Wild Atlantic way , West coast of Ireland advice needed.

Wild Atlantic way , West coast of Ireland advice needed.

Author
Discussion

Buster73

Original Poster:

5,320 posts

167 months

Friday 14th February 2020
quotequote all
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

11,900 posts

183 months

Sunday 16th February 2020
quotequote all
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

Original Poster:

5,320 posts

167 months

Sunday 16th February 2020
quotequote all
That’s a great reply Viking , plenty of info to work through.

Much appreciated.

MercedesClassic

924 posts

111 months

Monday 17th February 2020
quotequote all
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...