Wild Atlantic Way

[Vanterrier]

Just returned from a five week tour of Ireland with the Wild Atlantic Way (WAW) as the main target. Wild sites are plentiful and if you go slightly off the WAW itself there are some real gems. We stayed on site for three nights only during our trip for laundry, charging laptop and toothbrushes and loo cassette emptying.
our route was Cairnryan to Belfast stopping at Carrickfergus Aire the first night. A good pitch next to the castle overlooking the harbour. Shame the local chavs were so noisy until 12.30 a.m. though.
we followed the Antrim Causeway Coastal Route to Londonderry and can recommend it as a superb drive. The WAW starts just north of the city.

Donegal needs a week to see what you need as it is so interesting. The WAW is very well signposted but a good road atlas will show you all of the road ends you need to explore for nightstops.
Fuel is cheaper than in the UK which is a bonus and fuel stations are plentiful.roads are similar if not better than Scottish Highlands.
we completed the WAW then jinked back over to Limerick. Then back down to Waterford. Up to the Wicklow Mountains but decided not to do Dublin so back across to Galway then up the lakes and across to follow the Shannon back up to Donegal as we had not seen it all on the way down.
weather was kind so mostly dry and clear for the views with rain at night for all but a couple of days.
if you are thinking about it, stop thinking and get over there and do it. You will not regret it
K

 

[jagmanx]

Thanks

Just returned from a five week tour of Ireland with the Wild Atlantic Way (WAW) as the main target. Wild sites are plentiful and if you go slightly off the WAW itself there are some real gems. We stayed on site for three nights only during our trip for laundry, charging laptop and toothbrushes and loo cassette emptying.
our route was Cairnryan to Belfast stopping at Carrickfergus Aire the first night. A good pitch next to the castle overlooking tge harbour. Shame the local chavs were so noisy until 12.30 a.m. though.
we followed the Antrim Causeway Coastal Route to Londonderry and can recommend it as a superb drive. The WAW starts just north of the city.

Donegal needs a week to see what you need as it is so interesting. The WAW is very well signposted but a good road atlas will show you all of the road ends you need to explore for nightstops.
Fuel is cheaper than in the UK which is a bonus and fuel stations are plentiful.roads are similar if not better than Scottish Highlands.
we completed the WAW then jinked back over to Limerick. Then back down to Waterford. Up to the Wicklow Mountains but decided not to do Dublin so back across to Galway then up the lakes and across to follow tge Shannon back up to Donegal as we had not seen it all on the way down.
weather was kind so mostly dry and clear cor the views with rain at night for all but a couple of days.
if you are thinking about it, stop thinking and get over tgere and do it. You will not regret it
K

Having just finished our "Scottish tour".
We will be on the ferry from Cairnryan to Larne on Thursday.
Useful info re wilding and diese.
What about LPG ?

 

[Deleted member 919]

just done a 2 week tour of the north, quite a bit of the WAW ,no campsites and just using the Motorhome Parking Ireland. plenty of lpg stations listed and there is a website with the 24hr launderettes (more in the south than north but still plenty).
Motorhome Craic has all the info you will ever need.

 

[Vanterrier]

I have two 6kg Calor bottles which lasted ok so I didnt need to buy a refill. The bottles and fittings of Irish Calor are different although I did see some UK style 6kg bottles in a big DIY store I visited in Sligo so they might be available afterall?
I dont have LPG sorry.
The Irish seem pretty relaxed about wild campers generally, a Garda recommended we camped in the village picnic site in Maghera in Donegal one night rather than a quiet layby above the beach further out of the village as it was closer to the pub! We were offered water a couple of times by locals living near to our chosen wild sites. Very friendly folk overall.

Water is easy enough to get and toilet blocks are usually of a good standard. Disposing of general rubbish is a challenge as recycling glass bottles is big but plastic and paper waste not as common, general waste is not normally catered for so get rid of it whenever you can

K

 

[Vanterrier]

just done a 2 week tour of the north, quite a bit of the WAW ,no campsites and just using the Motorhome Parking Ireland. plenty of lpg stations listed and there is a website with the 24hr launderettes (more in the south than north but still plenty).
Motorhome Craic has all the info you will ever need.

Curiously we saw lauderettes in Lidi carparks in a few locations. Just a bunch of machines under a carport type cover churning away with no sign of the users... Strange to us anyway

K

 

[Minisorella]

Just returned from a five week tour of Ireland with the Wild Atlantic Way (WAW) as the main target. Wild sites are plentiful and if you go slightly off the WAW itself there are some real gems. We stayed on site for three nights only during our trip for laundry, charging laptop and toothbrushes and loo cassette emptying.
our route was Cairnryan to Belfast stopping at Carrickfergus Aire the first night. A good pitch next to the castle overlooking the harbour. Shame the local chavs were so noisy until 12.30 a.m. though.
we followed the Antrim Causeway Coastal Route to Londonderry and can recommend it as a superb drive. The WAW starts just north of the city.

