14 days: the unhurried Wild Atlantic Way
Kinsale → Malin Head · 14 days · ~34h 25m total driving
Fourteen days is the length the route was really built for: you get the islands, the peninsulas and the detours, and you never have to drive through somewhere you wanted to see.
Heading north · 14 days
Kinsale → Malin Head
~34h 25m total driving
Day 1 · Cork
Kinsale
Southern start of the WAW. Forts, food, harbour town.
- Charles Fort
- Old Head of Kinsale
Day 2 · Cork
~1h drive
Clonakilty
Inchydoney beach. Black pudding country. Michael Collins' patch.
- Inchydoney Beach
- Michael Collins House
Day 3 · Cork
~50m drive
Skibbereen & Baltimore
Sailing town, the Beacon, ferries to Sherkin and Cape Clear.
- Skibbereen Heritage Centre
- Lough Hyne
Day 4 · Cork
~1h 15m drive
Mizen Head
The signal station footbridge. Ireland's true south-west corner.
- Mizen Head Signal Station
- Barley Cove Beach
Day 5 · Kerry
~2h 20m drive
Kenmare
Where the Beara and Iveragh peninsulas meet. Stone circle, food town.
- Kenmare Stone Circle
- Gleninchaquin Park
Day 6 · Kerry
~1h 30m drive
Ring of Kerry
Sneem, Waterville, Skellig view. Drive it anti-clockwise.
- Skellig Michael
- Valentia Island
Day 7 · Kerry
~1h 30m drive
Dingle Peninsula
Slea Head Drive, the Blasket Sound, Fungie's town.
- Slea Head Drive
- Blasket Centre, Dunquin
Day 8 · Kerry
~1h 15m drive
Tralee & North Kerry
Banna Strand, Ballybunion, the Shannon estuary mouth.
- Kerry County Museum
- Banna Strand
Day 9 · Clare
~3h drive
Cliffs of Moher & Doolin
The cliffs everyone comes for. Doolin for the music after.
- Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience
- Cliffs of Moher Coastal Walk
Day 10 · Galway
~1h 30m drive
Galway City
Latin Quarter, Spanish Arch, the cultural heart of the west.
- The Latin Quarter & Shop Street
- Spanish Arch & the Long Walk
Day 11 · Galway
~3h drive
Connemara
Clifden, Roundstone, the Twelve Bens, Kylemore Abbey.
- Kylemore Abbey
- Connemara National Park
Day 12 · Mayo
~5h 15m drive
Achill Island
Keem Bay, the Atlantic Drive, the deserted village at Slievemore.
- Keem Bay
- Slievemore Deserted Village
Day 13 · Donegal
~5h 15m drive
Donegal Town & Slieve League
The castle, the diamond, and the highest sea cliffs accessible in Ireland.
- Slieve League cliffs
- Donegal Castle
Day 14 · Donegal
~6h 45m drive
Malin Head
The northern terminus. Banba's Crown, Hell's Hole, the EIRE sign.
- Banba's Crown
- Hell's Hole
18 regions skipped to fit your time
- Bantry & Sheep's Head — The quiet peninsula. The walking is the point.
- Loop Head — The lighthouse, the bridges of Ross, dolphins in the estuary.
- Kilkee — Horseshoe bay, the Pollock holes, the cliff walk.
- The Burren — Lisdoonvarna, Ballyvaughan, limestone pavement and rare orchids.
- Aran Islands — Inis Mór, Inis Meáin, Inis Oírr. Dún Aonghasa and the Plassey.
- Inishbofin & islands — Ferry from Cleggan. The kind of quiet you forget exists.
- Westport — Croagh Patrick, the Greenway, a planned town that works.
- Clare Island & Inishturk — Granuaile's tower, Knockmore, the quiet of Inishturk.
- Mullet Peninsula — Belmullet, the long strands, the islands at the end.
- Ballina & North Mayo — Downpatrick Head, Céide Fields, salmon on the Moy.
- Sligo & Strandhill — Yeats country, Knocknarea, the surf at Strandhill.
- Mullaghmore — Classiebawn castle, the harbour, the big-wave reef offshore.
- Glencolmcille — Folk village, the Tower at Glen Head, end-of-the-road quiet.
- Dungloe & The Rosses — Gaeltacht heartland, hundreds of lakes, ferry to Arranmore.
- Arranmore & Tory — Two ferries, two very different worlds. Cliffs, kingship, round tower.
- Dunfanaghy — Horn Head, Killahoey beach, McAuliffe's bookshop.
- Downings — Sheephaven Bay, Tranarossan, the Atlantic Drive.
- Fanad & Inishowen — Fanad lighthouse, the Great Pollet arch, the Inishowen 100.
Driving times are honest mid-range estimates. The WAW is full of small roads, and you'll want to stop. Plan for slower than Google Maps tells you.
Make it yours
Open this trip in the planner to change the days, swap the start or end, or pin a place you don't want skipped.
Tweak this trip →Designed & developed by ideapath.app