Lough Ree East Caravan and Camping

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!

19/07/2026

It's been incredibly busy, and we've been welcoming such lovely people every day. 😊 Thank you all for helping to create such a friendly, relaxed atmosphere for everyone staying with us. Combined with this amazing weather, it's made for a fantastic few weeks. Long may it continue! ☀️

As we move into the busiest part of the season, every day is busy, but we still have midweek availability every week from Sunday (excluding August 2nd) to Thursday.

Weekends are a different story!
⛔ Fully booked
• July 24/25
• August Bank Holiday Weekend (July 31 – August 2)
• August 7/8
(No availability for any pitch type.)

🏕️ Caravans & Tents
• Fully booked every weekend until August 28/29.

🚐 Motorhomes & Campervans
• A very small number of pitches remain for August 14/15.
• A few more are available for August 21/22.
• A very small number are also available for August 28/29.

✅ All pitch types
• We still have a small number of pitches remaining for August 28/29.

🍂 September
Plenty of availability throughout September if you're planning a quieter getaway - or planning to attend the Ploughing!

As always, thank you for your continued support—we're looking forward to welcoming everyone who's booked with us over the coming weeks.

This week a huge thank you to Simon Williams for sending me this photo taken at sunset this week - stunning, Simon - thank you!

12/07/2026

Once again, thank you to everyone for making another very busy weekend such an enjoyable one.
The weather was fantastic, and it looks set to continue! However, the tragic incidents locally and around the country this past week are a sobering reminder that we all need to take extra care around the water, particularly during this spell of hot weather. Please stay safe and keep a close eye on children at all times.

Weekend availability:
- All weekends in July are now fully booked.
- August Bank Holiday weekend, 7/8 August and 14/15 August are also fully booked.
- For the weekend of 21/22 August, I have a small number of pitches remaining for campervans/motorhomes only. Caravan and tent pitches are fully booked.
- The weekend of 28/29 August still has availability for all pitch types.

Midweek availability remains good throughout the season, with pitches available for all pitch types every week from Sunday (excluding 2 August) to Thursday.

I look forward to welcoming many more of you over the coming weeks. Enjoy the sunshine—but please enjoy it safely.

Thank you, this week, to Geraldine Anderson, for sending me this great shot from this weekend - love it, Geraldine!

05/07/2026

Thanks again to everyone for another great weekend! 😊
After a little wobble in the weather tomorrow and Tuesday, the temperatures are set to climb again later this week. It certainly makes us appreciate having the lake at the edge of the site... and a few fans!
The school holidays have everyone thinking about weekend breaks, and you've been keeping us very busy with bookings.
Here's the latest availability update:
- All weekends in July are fully booked for all pitch types.
- The August Bank Holiday weekend is also fully booked for all pitch types.
- I have just a handful of pitches remaining for campervans/motorhomes ONLY on the weekends of 7/8 August and 14/15 August.
- There is still availability for all pitch types on the weekends of 21/22 August and 28/29 August, although only a very small number of caravan pitches remain for 21/22 August.
If you're looking for a quieter visit, there's still good availability every midweek (Sunday (excl. Aug 2nd) to Thursday) for ALL pitch types, throughout the season.

Looking forward to seeing many of you over the coming weeks!

This week's amazing photo is thanks to the very talented Sinead O'Keeffe! Thanks, Sinead, for allowing me to post it here.