Today I am going to explain the first part of the route I drove along the west coast of Ireland, the Atlantic coast. An area of incredible landscapes. I consider it the real Ireland.
In total a 6 day trip, 5 of which on the Atlantic side of the country and a day in the Irish capital (which I have visited previously). My starting point for each excursion was Galway City, in the far west.
The Atlantic coast of the country owes its landscapes of totally green pastures due to its climate, rain and wind guaranteed all year round.
Galway is one of the most important towns in Ireland, despite only having 75000 inhabitants. It is a university city, with a lot of cultural activity, and 2 hours by car from Dublin.
The Anglo-Saxon country is offers everything you need for lovers of nature, tranquility, folklore and traditional customs.
How to get to Galway and what to do?
Today there are no direct flights connecting a Spanish city with Galway. The closest is fly to Dublin or Cork and from there move to Galway.
I believe that Galway is the best option as a base camp to be able to do the different routes and excursions in the area. If you wanted to focus your trip further north and include Northern Ireland, Westport (about 100Km north of Galway) is another city large and beautiful enough to be considered a central point and start of the journey.
I recommend you fly to Dublin and rent the car directly at the airport. In this way we can visit the Irish capital and a castle in the center of Ireland.
The approximate distance between the two populations is about 200Km, about 2 and a half hours by car, much of it by highway. From Cork the distance is similar but the roads are roads, so we must have more than 3 hours to reach our departure destination.
The highways and roads in the country are generally very good and with the exception of Dublin there is not much traffic. Keep in mind that you drive on the left!
Galway is a medium-sized city that can be easily visited on foot.
El historic center is quite beautiful and highlights its pedestrianized main street and authentic Irish pubs. It is a good place to have a good pint of Guinness while listening to typical songs of the country.
The area from the pier and walk by the sea is another good option.
Day 1: Cliffs of Moher, a must see in Ireland
My route will start with the most important tourist site in the country. And without a doubt a spectacle of nature, it has to be seen. We can't travel to Ireland without seeing the Cliffs of Moher.
The best time to see them is in summer obviously, but it is also the most crowded. I visited them in November, and despite the bad weather (we are in Ireland, it will almost certainly rain) we were alone! We were able to walk the main path and the entire site quietly, there was no one. Despite the intense rain and wind we were able to enjoy the excursion, the enclosure is totally adapted to the inclemencies of the weather and to cross it for all the ages.
The Cliffs of Moher have an elevation of more than 100 meters above the sea. The highest point has a 200 meter vertical wall towards the sea. Trails have been set up that run along the 10 km of coastline that the cliffs occupy.
To reach them from Galway the most suitable is take the N18 road to Kilcolgan village and there turn onto the N67 road. In total about 75 km of which more than half pass through unique landscapes, fields and pastures that reach the sea, spectacular mountains of dark rocks, ...
I recommend you take a break along the way to enjoy the views, we are in the authentic Irish west. Halfway you will meet Dunguaire Castle, a mandatory stop.
There we can park without any problem. We went to the entrance and there we paid to access the Precinct of Moher, about 6 euros per person to protect the cliffs, enter the Visitor's Center and the parking lot.
Once inside we follow the main path and after a few meters the impressive cliff will dazzle us. You can have a good perspective of the Cliffs from O'Brien's Tower, perched on top of one of the cliffs and following the main path north.
There are agencies that offer to see the cliffs from the sea with a boat. I didn't do it, but it surely has to be spectacular see moher from belowIf you have time I would find out.
Once this visit is over, I recommend you return to Galway on the inland road instead of the coastal one.. Villages and small towns surrounded by green meadows is what you are going to see. A beautiful landscape wherever you look.