In the Summer of 1935, Lily and Sibyll Powell (Patten's first cousins once removed) organised a holiday for young people in three holiday houses on Errislannan, Clifden.
Patten and his wife Marion used to go on camping holidays, spending a few days near his dad John Sidney and his dad's new wife Jo (Patten's step-mum; his mum Kathleen passed away in 1936 and his dad retired after the war) in Roscrea. They then went on to the West. On the first trip, Patten and Marion joined George Birch, his younger brother, and his Australian wife, Ruth, who were touring the West, starting in Donegal and finishing in Kerry. They met at Clifden by the public lavatories, which was the easiest landmark Patten could remember from when he went in 1935! They then set off and found a camping site beyond the castle.
After that, they frequently went back to Connemara where they loved the friendly reception and where Marion liked the quality of light and wild landscape. In the late 1960s, they bought an unused cottage called Kings Cottage in Dunloughan, which they used as their holiday base since.
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