Wild Atlantic Way – West Coast & Northern Coast

Arrive into Shannon Airport and make your way to the Hertz Car Rental desk, where you will collect the keys for your rental car.

Begin your journey by travelling for a visit to the iconic Cliffs of Moher & to experience the staggering beauty of the views from the top. Soaring to 214m, the striated stone reaches southward to county Kerry, with a keen eye from O’Brien’s Tower even able to spot the Aran Islands out in the Atlantic Ocean.

Continue to the Burren Area of County Clare to Galway, where you will overnight.

Hotel Stay: Ardilaun Hotel, Galway (Or similar) (B&B Basis),

Today, you might like to explore one of the many islands off the coast of Galway. You will have a few options for island exploring.

The Aran Islands. 

A short ferry crossing in the morning will transport you to a island that will not be replicated anywhere else in the world. Inis Mór, Inis Meáin and Inis Oírr are the three islands that make up the rugged Aran Islands. Inis Mór is the largest of the three, and has an abundance of dramatic cliffs and early Christian and Celtic sites.

Inishbofin Island

Even further west is Inishbofin Island, where you will experience simple and traditional Irish life. Departing from Cleggan in West Connemara, the short ferry journey will transport you to this compact island, where traditional Irish living dominates. Hire a bike at the pier side and ride around the island, taking in the magnificent scenery.

After a day at the island of your choice, return to the mainland and drive back to Galway for overnight.

Hotel Stay: Ardilaun Hotel, Galway (Or similar) (B&B Basis),

Today, you can explore the wild and rugged region of Connemara, made famous by movies such as “The Quiet Man”, and “The Field”. The centre of Connemara is composed of mountain peaks, the Twelve Bens or Pins, which culminate in Benbaun.

You should not miss the opportunity to visit Kylemore Abbey, the only home of the Benedictine nuns in Ireland.

See Killary Fjord, Ireland’s only fjord before continuing to the unique and charming town of Westport.

Hotel Stay: The Wyatt Hotel, Westport, Co. Mayo (Or similar) (B&B Basis)

Today, you will travel from Westport to Donegal.

You may like to firstly stop at the award-winning Museum of Country Life to see how the people of Ireland lived in the hundred years between the Great Famine and the end of the 1950s.

Continue to Sligo. One of Ireland’s most famous literary figures was the poet, William Butler Yeats, who is buried in Drumcliffe Graveyard, within the shadow of Benbulben Mountain.

Continue your drive onto County Donegal, which is crisscrossed with rugged mountains, blanket bog and inland waterways. It also boasts jagged coastlines, broad sandy beaches and some of Ireland’s most important fisheries.

Hotel Stay: The Mill Park Hotel, County Donegal. (Or similar) (B&B Basis).

Enjoy the full day touring around County Donegal.

Don’t miss the Slieve League Cliffs, renowned as the highest marine cliffs in Europe, rising almost 2000ft (598m) from the Atlantic Ocean.

Perhaps take the coastal road drive to Glencolmcille, an Atlantic outpost dating back 5,000 years. It is said that St. Columba established a monastery there in the 6th century. You might like to discover the Glencolmcille Folk Village Museum,  which recreates Donegal’s historic cottage dwellings, spanning over 300 years.

Hotel Stay: The Mill Park Hotel, County Donegal. (Or similar) (B&B Basis).

Today you could visit the remote and rugged, Inishowen Peninsula, which reaches just far enough into the Atlantic to grab the title of northernmost point on the island of Ireland: Malin Head.

After some time exploring the most northerly point of Ireland, cross country borders into Northern Ireland for overnight in Derry City.

Hotel Stay: The City Hotel, Derry City. (Or similar) (B&B Basis).

This morning, you might like to explore Derry City before driving to Dublin in the afternoon. Derry is the only completely walled city in Ireland. The city has a rich and varied cultural heritage and the City Walls are home to a number of museums, galleries and theatres, as well as thriving musical and literary scenes.

Hotel Stay: The Grand Hotel Malahide (Or similar) (B&B Basis)

Check out of your hotel this morning and drive to Dublin Airport. Return the keys for your rental vehicle and make your way to the departure lounge for your flight home.

Slán Abhaile! (Safe Home!)

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