Wild Atlantic Way: road trip Ireland

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Ireland is a country with impressive nature, friendly people and beautiful music. I have been a fan for years and loved my visits to Dublin & Belfast and my road trip in South West of Ireland! When I received an invitation to visit the famous Wild Atlantic Way, I packed my bag immediately! With my cousin Annemarie, I open the doors of our car with the steering wheel on the right side, help (!), and we start this incredible road trip on the west coast of Northern Ireland. If you follow me on Instagram, you have probably seen some photos and Instastories already…

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Slieve League | Wild Atlantic Way

Our Wild Atlantic Way route starts in Sligo and ends in Donegal, in the North of Ireland. On the way we stop at unique hotels, accommodations and country houses! Our first stop is Temple House. We find our zennnn at this huge country house. At night we enjoy dinner with the other guest and the food is amazing! A famous Dutch cookbook writer likes to stay here too and I can see why… It is important to know that dinner and breakfast are with the other guests, sitting at a large table. You are part of the family here! Click HERE for the best rates and availability at Temple House.

THE BEST RENTAL CAR FOR YOUR ROAD TRIP

Temple House & Knocknarea | Wild Atlantic Way

THE BEST RATES AT TEMPLE HOUSE

There is so much to see and do while exploring the Wild Atlantic Way, but we only have 4 days, so unfortunately we have to skip some of the recommended stops.

Recommended stops & sights close to Sligo:
Eagles Flying: impressive birds of prey.
Carrowmore Megalithic Cemetery: the largest and oldest cemetery in Ireland with graves that date back to thousands of years before Christ.
Queen Maeve’s Grave/ Knocknarea: beautiful and not too intense hike to the burial mound on the top, from where you have a panoramic view over the area and Ben Bulben.
Ben Bulben: Ireland’s impressive Table Mountain.
Strandhill: cute little surf town. Have lunch at Shell’s Café, try a seaweed bath nextdoor and have an ice cream at Mammy Johnston’s!

If you decide to spend the night close to Sligo, visit restaurant Knox. Hargadon Bros. is a famous pub there!

MY DUBLIN CITY GUIDE

Eithna’s by the sea | Wild Atlantic Way

While driving on the left side of the road, with a sweaty moustache that is finally starting to disappear, we are heading north. Unfortunately we don’t have enough time to visit Streedagh Beach, but we heard great stories about this place. We stop at cosy Mullaghmore, where we try the delicious mussels & oysters at Eithna’s by the Sea, including a glass of champagne! Love this little restaurant!

THE BEST RENTAL CAR FOR YOUR ROAD TRIP

Harvey’s Point Hotel | Best hotels Ireland

After a long day full of impressive landscapes and various playlists in the car, we arrive at our second hotel: Harvey’s Point. This hotel has won many awards, including the award for best hotel in Ireland! When we open the door to our room, our jaws drop to the floor…. We have a huuuge suite, including a jacuzzi and little cakes in the bedroom. What a treat! The rooms at Harvey’s Point are very affordable. Try the cheese board when you have dinner at the restaurant. Loved it! Breakfast is amazing too. I think I need a gym when I go home…

THE BEST RATES AT HARVEY’S POINT

After our checkout, we visit Lough Eske: the castle nextdoor. We are not that impressed by our lunch here, but it is a beautiful spot for a drink and definitely worth a visit. I finish my glamourous Belini and we continue our trip to the famous Slieve League Cliffs. This is a MUST VISIT! Woooooow so stunning! My drone finally wakes up, so I take some shots, while the sun is slowly going down….

Slieve League | Wild Atlantic Way

We need a little rest when we arrive, later than expected, at hotel Caisléan Oir. After dumping our bags in our room for the night, we enjoy a delicious meal at the hotel’s restaurant. This is next level comfort food! The nachos with cheese and huge scallops with mozzarella are so good… After an Espresso Martini After Eight (very popular here) we have another drink at the pub of the hotel. There is live Irish music and on the menu there are over 30 different whiskeys.. Such a great vibe here!

THE BEST RATES AT HOTEL CAISLEAN OIR

The next day our first stop is Carrickfinn Beach. This beach with large rocks is very photogenic! It seems like a thunderstorm is coming our way and the sky turns dark grey within minutes, like an apocalypse is coming, so we decide to drive to Glenveagh NP. We have lunch at the cosy Thyme Out cafe in the NP. You can either walk to the castle from the parking or take a bus. Other tourists advised us to skip the tour of the castle, but to enjoy the beautiful gardens. The surroundings are stunning and this area has a couple of nice walking trails.

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Carrickfinn beach & Glenveagh NP | The best stops

It is our last night in Ireland and we spend it at a stunning country house: Rathmullan House. What a beautiful and classy place to stay! Our room has a fireplace and I relax in our old fashioned bath tub with legs… Dinner is excellent and the wines are amazing. The prices are a little higher than average here, but staying at Rathmullan House is a unique experience. What a way to end this road trip…

Rathmullan House | best hotels and accommodations

After a delicious breakfast with apple cider vinegar tea and pancakes with blueberries, we drive back to Dublin in 3 hours and 45 minutes. What an adventure, what a road trip.. Take your time for the Wild Atlantic Way. There are so many beautiful stops along the way. We were very lucky with the weather and had sun almost every day. Goodbye Ireland, you made me love you even more…

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