Wild Atlantic Way In 1 Week : Day 3– Ballybunion to Clifden : #WAWIn1Week

Wild Atlantic Way In 1 Week : Day 3– Ballybunion to Clifden

Update : The YouTube video of Day 3 is now available for your viewing pleasure…Enjoy!

Wednesday 29th July 2015 and we are at Day 3 of the #WAWIn1Week. Today’s route takes me from Ballybunion, Co. Kerry to Clifden, Co. Galway. My initial planning had worked today out to be somewhere around 205 miles, however again I underestimated a bit and it clocked up at closer to 270 miles.

WAWIn1Week - Ballybunion to Clifden - Day 3
WAWIn1Week – Ballybunion to Clifden – Day 3

One thing that makes this leg a little different is that you have the option of getting on a boat, this is a good idea as it will keep you away from Limerick, which is big, busy and is going to take up a good bit of time to pass through, either of the ferries will keep you motoring on and keep you on track staying on the coast.

Wild Atlantic Way - Farewell Co. Kerry
Wild Atlantic Way – Farewell Co. Kerry

It was another long day in the saddle, with few breaks, other than at the signature points, of which there were three today, namely :

  1.  Loop Head.
  2. Cliffs of Moher.
  3. Derrigimlagh.

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Wild Atlantic Way In 1 Week : Day 2 – Kenmare to Ballybunion : #WAWIn1Week

Wild Atlantic Way In 1 Week : Day 2 – Kenmare to Ballybunion

Update : 19/02/2019 : The YouTube video of Day 2 is now available for your viewing pleasure…Enjoy!

Tuesday 28th July 2015 and it is Day 2 of the #WAWIn1Week.  Today’s route takes me from Kenmare, Co. Kerry to Ballybunion, Co. Kerry.  I had worked this out at about 230 miles when planning the route, however this is a long, long leg.  It’s probably closer to 280 – 300 miles and the with a pretty heavy volume of traffic, and some pretty small tight roads it leads to a long day in the saddle.  Today I was on the bike for a solid 12 hours with few stops.  Lunch for example was about 2.30pm at a garage on a picnic bench on the way to Dingle.  Tasty fresh sandwiches though, and friendly staff so it was grand, but time was the main issue I had today.

Wild Atlantic Way Kenmare to Ballybunion
Wild Atlantic Way Kenmare to Ballybunion

This section of the route took me to two signature points today :

  1.   Bray Head
  2.  Radharc Na Mblascaodai

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Wild Atlantic Way In 1 Week : Day 1– Kinsale to Kenmare : WAWIn1Week

Wild Atlantic Way In 1 Week : Day 1– Kinsale to Kenmare :

Update : 28/10/2016 : The YouTube video of Day 1 is now available for your viewing pleasure…Enjoy!

So this is Day 1 proper of my trip along the Wild Atlantic Way.  The route takes me from Kinsale to Kenmare and is approximately  287 miles.

Wild Atlantic Way Kinsale To Kenmare
Wild Atlantic Way Kinsale To Kenmare

As you can see from the map above there are 3 Signature Points in this section of the route, namely :

  1.  Old Head of Kinsale
  2.  Mizen Head
  3.  Dursey Island.

The Signature Points along the WAW are what have been deemed as the ‘unmissable’ along the route and to be fair they are unmissable, when you are here make sure you check them out!  On my trip I managed to stop at each of these points my only warning in relation to them is – they are busy.  You can go for many many miles and not see another soul, however as you approach these Signature Points everything else increases, so the traffic can get quite heavy at some points, annoyingly heavy and be aware no one in front of you seems to care or be aware of what is going on behind them.

Old Head of Kinsale :

Wild Atlantic Way : Old Head of Kinsale
Wild Atlantic Way : Old Head of Kinsale

The Old Head of Kinsale 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 beautiful 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.

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