Wild Atlantic way , West coast of Ireland advice needed.

[Buster73]

Been talking about going over there in May .

Could anyone who has experience of doing it give me advice or tips on what to see / do and likewise what to give a miss.

Also recommended hotels would be appreciated.

Probably starting at Belfast , up to Devils causeway then head anti clockwise from there


Thanks in advance.

[vikingaero]

We did this in 2013. Stayed for a week near Giants Causeway and did that, stuff around Belfast and the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge among other things.

We had a week of touring the WAW next: https://www.thewildatlanticway.com/

First off was to get to the Insihowen Peninsula via the Lough Foyle Ferry: https://loughfoyleferry.com/ The ferryman preferred Sterling to Euros!

Then off to Malin Head where there is a little coffee van. The area is rather barren for places to eat/pee and we stopped at the Malin Head Community Hall which has a coffee shop and ultra clean toilets: https://www.malinheadcommunity.ie/wild-strands-cai... It was so good that we stopped off again on the way back for lunch.

Mrs V. wanted to visit the Doagh Famine Village: http://www.doaghfaminevillage.com/ Naturally I protested at visiting such non-PH bullst and relented for an easy life. But you arrive, get inclusive tea/coffee (not sure if they still do this, but it feels like someone welcoming you into their own home). There is a guided tour and the whole experience was brilliant, even for a philistine like me. It's mad to think that they only got electricity there in the late 80's.

Next recommendation is Slieve League. Most people don't realise that you can open/close the gate and drive all the way up to the upper car park and get all the views. You can then choose to walk up to and along the cliffs. I think this site is 10 times better than the Cliffs of Moher. We snacked at a small cafe/visitors centre on the road to it: http://slieveleaguecliffs.ie/

The Cliffs of Moher - we drove down the hill towards the CoM, saw 5 million coaches, the huge car park, 100 million tourists and drove straight on!

We took the ferry from Killimer to Tarbert, down to the Dingle Peninsula where we did a Dolphin boat trip, the Ring of Kerry, shopping in Cork and onwards.

Unfortunately I don't remember where we stayed. One night in Sligo in a huge county house hotel; one night at The Connacht in Galway, Shannon, Killarney, Cork and Waterford. All hotels chosen by The Vikingettes on the basis of Criteria No.1: WiFi.

The WAW isn't a PH driving holiday that you could achieve in Scotland. Sure it has some good roads, but equally the weather can dampen things a little. Really enjoyed it and I'd love to go back.

[Buster73]

That’s a great reply Viking , plenty of info to work through.

Much appreciated.

[MercedesClassic]

I've driven various sections of the WAW over the years but not the whole thing in one go as it's pretty long and slowish going.
Being from NI I know about that leg of your trip. The Causeway coast route is very popular. Here's a link to tourism site with tips. Big draw these days is the Game of Thrones sites.
Enjoy.
https://discovernorthernireland.com/things-to-do/a...

[dinfow]

The Dingle peninsula is a must, spent a few days driving it in November and it was one of the best drives I’ve ever done. The view from Inch beach was awe inspiring before heading into Dingle. Further north there are some amazing roads through Connemara national park, I’ve driven some of them again during winter/spring and had a great time. I’ll have a look and try and find some specific routes.

[dinfow]

Here are a few pictures from a couple of our road trips in Ireland, these first few photos are stills from videos taken during the drive so not the best quality but you get a good idea of the kind of drive that it was.

Part of a trip through Connemara national park, these were on the R344/R336 near Kylemore Lough and Lough Inagh -





These are from a trip in November from Galway down through Co. Kerry to Dingle and then across through Co. Cork to Wexford

On the Wild Atlantic Way just past Milltown towards Dingle -



Inch Beach, my favourite part of the trip -



More of the Wild Atlantic Way into Dingle -



The road up to Mount Eagle -



Still on the way up... -



Blasket Islands in the distance, hardly any cars came past us up here, we got very lucky with the weather that day -



Slea Head Drive, with the Blasket Islands to the right -



Clogher Head, the most intense winds I've ever experienced -



County Kerry was stunning from start to finish, I'd definitely go back to drive more around there. Anyway, good luck planning your trip, very jealous!