Donegal needs a week to see what you need as it is so interesting. The WAW is very well signposted but a good road atlas will show you all of the road ends you need to explore for nightstops.
Fuel is cheaper than in the UK which is a bonus and fuel stations are plentiful.roads are similar if not better than Scottish Highlands.
we completed the WAW then jinked back over to Limerick. Then back down to Waterford. Up to the Wicklow Mountains but decided not to do Dublin so back across to Galway then up the lakes and across to follow the Shannon back up to Donegal as we had not seen it all on the way down.
weather was kind so mostly dry and clear for the views with rain at night for all but a couple of days.
if you are thinking about it, stop thinking and get over there and do it. You will not regret it
K

Sounds glorious... it's on my bucket list. I've traveled part of it by car when staying in the Donegal hills and promised myself the full trip one day. Thanks for the tips... and the reminder

 

[Deleted member 48528]

Thanks vanterrier. We went to Ireland 40 years ago in a wee tiny tent, for a week, it rained all the time, we got so fed up,we ended up in B&Bs, and on the way home got caught up in the customs checking all the cars at the ferry, so not the best of experiences!LOL

Ready to try it again now though, in comfort. Will be travelling from Cairnryan. Ferry price is a bit eye watering, but you only live once. We are interested in,prehistoric stuff, and we have a dog, so any tips are very welcome. Thanks for the links, have joined mohocraic.

Cheers
Roverdave and Lesley

 

[Deleted member 919]

Curiously we saw lauderettes in Lidi carparks in a few locations. Just a bunch of machines under a carport type cover churning away with no sign of the users... Strange to us anyway

K

wasnt me at lidl They have them all over France,Spain,Portugal usually in the hypermarkets but also in garages , I used one in a garage near Donaghey's motorhomes in Letterkenny, but ideal in the supermarket (used lots in France )as you put your wash in,it tells you how long ,you do your shopping and then 15 mins in the drier and its done .Also now a few in the U.K

Professional Self-service washing machines Revolution

 

[Vanterrier]

Thanks vanterrier. We went to Ireland 40 years ago in a wee tiny tent, for a week, it rained all the time, we got so fed up,we ended up in B&Bs, and on the way home got caught up in the customs checking all the cars at the ferry, so not the best of experiences!LOL

Ready to try it again now though, in comfort. Will be travelling from Cairnryan. Ferry price is a bit eye watering, but you only live once. We are interested in,prehistoric stuff, and we have a dog, so any tips are very welcome. Thanks for the links, have joined mohocraic.

Cheers
Roverdave and Lesley

I found the crossing to Belfast via Stenna to be the cheapest and cheaper still when booked via the RAC ( who then linked me to Aferry.com). Also book ahead if you can and book the return crossing if you know the dates ( we didnt know how long we would take so couldnt book the return)

I have also noticed that my RAC renewal states the Ireland is now included in my cover so I no longer need EuroCover ( which cost nearly £200!!! Grrr...) so check it out before you buy cover you dont need

K

 

[Vanterrier]

Oh, highlight of the trip...

Beara Penninsula, in Eyerie village take little and narrow road to "the Strand", through a gate onto a grassy carpark above the beach. If you get the sunset we got you will know what I mean.

Perfect

K

 

[antje]

Just returned from a five week tour of Ireland with the Wild Atlantic Way (WAW) as the main target. Wild sites are plentiful and if you go slightly off the WAW itself there are some real gems. We stayed on site for three nights only during our trip for laundry, charging laptop and toothbrushes and loo cassette emptying.
our route was Cairnryan to Belfast stopping at Carrickfergus Aire the first night. A good pitch next to the castle overlooking the harbour. Shame the local chavs were so noisy until 12.30 a.m. though.
we followed the Antrim Causeway Coastal Route to Londonderry and can recommend it as a superb drive. The WAW starts just north of the city.

Donegal needs a week to see what you need as it is so interesting. The WAW is very well signposted but a good road atlas will show you all of the road ends you need to explore for nightstops.
Fuel is cheaper than in the UK which is a bonus and fuel stations are plentiful.roads are similar if not better than Scottish Highlands.
we completed the WAW then jinked back over to Limerick. Then back down to Waterford. Up to the Wicklow Mountains but decided not to do Dublin so back across to Galway then up the lakes and across to follow the Shannon back up to Donegal as we had not seen it all on the way down.
weather was kind so mostly dry and clear for the views with rain at night for all but a couple of days.
if you are thinking about it, stop thinking and get over there and do it. You will not regret it
K

Hi, Loved reading your report. I did this tour last year, took 8 weeks and a total of 3500 miles. Like you, I enjoyed every mile of it, the people and scenery simply fantastic!

