The wild atlantic ways signatory points

Malin Head, Co. Donegal

Rugged yet inviting, County donegal’s Malin Head is steeped in history and offers activities like walking, fishing, swimming and bird watching.

Here, north of Trawbreaga Bay, you can view the Five Finger Strand, which is home to some of europe’s largest sand dunes. At low tide, you can even spot the wreckage of the ‘Twilight’, which sank in 1889 while sailing to derry.

For more history, follow the coast road. You’ll pass the old radio station, built in 1910, and The Tower, a derelict signal station located on Banba’s Crown, the most northerly point in Ireland. It’s the perfect place to relax with a picnic, as the stunning panorama includes Inistrahull and Tory islands, as well as the Scottish hills on a clear day. Plus, you can work off any extra indulgences with a walk along the cliffs to Hell’s Hole, a chasm where the tide rushes in with impressive force. If treasure hunting is more your speed, head east to Ballyhillion beach, which dates back to the Ice Age and is known for its many semiprecious stones.

 

Fanad Head, Co. Donegal

Fanad Head lies on the north coast of County donegal between Lough Swilly and Mulroy Bay. Its claims to fame include one of the world’s most beautiful lighthouses and the famous Flight of the earls, which took place here in 1607.

To reach the headland, travel along Knockalla Coast Road, a route with some seriously stunning panoramas. Along the way, you’ll take in views of the Inishowen Peninsula and Atlantic Ocean, and as the road ascends, you’ll look down upon Portsalon and Ballymastocker Bay. From this vantage point, it’s easy to see why the beach was once voted the second most beautiful in the world. Still, it has more to offer than good looks, as it’s also a haven for watersports enthusiasts, walkers and golfers. If a visit to the lighthouse is on your agenda, don’t forget to make some time for a leisurely stroll along the adjacent headland, where you’ll see awe-inspiring waves and the Wild Atlantic Way’s most rugged stretch of coastline. This is one place where you’ll certainly want to have your camera ready.

 

Sliabh Liag, Co. Donegal

Some of the highest and finest marine cliffs in europe, County donegal’s Sliabh Liag (Slieve League in english) are not to be missed. To make the most of your visit, it’s best to leave your car in the car park and walk the few kilometres to the cliffs. As you climb toward the top of Sliabh Liag – which at 601m high is not a place for the faint-hearted – there are terrific views of the Atlantic Ocean, Donegal Bay and the Sligo Mountains. Sliabh Liag was also the site of a Christian pilgrimage for more than 1,000 years, although it’s believed to have been a sacred place long before the Christians arrived. given the mountain’s rich history, there is a lot you can learn at the visitor centre, where you’ll also get a taste of the local food, culture and sense of humour.

 

Mullaghmore Head, Co. Sligo

Mullaghmore is a small fishing village that should be on any outdoor enthusiast’s itin erary. The sandy beach here stretches as far as the eye can see and is ideal for a spot of swimming or windsurfing. You can also venture out

into the Atlantic for an excursion to Inishmurray Island or a sea angling trip.

If you’re more of a landlubber, there’s plenty here for you too. go for a leisurely stroll and take in panoramic views of Sliabh Liag or watch the waves crash under Classiebawn Castle. You can also enjoy surfing as a spectator sport, remaining on the beach while watching top international surfers ride some of europe’s best waves. Many come for Prowlers – a famous spot where swells can reach up to 30m – and practice the tow-in technique involving jet skis. These skilled big wave surfers

are exciting to watch, but the waves tend to be best in the winter months, so you’ll no doubt want to hurry back into a cosy pub where you can warm up by the fire.

 

Downpatrick Head, Co. Mayo

Downpatrick Head is a majestic heritage site found about 5km north of Ballycastle village. Jutting out into the ocean and rising almost 40m above the waves, it provides unparalleled views of the Atlantic, including the unique collection of islands known as the Staggs of Broadhaven. You can also spot the nearby Dún Briste sea stack, with its different

coloured layers of rock and nesting sea birds. In addition to the natural scenery and wildlife, Downpatrick Head is home to the ruins of a church, holy well and stone cross, which together mark the site of an earlier church founded by St. Patrick. Ireland’s patron saint is also honoured with a statue that was built in the early 1980s. Given its religious associations, Downpatrick Head was once a popular destination for pilgrims, who came here each year on the last Sunday of July, known as ‘Garland Sunday’. Today that tradition lives on, and Mass is still celebrated at Downpatrick Head on that same day.

