pace is a little gentler now, the evenings are drawing in, but there’s still plenty of life around the site and on the lake. And when the sun does appear, it’s a reminder that Summer hasn’t completely given up on us just yet.
Speaking of which, many thanks to John Busher who sent me this stunning shot of the last moments of a September evening, taken from the site.
Thank you, as always, to everyone who has stayed with us and added to the atmosphere. There’s still plenty of September left — and plenty of availability for anyone tempted by a late-season escape to Lough Ree East.

29/08/2026

It might have been the last weekend of the high season, but it was arguably one of the most atmospheric and relaxing of the summer — maybe the lunar eclipse on Thursday night/Friday morning had something to do with it! 🌙✨
It was a lovely weekend, with visitors joining us from all over the world — from across Europe, the USA ...even Korea and Australia — as well as plenty from closer to home.
Thank you, as always, to everyone who helped make it such an enjoyable weekend. 😊
And with the end of the high season comes something we haven't been able to say very often over the past couple of months… lots of availability!
So, if you fancy a quieter, relaxing getaway by the lake as summer begins to wind down, you could do a lot worse.......I can see hands in faces as you read that ....tired....and probably need to work on my marketing skills!🙃

Thank you Ciara Neill for sending me this lovely photo of your boys enjoying the lake on your recent visit.

24/08/2026

🌕 Something to watch for in the skies over Lough Ree East this week!
Skywatchers could be in for a lovely celestial display in the early hours of Friday morning, August 28, as a partial lunar eclipse turns part of the Moon a dramatic reddish colour.
It comes just over two weeks after the partial solar eclipse on August 12 — it's been some month for anyone who enjoys watching the skies!
The lunar eclipse takes place overnight on Thursday, August 27 into Friday, August 28, and will be visible across Ireland, the UK, Europe, Africa and parts of North and South America.
The timing isn't perfect for us here in Ireland, as the Moon will be getting quite low on the horizon as the eclipse develops — but, if the weather plays along and we get clear skies, we could still be treated to a beautiful sight. 🤞🌙
The eclipse begins at around 2.24am on Friday morning, when the Moon starts to enter the outer part of Earth's shadow, known as the penumbra (every day is a school day!).
So, one for the night owls — or a reason to set the alarm.....quietly, if you're onsite, please😴! 🌕🌑

Apologies to Geraldine Anderson for having AI'd her lovely photo of a few weeks ago!! All in the honorable effort to demonstrate a lunar eclipse over Lough Ree East....if the moon was falling out of the sky at the same time 🤭!!

23/08/2026

Another great weekend at Lough Ree East Caravan & Camping — lovely people, as always, with old friends returning and plenty of new ones coming to stay with us too!...and now, incredibly, there’s just one more ‘big’ weekend of the high season to go… and then it’s back to school!
It’s difficult to believe that summer is almost over. (Yes, I KNOW it’s officially autumn — but I’m firmly in denial!! 😄).

We’re fully booked next weekend, but there’s lots of availability Sunday to Thursday if you’d like to squeeze in a few more days of ‘summer’ by the lake.
And if a quieter break is more your style, all weekends in September currently have availability — a lovely time of year to enjoy Lough Ree when things begin to slow down a little.
Thank you to Billy Byrne for this week’s lovely photo — some of our younger campers making the most of a beautiful August evening by the lake.

15/08/2026

🌒 A momentous week! 🌒
Ireland experienced a major partial solar eclipse on the evening of Wednesday, August 12th, 2026, when the Moon blocked about 95% of the Sun here in Athlone – the most significant eclipse we'll see in this part of the country for many years.
And, for those of us who got a little confused by the eclipse statistics... apparently a total solar eclipse happens somewhere on Earth roughly every 18 months, but for one particular location, the average wait between total eclipses can be around 375–400 years!
The next big one for Ireland comes in 2090 – although Athlone probably still won't quite make it into the path of totality. Parts of Kerry, on the other hand, just might!
So, if you're already planning your next “Eclipse Break” for 64 years' time, Kerry might be the better option!! 😄🌑
One of the recognised effects of an eclipse was certainly very evident here on the site on Wednesday evening – social bonding. Shared experiences like this have a wonderful way of bringing people together, and that's exactly what happened here.
People gathered to watch, chatted with neighbours and complete strangers, and special eclipse glasses were passed around and shared so that others could safely have a look too. People who hadn't known one another beforehand ended up sharing the experience – and, in some cases, making new friends along the way.
For a little while, everyone stopped what they were doing and looked up at the same thing.
A fairly rare event in the sky – and a lovely evening on the ground, too.

Finally...availability for weekends:
August weekends (Friday and Saturday nights) are fully booked - but lots of availability from Sunday to Thursday.

10/08/2026

04/08/2026

Another busy, but also relaxing, August Bank Holiday weekend has just come to an end.
Some of you may have spotted Catherine back for a quick visit, lending a hand. Sadly (for me!), she's not considering a career change! 😊
As for availability:
All remaining weekends in August are fully booked, with the exception of August 28/29, when we still have a small number of pitches available.
We're also fully booked for the rest of this week, so our next midweek availability begins from Sunday, August 9th onwards.

And if August is proving difficult to fit in, don't forget September!
It's a lovely time to stay at Lough Ree East – the site is quieter, there's much more flexibility with dates and pitches, but there's still plenty of time to enjoy the lake, the sunsets and, hopefully, some good late-summer weather (ever the optimist!).

If you're thinking of travelling for the National Ploughing Championships in September, we're also a great option for making a few days of it — combining a day (or two!) at the Ploughing with a more relaxing base by Lough Ree. Those dates are always worth booking ahead.

Plenty of the season still to come, and hopefully we'll see many of you over the next couple of months! Thank you, as always, for keeping Lough Ree East such a friendly and enjoyable place to stay.

30/07/2026

As the August Bank Holiday weekend approaches, it's hard to believe how quickly the summer is moving on. It feels like only yesterday we were enjoying Midsummer Night – the longest evening of the year – and already, only '5 minutes later', the nights are beginning to draw in!
A huge thank you to Niamh Laarhoven Goode for capturing and sending this beautiful image of the final moments of the longest day at Lough Ree East in 2026. A lovely reminder of a magical evening.

Looking ahead to availability:
🏕️ This coming Bank Holiday weekend is FULLY BOOKED (looking forward to seeing everyone!!)...... as are the following two weekends (August 7th and 8th; August 14th and 15th), for ALL pitch types.

In addition:
🚐 Caravan pitches are also fully booked for the weekends of August 21/22 and August 28/29....so, September weekends are the next weekends with availability.
⛺ Tent pitches are also fully booked for the weekend of August 21/22.

We still have some... (low single-digit pitch numbers) ...weekend availability for:
🚐 Campervan and motorhome pitches on August 21/22 and August 28/29.
⛺ Tent pitches on August 28/29 only.

As always, there is MUCH better availability midweek, so if you have a little flexibility, we'd LOVE to welcome you then!