Wandering on the Wild Atlantic Way

Posted in Historic Sites, Nature, Tourist Attractions, TravelTagged , , , , , , , , , ,

The Wild Atlantic Way is a scenic coastal road along Ireland’s Atlantic Coast from the Northern Headlands all the way down to the southern coast. We spent three days exploring along the southern part of the route.

On our day trip from Galway to the Cliffs of Moher we were on the Wild Atlantic Way most of the day. We stopped at Dunguaire Castle on our way to the cliffs.

20190504-Day-4-Cliffs-of-Moher-IPhone-(14)
Dunguaire Castle

Most of the way we were on a steep, narrow road.

20190504-Day-4-Cliffs-of-Moher-IPhone-(20)
Driving on the Wild Atlantic Way

The Cliffs of Moher are Ireland’s most visited natural attraction and probably the most popular stop on the Wild Atlantic Way.  These majestic cliffs tower high above the ocean with several trails offering spectacular views. The day was  perfect with sunny skies and calm seas.

20190504-Cliffs-of-Moher-(19)
Cliffs of Moher
20190504-Cliffs-of-Moher-(40)
A different view of Cliffs of Moher
20190504-Cliffs-of-Moher-(68)
Cliffs of Moher

After wandering around the cliffs we returned to Galway for another night before driving through the middle of the Dingle Peninsula on our way to the town of Dingle, our next destination. We stopped at an overlook to take in the spectacular scenery.

20190506-Dingle-Sony-(23)
Dingle Peninsula, Ireland

We loved our night in Dingle Town with it’s colorful buildings, fun pubs, great seafood, and beautiful Dingle Boat Harbour.

20190506-Dingle-Sony-(61)
Dingle Town, Ireland
20190506-Dingle-Sony-(80)
Dingle Boat Harbour, Dingle, Ireland

The next day we drove the Slea Head Drive on the Dingle Peninsula. Much of the drive is high above the ocean where there were more spectacular cliffs, ancient Fairy Forts, Beehive Huts, beaches, and some Star Wars filming locations.

20190507-Day-7-Dingle-Peninsula-Sony-(34)
Cliffs on the Slea Head Drive
20190507-Day-7-Dingle-Peninsula-Sony-(27)
Fairy Fort
20190507-Day-7-Dingle-Peninsula-drive-to-Killarney-IPhone-(29)
Ancient Bee Hive Huts from about 2000 BC
20190507-Day-7-Dingle-Peninsula-Sony-(59)
Beach on the Slea Head Drive
20190507-Day-7-Dingle-Peninsula-Sony-(70)
“The Last Jedi” of the Star Wars series was filmed in the area of Ballyferriter on the Dingle Peninsula
20190507-Day-7-Dingle-Peninsula-Sony-(74)
Inch Beach on the Wild Atlantic Way

We opted to let someone else do the driving and took a bus tour of the Ring of Kerry from Killarney. Most of the tour was along the Wild Atlantic Way. We passed by an ancient castle, watched a sheep dog demonstration, walked on the beach in Waterville where Charlie Chaplin liked to go on holiday, saw the Eightercua Stone Row, enjoyed lunch with a view, and were near another Star Wars filming location.

20190509-Day-9-Ring-of-Kerry-Sony-(40)
Wynn’s Castle, Kerry, Ireland
20190509-Day-9-Ring-of-Kerry-Sony-(95)
Sheep Dog Demonstration, Ring of Kerry, Ireland
20190509-Day-9-Ring-of-Kerry-Sony-(144)
Charlie Chaplin was a visitor to Waterville, Ireland, Ring of Kerry
20190509-Day-9-Ring-of-Kerry-Sony-(154)
Eightercua Stone Row, Ring of Kerry, Wild Atlantic Way
20190509-Day-9-Ring-of-Kerry-Sony-(170)
Wild Atlantic Way, Ring of Kerry, Ireland
20190509-Day-9-Ring-of-Kerry-Sony-(174)
Sign  points to the ferry to Skellig Michael, filming location from “The Last Jedi”, Wild Atlantic Way, Ring of Kerry, Ireland

The tour left the Wild Atlantic Way and went through Killarney National Park on our return to Killarney. Our last stop was at Lady’s View.

20190509-Day-9-Ring-of-Kerry-Sony-(210)
Ladie’s View, Killarney National Park

It was nice to let someone else do the driving. Our driver and guide Dennis was great and we learned a few things we wouldn’t have known if we had driven ourselves.

Next up, more adventures in Ireland.

16 thoughts on “Wandering on the Wild Atlantic Way”

    1. Thanks Nancy! Ireland is an amazing place and I loved seeing those green fields. It doesn’t get much better than riding along high above the ocean with the water on one side and green fields filled with cattle and sheep on the other.

      Liked by 1 person

    1. Judy, I loved the Irish people. We had so many fun conversations with them. One of our favorites was the guy who took the money at the beehive huts. We talked about his stories all the rest of the trip. And the couple at a bed and breakfast with their house filled with pictures of their children and grandchildren were just wonderful. I could go on and on.

      Liked by 1 person

    1. Suzanne, thank you. I loved seeing all the sheep. The sheep dog demonstration was really fun to watch. There weren’t any surfers the day we were there but there were surfing school trailers on the beach. It was a beautiful beach and almost empty because of the weather that day.

      Like

Comments are closed.