 

Keem Strand, Co. Mayo

Keem Strand is a sheltered rural beach surrounded by cliffs on Achill, Ireland’s largest island. Located at the head of a valley between the cliffs of Benmore and Croaghaun Mountain, to reach this idyllic spot just follow the Atlantic Drive to Keel and continue westward via a cliff-top road with spectacular views of the Atlantic Ocean. The beach, which is lifeguarded during the bathing season, is very popular with swimmers and is the site of a Blueway snorkel trail. If you’re feeling inspired there are several activity providers in the area that offer equipment hire and tuition. In the past, this area was a key location for the Achill Basking Shark Fishery, which operated in the 1950s and ‘60s. During that period, spotters were stationed at Moyteoge Head, which borders the beach, to identify the sharks and direct hunting boats to them. The sharks were targeted for oil which was used as a lubricant in the aerospace industry.

 

Killary Harbour, Co. Galway

Located in the heart of Connemara, Killary Harbour (‘An Caoláire Rua’ in Irish) is a fjord that forms a natural border between counties Galway and Mayo. Here, you will find some of the most dramatic scenery in Ireland. From the northern shore of the harbour rises Mweelrea, the highest mountain in Connaught at 814m. To the south you can see the Maumturk Mountains and the Twelve Bens. There are two small communities in the vicinity: Rosroe on the southern side and Leenane to the east. In the former, you’ll find a hostel that was once a residence where philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein stayed for some time after WWII, using it as a quiet place to write. Nearby you can also explore the so called Green Road, a route that travels eastward along the side of the fjord toward Leenane. This road stretches for 9km and was built in the 19th century as a famine relief project. Additionally, this area is known for aquaculture, with a salmon farm operating at Rosroe and mussel rafts commonly spotted to the east.

 Killary Harbour in Co. Galway

 

Derrigimlagh, Co. Galway

You can hire a bike in Connemara’s largest town, Clifden, and set out on one of the area’s cycle routes which brings you through the townland of Derrigimlagh on quiet country roads. Your journey will take you by the blanket bog, a stunning mosaic of tiny lakes and peat, where you can stop and view two sites of international historical significance. First, you’ll pass the scattered remnants of the world’s first permanent transatlantic radio station. It was built more than a century ago by Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi and transmitted the first transatlantic radio signal in 1907. At its peak, the station employed several hundred people who helped transmit news across the ocean. It burned to the ground during the Irish War of Independence, but you can still view the vast site where many foundations of the buildings and workers’ houses remain. Nearby you’ll also come across a white memorial in the shape of an aeroplane wing, which pays tribute to John Alcock and Arthur Whitten Brown. In 1919, Alcock and Brown were the first pilots to fly non-stop across the Atlantic, before they crash-landed (safely) in Derrigimlagh Bog.

 

Cliffs of Moher, Co. Clare

The iconic Cliffs of Moher are one of Ireland’s most visited natural attractions. Stretching for 8km along the Atlantic coast of Clare, the cliffs reach 214m at their highest point at Knockardakin. Midway along the cliffs you’ll find the environmentally friendly visitor centre set into the hillside. Here, you can also discover O’Brien’s Tower, a 19th century viewing tower, and access 800m of protected cliff side pathways with viewing areas. There are many vantage points from which to admire the awe-inspiring Cliffs of Moher. From the main platform, you can see the south cliffs toward Hag’s Head, a natural rocky promontory that resembles a seated woman. From the north platform, you can spot An Branán Mór sea stack, home of guillemots and razorbills, as well as the Aran Islands and, if the conditions are right, the famous surfing wave known as ‘Aileen’s’. Continue on about

5km from here and you’ll arrive in the village of Doolin. And if you’d like to see the puffins that reside on Goat Island instead, head for the south platform.

 The Cliffs of Moher in Co. Clare

 

Loop Head, Co. Clare

At the western tip of County Clare, where the calm waters of the Shannon Estuary turn into the powerful waves of the Atlantic, you’ll find Loop Head Peninsula. Travel along the Loop Head Drive to the western end of the peninsula to see its famous lighthouse, which sits on land dotted with colourful wild flowers. You can climb to the top of the lighthouse and take in splendid views that stretch from County Kerry to the Cliffs of Moher. At the very end of the peninsula there is also a relic from WW2: large white letters spelling É-I-R-E, which let pilots know they were entering neutral airspace. This area is a wildlife haven too, with thousands of seabirds making their nests on the rock ledges and an estimated 160 bottlenose dolphins living in the mouth of the Shannon River. If you’d like to see these majestic animals up close, you can take a boat trip from Carrigaholt, or follow the road from Kilrush to Aylevarro Point to see them playing just offshore.

