GALWAY: A WEEKEND TRIP (Part 2)

In Galway: A Weekend Trip (Part 1) I took you through the food and accommodation highlights of our recent weekend trip to Galway. In this instalment, I want to share some photographs of the first leg of our tour of the Wild Atlantic Way. 

The Lonely Planet™ describes the route as “The ‘Wild Atlantic Way’ driving route neatly packages the abundant attractions of Ireland’s west coast, from West Cork to Donegal. The well-signed, easy-to-navigate route includes 157 ‘Discovery Points’, where drivers can stop and learn more about the must-sees and lesser-known diversions of this fascinating area”.  It’s 2500 km of coastline and apparently one of the longest coastal routes in the world.

Our plan is to take in chunks of the way over a period of time in a weekend or one-day bites. In truth, we’ve travelled along much of the southwestern portion of the way many times but our intention now is to travel the whole thing looking through the eyes of a visitor to Ireland, rather than natives simply going from place to place.

The highlight of this portion of our journey was the Sky Road loop in Galway. This piece of peninsula on the far edge of Europe shows clearly the rugged beauty of the west coast of Ireland and the equally rugged people that refuse to be driven from their home-place by challenging weather of relative isolation. The short drive provides lots of opportunities to stop and drink in the amazing views and the cobalt coloured Atlantic ocean.