What is the Wild Atlantic Way?
The Wild Atlantic Way runs for 1600 miles along the west coast of Ireland, from Derry in the north through Donegal, Leitrim, Sligo, Mayo, Galway, Clare, Limerick, and Kerry before finishing in Kinsale in County Cork. It is one of the longest defined coastal routes in the world.
What is the Wild Atlantic Way like?
It's long, so we only attempted the northern half from Derry to Galway on this occasion. But even half of the Wild Atlantic Way provides an almost endless list of things to see - beaches, lighthouses, cliffs, towns, villages, loughs, rivers and more.
Where is the Wild Atlantic Way?
The west coast of Ireland
When did we go?
March 2024
How did we get there?
We flew to Derry and then hired a car. We stayed one night in Derry, one in Sligo, one in Westport, and then two nights in Galway before flying home from Shannon.
Worth noting:
The Wild Atlantic Way is mentioned four times on the Lonely Planet Ultimate Travel List. As well as its listing here, three of the individual sites along the route have their own entries: Ring of Kerry (114), Connemara Peninsula (163) and Sliabh Liag (389).
What was the Wild Atlantic Way's place in the 2015 edition of the Lonely Planet Ultimate Travel List?
The Wild Atlantic Way was a new addition to the list in 2020, along with Ring of Kerry (114), the Connemara Peninsula (163) and Sliabh Liag (389). The Cliffs of Moher (seen in the top picture below) had been listed at number 378 in the 2015 edition - that were removed as an individual item in 2020.
Does the Wild Atlantic Way deserve its place in the 2020 Lonely Planet Ultimate Travel List?
Yes - it's beautiful and full of interesting things to see.
