Running 2600 km down Ireland’s rugged west coast, stretching from Donegal to Cork is the newly created Wild Atlantic Way.
Taking time to stop and take pics all along this beautiful countryside
While these are not exactly new roads, they form part of a new promotion by Ireland Tourism to encourage visitors to hit this unspoilt and raw Atlantic coastline and take in some of the most spectacular scenery you’ll ever encounter, meet locals in various pubs, cafes, shops in villages and towns along the way, and get amongst nature.
The Wild Atlantic Way – all 2600km of it!
The Cliffs of Moher
Outdoorsy people will love everything about this coast: hiking, mountain biking, kayaking, surfing, fishing…
Curious travellers will love the little nooks and crannies with cool experiences like watching artists weave Donegal tweed, take a hot seaweed bath on the Sligo coast, see the last European sunset in a cable car, or gather wild food along the Killala shoreline like crabs, seaweed, clams and winkles.
Lovers of history and culture will get to see things that truly are off-the-beaten-track, like the ever-changing weather hitting the historic Clare Island Lighthouse and countless stone walls covered in blackberries and stone houses and castles in various stages of repair – just waiting for a photo.
We had to stop and see what this was: a water cistern!
There are signs along the route denoting “Signature Experiences” at Discovery Points (on the pdf download link above) so you know where to stop. Things like where to celebrate the summer solstice, pony riding on the sand to Galway, places to eat, tap your toes to traditional Irish music and all the while, meeting and greeting locals who seldom wee tourists in this part of their world.
Galway is also on the Wild Atlantic Way – Galway Bay
Stone walls and stoney beaches