14 days: both coasts, Kinsale to Belfast
Kinsale → Belfast · 14 days · ~39h 35m total driving
The two routes join at the Foyle, and doing them back to back is the single best fortnight of driving on the island. Expect a currency change, a speed-limit change, and no border formalities at all.
Heading north · 14 days
Kinsale → Belfast
~39h 35m total driving
Day 1 · Cork
Kinsale
Southern start of the WAW. Forts, food, harbour town.
- Charles Fort
- Old Head of Kinsale
Day 2 · Kerry
~8h 25m drive
Dingle Peninsula
Slea Head Drive, the Blasket Sound, Fungie's town.
- Slea Head Drive
- Blasket Centre, Dunquin
Day 3 · Clare
~4h 15m 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 4 · 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 5 · Galway
~3h drive
Connemara
Clifden, Roundstone, the Twelve Bens, Kylemore Abbey.
- Kylemore Abbey
- Connemara National Park
Day 6 · Donegal
~10h 30m drive
Donegal Town & Slieve League
The castle, the diamond, and the highest sea cliffs accessible in Ireland.
- Slieve League cliffs
- Donegal Castle
Day 7 · Donegal
~6h 45m drive
Malin Head
The northern terminus. Banba's Crown, Hell's Hole, the EIRE sign.
- Banba's Crown
- Hell's Hole
Crossing the border
From here you cross the Foyle into Northern Ireland — pounds, miles, same coast. The Wild Atlantic Way ends; the Causeway Coastal Route begins.
What changes at the border →Day 8 · DerryCauseway Coast
Derry / Londonderry
Walled city, Bogside murals, the Peace Bridge — and the bridge to the Wild Atlantic Way.
- Walk the city walls
- The People's Gallery (Bogside murals)
Day 9 · DerryCauseway Coast
~1h drive
Mussenden Temple & Downhill
A cliff-edge temple, the Earl Bishop's ruined demesne, and seven miles of empty strand.
- Mussenden Temple
- Downhill Demesne & the ruined house
Day 10 · AntrimCauseway Coast
~55m drive
Giant's Causeway & Bushmills
40,000 basalt columns, a UNESCO site, and the world's oldest licensed distillery next door.
- The Causeway itself
- Old Bushmills Distillery
Day 11 · AntrimCauseway Coast
~25m drive
Carrick-a-Rede & Ballintoy
The rope bridge to a salmon fisherman's island. Ballintoy harbour next door.
- The Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge
- Ballintoy harbour
Day 12 · AntrimCauseway Coast
~25m drive
Ballycastle & Rathlin Island
Ferry to Rathlin — puffins, a flipped lighthouse, the only inhabited Antrim island.
- The Rathlin Island ferry
- Rathlin West Light & the seabird colonies
Day 13 · AntrimCauseway Coast
~1h drive
Glens of Antrim
Nine glens running down to the sea. Glenariff, Cushendall, Glenarm.
- Glenariff Forest Park & waterfalls
- The Antrim Coast Road
Day 14 · AntrimCauseway Coast
~1h 25m drive
Belfast
City anchor — Titanic Quarter, Cathedral Quarter, the Black Cab tour, the entry/exit to the Causeway Coastal Route.
- Titanic Belfast
- Belfast City Hall
30 regions skipped to fit your time
- Clonakilty — Inchydoney beach. Black pudding country. Michael Collins' patch.
- Skibbereen & Baltimore — Sailing town, the Beacon, ferries to Sherkin and Cape Clear.
- Mizen Head — The signal station footbridge. Ireland's true south-west corner.
- Bantry & Sheep's Head — The quiet peninsula. The walking is the point.
- Kenmare — Where the Beara and Iveragh peninsulas meet. Stone circle, food town.
- Ring of Kerry — Sneem, Waterville, Skellig view. Drive it anti-clockwise.
- Tralee & North Kerry — Banna Strand, Ballybunion, the Shannon estuary mouth.
- 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.
- Achill Island — Keem Bay, the Atlantic Drive, the deserted village at Slievemore.
- 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.
- Portrush & Portstewart — Two seaside towns, a championship links, and the surf at East Strand.
- Dunluce & the Causeway cliffs — The ruined castle on the cliff edge, the coast path to the Causeway.
- Cushendun & Torr Head — The quiet drive — caves, white-washed cottages, Scotland twelve miles across the channel.
- Larne & the Antrim Coast Road — Where the Causeway Coastal Route gets wild — basalt cliffs hanging over the road.
- Carrickfergus — Norman castle on the harbour, the song everyone half-knows the words to.
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.
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