21. Wild Atlantic Way

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.

114. Ring of Kerry

What is the Ring of Kerry?

The Ring of Kerry is a circular driving route in the west of Ireland that covers 111 miles of scenic beauty. The town of Killarney is the usual starting point. It covers a whole number of impressive sights: Skellig Islands, with its 7th century monastery and claim to fame of having been in Star Wars; Killarney National Park; Torc Waterfall; and the Gap of Dunloe, a dramatic mountain pass. 

What is the Ring of Kerry like?

It takes around 3-4 hours of driving without stops but you'll need to stop, so plan for longer. We cut through the Gap of Dunloe, which has tricky, winding, one-car roads but it was well worth it - make sure you attempt that early in the morning, as meeting the horse-powered jaunting cars would be a nightmare later on. Also: the jaunting car owners will try and turn you back but just ignore them as driving through the pass is allowed.

Where is the Ring of Kerry?

In southwest Ireland.

When did we go?

October 2025

How did we get there? 

We drove around the Ring of Kerry when we did the final part of our road trip down the Wild Atlantic Way (21). We flew into Shannon, hired a car and made our way to Killarney, which we used as a hub for the Ring of Kerry portion of the trip. We completed the Ring over two days.  

Worth noting 

For about two-thirds of the Ring of Kerry route you're also on the Wild Atlantic Way, a 1600-mile coastal road that runs all the way up the west coast of Ireland. The Wild Atlantic Way allows you to cover four of the 500 Lonely Planet Ultimate Travel List places: the Wild Atlantic Way itself at number 21, the Connemara Peninsula (163) and Sliabh Liag (369) as well as the Ring of Kerry (114). 

What was the Ring of Kerry's position on the 2015 edition of the Lonely Planet Ultimate Travel List?

The Ring of Kerry was a new addition to the list in 2020. 

Does the Ring of Kerry deserve its place in the 2020 Lonely Planet Ultimate Travel List?

Yes. 

265. Brú na Bóinne

What is Brú na Bóinne?

Brú na Bóinne, about 40 miles north of Dublin, is one of the world's most important prehistoric sites from the Neolithic period. There are three large passage tombs at Knowth, Newgrange and Dowth as well as 90 additional monuments dotted around. They date from 3500-3200 BC, making them older than the Pyramids of Giza (86) and Stonehenge (227). Nobody knows exactly why they were built but Newgrange and Dowth are built to align with the winter solstice.  

What is Brú na Bóinne like? 

It's awe-inspiring. I was quite startled by my first glimpse of the tomb at Knowth, even though I'd already spent a good hour in the visitor centre learning about the site. Once you've appreciated the scale of the tombs, you can spend quite a bit of time looking at the symbols carved onto the stones. The tour guide also takes you into the passage tomb at Newgrange, which has not altered since it was built 5000 years ago. 

Where is Brú na Bóinne? 

County Meath, Ireland

When did we go? 

June 2023

How did we get there? 

You need to book tickets online well in advance as they get snapped up quickly. The Brú na Bóinne visitor centre was only a 30 minute drive from Dublin Airport and then a bus took us out to the tombs at Knowth and Newgrange to get a closer look. We hired a car for our visit and then drove back to Dublin ready to walk to Trinity College (423) the next day.

Worth noting:

The Battle of the Boyne was fought in County Meath - the visitor centre is only 10 minutes' drive from Brú na Bóinne and is well worth a visit. 

What was Brú na Bóinne's position on the 2015 edition of the Lonely Planet Ultimate Travel List?

224. It dropped 42 places in the new edition.

Does Brú na Bóinne deserve its place in the 2020 top 500?

Yes - it's an ancient link to our ancestors.

389. Sliabh Liag

What is Sliabh Liag?

Sliabh Liag in County Donegal are the highest accessible sea cliffs in Europe, looming 600 metres above the sea. There are several hiking paths that you can take to get spectacular views over Donegal Bay and the Atlantic Ocean but you can also drive quite far up as well. 

What is Sliabh Liag like?

The drive to Sliabh Liag is definitely interesting - it involves negotiating a lot of sheep sitting in the road while also avoiding driving over the edge. But once you get up there it's stunning.     

Where is Sliabh Liag?

In County Donegal on the west coast of Ireland.

When did we go?

March 2024

How did we get there? 

We did the top half of the Wild Atlantic Way, so we flew to Derry and hired a car. We stayed one night in Derry and then drove to Sliabh Liag before continuing on to Sligo, then Westport, and then two nights in Galway before flying home from Shannon. 

Worth noting 

Sliabh Liag is on the Wild Atlantic Way, a 1600 mile coastal route that runs all the way up the west coast of Ireland. If you visit the Wild Atlantic Way you can cover 4 of the 500 Lonely Planet Ultimate Travel List places: the Wild Atlantic Way itself is at number 21, along with the Ring of Kerry (114) and the Connemara Peninsula (163).       

What was Sliabh Liag's place in the 2015 edition of the Lonely Planet Ultimate Travel List?

Sliabh Liag was a new addition to the list in 2020, along with the Wild Atlantic Way (21), Ring of Kerry (114), the Connemara Peninsula (163). 

Does Sliabh Liag deserve its place in the 2020 Lonely Planet Ultimate Travel List?

Probably.

423. Trinity College

What is Trinity College?

Founded in 1592, Trinity College Dublin is the oldest university in Ireland and one of the seven ancient universities of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The library at Trinity College attracts more than 500,000 visitors every year as it is home to several important artefacts: the Book of Kells, an illustrated copy of the gospels that was moved to the college in 1661 for safekeeping; a rare copy of the 1916 Proclamation of the Irish Republic; and a 15th-century wooden harp, which is the model for the emblem of Ireland and the Guinness logo. 

What is Trinity College like? 

Trinity College is the heart of Dublin, both in terms of its location but also in the tone it sets for the city. The college buildings around the green are truly beautiful, while the Long Room in the college library is a showstopper for its elegance and appreciation of words, art and learning. 

Where is Trinity College? 

Dublin, Ireland

When did we go? 

June 2023

How did we get there? 

We flew into Dublin and walked from our hotel in the city centre to Trinity College. We also hired a car and drove out to Brú na Bóinne (265), which is only 30 minutes from Dublin Airport. 

Worth noting:

Most tourists in Dublin will visit the Book of Kells and the Guinness Storehouse but there's a lot more that people really need to see. The GPO Museum was fantastic and Kilmainham Gaol Museum was also recommended.

What was Trinity College's position in the 2015 edition of the Lonely Planet Ultimate Travel List?

468. It went up 45 places in the new edition.

Does Trinity College deserve its place in the 2020 top 500?

Yes - and I would have put it higher up than Christ Church (314) in Oxford.