Loophead Lighthouse in Co. Clare

 

Blasket’s View, Co. Kerry

Out on the very edge of Europe, off the Dingle Peninsula, lie the mystical Blasket Islands, a small archipelago renowned for its storytellers. In the early 20th century, JM Synge became the first of many writers to arrive here in search of Ireland’s traditional culture, which remained strong in this isolated and far-flung community. Here, people lived simply and frugally off the land and sea. Their stories were transcribed and became the first written works to be published from the oral Irish culture. After many years of hardship and emigration, the last inhabitants left in 1953, and today, you can wander among their ruined cottages on the main island, An Blascaod Mór (Great Blasket). From there you can also spy dolphins and whales, and look out across the horizon toward America, as so many have done before. Back on the mainland, a visit to the Blasket Centre will provide insight into the islanders’ lives and the rich literary heritage of the region.

 The Blasket Peninsula, Co. Kerry

 

Bray Head, Co. Kerry

Viewed from Bray Head, Skellig Michael and Small Skellig are two islands rising from the Atlantic some 13km southwest of Valentia Island in County Kerry. Skellig Michael is renowned among archaeologists as the site of a well-preserved monastic outpost of the early Christian period, and it is now designated as a UNESCO world heritage site. Small Skellig, meanwhile, is famous in the world of ornithology, as it is home to some 27,000 pairs of gannets, making it the world’s second-largest colony of these sea birds. The monastic site on Skellig Michael is reached by climbing more than 600 steps on a 1,000 year-old stairway. Stone beehive huts where the monks lived and prayed cling to cliff edges alongside oratories, a cemetery, stone crosses, holy wells and the Church of St. Michael. These remains demonstrate the Spartan conditions in which the monks lived until they left the island in the 13th century. You can experience these islands first-hand with a boat trip, or opt to stay on dry land and visit the Skellig Experience Centre instead.

 

Dursey Island, Co. Cork

The most westerly of Cork’s inhabited islands, Dursey is separated from the mainland by a narrow sound known for its strong tides. It is accessed by Ireland’s only cable car, which runs about 250m above the sea. It can carry six people at a time (locals get preference) on the 15 minute journey. Without any shops, pubs or restaurants, this peaceful little island offers day-trippers an escape from the hustle and bustle of modern living. It is, however, home to three small villages and forms part of the Beara Way Walking Trail. Dursey is an excellent place for viewing wildlife, as a variety of birds can be seen here, including rare species from Siberia and America. Dolphins and whales can also frequently be spotted in the waters surrounding the island. On the island’s most westerly hill sits the 200-year-old signal tower, which boasts commanding views north to the Skellig Islands and south to Mizen Head. There are also ruins of the ancient church of Kilmichael, which is thought to have been founded by monks from Skellig Michael.

 

Mizen Head, Co. Cork

Located just 8km from Goleen, Mizen Head is a spellbinding place. As Ireland’s most south-westerly point, it is home to a signal station that was built to save lives off the rocky shoreline. It was completed in 1910 and later became the home of Ireland’s very first radio beacon in 1931. Here, inside the Keeper’s House, you’ll find a dynamic visitor centre that contains a café and gift shop. It also has a navigation aids simulator, displays the geology of the region, tells the story of Marconi in Crookhaven and discusses the lighthouse keepers’ hobbies. Once your tour of the visitor centre is complete, head outside and follow the path down the famous 99 steps and over the arched bridge that looks down upon the gorge. This route will take you to the signal station, which is open to the public. Along the way, there is stunning scenery to be admired, with the possibility of spotting seals, kitti wakes, gannets and choughs, not to mention minke, fin and humpback whales.

 

Old Head of Kinsale, Co. Cork

The Old Head of Kinslae is a remarkably dramatic piece of Ireland, protruding more than 3km into the Atlantic Ocean. Located on the southwest coast in County Cork, it is famous for its world-class, 18-hole golf course. Nine holes play along the tops of the cliffs, but all 18 holes boast stunning views of the ocean. Long before it became a golfer’s paradise, Old Head was known for its lighthouse, established in the 17th century by Robert Reading.

This is also the nearest land point to the site where the RMS Lusitania sank in 1915, after being hit by a German torpedo. Nearly 1,200 people perished in the incident. While Kinsale is a stunning place to admire on land, it’s best seen from the sea. You can take in views of this port town and learn more about its history with a trip aboard ‘The Spirit

of Kinsale’, which brings passengers across the harbour, past Charles Fort and right to the edge of the harbour where you will get a great view of the Old Head of Kinsale before returning to port, passing James Fort on the way.