Starting points · Belfast
Starting in Belfast? Cross the border, hit the wild north.
Flights, ferries from Cairnryan and Liverpool, trains from Dublin
Belfast is the natural starting point for travellers crossing from Britain — short ferries from Cairnryan and Liverpool, direct flights from across the UK and Europe. The official Wild Atlantic Way starts at Malin Head, three hours west across the border in Donegal. The honest route is to take the Causeway Coast first (Giant's Causeway, Dunluce, Mussenden Temple) — that's the proper Northern Ireland coastal drive — then cross into Donegal at Derry and pick up the WAW from the top.
The drive
1 hour to the Causeway. 2.5 hours to Donegal town.
Route: A26 north to the Causeway Coastal Route, then A2 / A6 west.
Don't drive straight to the WAW. The Causeway Coast (Belfast → Bushmills → Portrush → Derry) is one of the great coastal drives in these islands and it's on your way. Two days for the north coast, then cross into Donegal.
Sleep here night one
Fanad & Inishowen
Cross the border at Derry, you're on the Wild Atlantic Way within 30 minutes. Fanad lighthouse, the Inishowen 100, the Great Pollet arch. The wildest northern peninsulas.
Open the Fanad & Inishowen guide
Then where
The next 48 hours
Malin Head
Ireland's most northerly point and the official northern terminus of the Wild Atlantic Way. Banba's Crown, Hell's Hole, the EIRE sign on the cliffs.
Dunfanaghy
West of Inishowen across the bridge. Horn Head, Killahoey beach, McAuliffe's bookshop. The quiet middle of Donegal.
Donegal Town & Slieve League
The diamond, the castle, and the highest accessible sea cliffs in Ireland. The southern half of Donegal you absolutely should not skip.
Honestly
The Causeway Coast isn't on the Wild Atlantic Way — it's a separate, government-branded route through Northern Ireland — but if you're starting in Belfast it's mad to skip it. We'll add a proper Causeway Coast guide soon. For now: Bushmills, Portrush, Mussenden, then west across the border.
The other direction · Causeway Coastal Route
Or stay on the Causeway Coast end-to-end
1 hour to the Giant's Causeway, 2 hours on to Derry.
If you've only got 3–4 days, don't try to add the Wild Atlantic Way. The Causeway Coastal Route — Belfast to Derry via the Glens of Antrim, the Causeway, Dunluce and Mussenden — is a complete trip in itself. Same currency, no border crossings, every night on the north coast. Save Donegal for next time.
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