 

[Dowel]

Hello Vanterrier and thank you for your post, exactly the feet on the ground experience I enjoy reading about.

I looked at the "wildatlanticway.com" site and would love to see it all but 1600 miles of coast is a lot. We did the NC500 in 2015 and loved it, especially the west coast, but should have allowed more time.

As no previous experience of Ireland I did a Google maps route check to approximate distance and travelling time.
S. Warks to Buncrana, Co. Donegal via Cairnryan - Larne ferry: 457 miles and about 10 1/2 hrs
S. Warks to Galway town via Hollyhead - Dublin ferry: 409 miles and about 9 hrs
I would be allowing more time to cover traffic and refreshment stops.

We couldn't manage 5 weeks away so would be grateful for suggestions of an area to visit in a first trip to Ireland starting from UK midlands and manageable in a week to ten days. All advice appreciated but I'm not expecting a detailed itinerary as I don't want to take up member's time, just a general area to start our exploration would be very helpful.

 

[Pauljenny]

C&CC members can cross from Liverpool to Belfast at a good discount, on weekend daytime crossings.
Tuggers and Motorhomes travel at th same rate as a private car.
Pay extra for the VIP lounge on the ferry ... A little luxury.

 

[Vanterrier]

Hello Vanterrier and thank you for your post, exactly the feet on the ground experience I enjoy reading about.

I looked at the "wildatlanticway.com" site and would love to see it all but 1600 miles of coast is a lot. We did the NC500 in 2015 and loved it, especially the west coast, but should have allowed more time.

As no previous experience of Ireland I did a Google maps route check to approximate distance and travelling time.
S. Warks to Buncrana, Co. Donegal via Cairnryan - Larne ferry: 457 miles and about 10 1/2 hrs
S. Warks to Galway town via Hollyhead - Dublin ferry: 409 miles and about 9 hrs
I would be allowing more time to cover traffic and refreshment stops.

We couldn't manage 5 weeks away so would be grateful for suggestions of an area to visit in a first trip to Ireland starting from UK midlands and manageable in a week to ten days. All advice appreciated but I'm not expecting a detailed itinerary as I don't want to take up member's time, just a general area to start our exploration would be very helpful.

Its not something you should rush, but you could do it in two halves I guess.
from Dublin head directly South to start the WAW at Kinsale and follow the route North as far as westport thrn dash back to Dublin for the return, alternatively take my route and head south as far as Westport again so you could do it all in two bites, but thats two lots of ferries to pay for, but then again thats two excellent holidays.
find a way, you will not regret it.
another consideration is time of year, they have a short holiday season of July and August, we would avoid that but if its attractions you like. They may not be open outside of those months.
and you will save a fortune on midge cream as there are none.

K

 

[Dowel]

Thanks for advice Vanterrier. Sorry for delay in replying, I have been fixing the roof while the sun shines. Now it is raining!
We are unlikely to hurry into this for 2017 as we recently sold our van and now looking for a replacement. We can use the time to research and make a plan for next year.

My wife's summer holiday window is 3 weeks of July and most of August. Missing "attractions" is probably not an issue but to be fair I should investigate what those attractions might be. Our interests include scenery, history, architecture, townscapes etc.

She does get a week at half term in May/June which could be a good time for us. No midges is good news! Thanks again for your help

 

[Debroos]

Re disposing of rubbish in the republic if Ireland...there is a hefty fine for putting domestic waste in litter bins.
We just stick ours in a black bin liner and take to the local recycling centre.As general rubbish the charge per bag was about €3/4 euros.

 

[ScoTTyBEEE]

Re disposing of rubbish in the republic if Ireland...there is a hefty fine for putting domestic waste in litter bins.
We just stick ours in a black bin liner and take to the local recycling centre.As general rubbish the charge per bag was about €3/4 euros.

That's crazy expensive.

 

[phillybarbour]

Thanks for posting this has inspired me to try and do in 2018.

 

[trevskoda]

Dont just do the atlantic way as there is much more to see around the north.

 

[tracker]

Did the WAW in June this year, had a fantastic time.

Ferry, ours were well cheap as we used tesco club points.

Diesel in ireland cheaper than the uk, cheapest we come across €1.15 most expensive €1.22. Euros not pounds

If you do it go south to north so the coast is on your side of the road.

Lots of campsites and many more wild camping sites.

We went Holyhead - Dublin and returned Larne - Stranraer

We enjoyed the NC500 in 2015 but this route edges it for gold medal of coastal drives..