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

July 8, 2023September 13, 2015 by TomBoyNI

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

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

Bray Head
Radharc Na Mblascaodai

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

July 8, 2023September 2, 2015 by TomBoyNI

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.

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

Old Head of Kinsale
Mizen Head
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 :

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.

#WAWIn1Week : Wild Atlantic Way In 1 Week : Day 0 – Travel Day.

August 18, 2015 by TomBoyNI

I have opted to call this day, Day Zero. That’s really because it is a day that doesn’t count. The WAW starts in Muff, Co. Donegal or Kinsale, Co. Cork depending on whether you are travelling north or south. Given where I live that meant a few hours travel either way and as I had opted for the South – North route it meant travelling to Kinsale, Co. Cork from Northern Ireland, about 30 miles north of the border. So I had about a four hour trip ahead of me. About 260 miles.

Pretty much all of these 260 miles were on dual carriageways or motorways and passed through 3 toll roads, each one costing a whopping 90 cents each. Not a big deal on one trip but I can see how this could easily mount up for local commuters. Thank goodness we don’t have any toll roads in Northern Ireland. Yet.

I was all packed and ready to go, with only one problem, rain. It had been raining all day and although not heavy, when you factor in travelling into it face first at 70 mph it wasn’t all that appealing. The rain continued, and continued, it became a case of having to go regardless. So off I went.

#WAWIn1Week – Wild Atlantic Way In 1 Week – The Gear…

October 21, 2017August 10, 2015 by TomBoyNI

So having just recently completed my trip of the West Coast of Ireland in 1 Week, along the longest Coastal Route in the World – The Wild Atlantic Way, taking in over 2,600km it is now time for me to put this trip into some sort of words, and more importantly share my photographs of this stunning area with the rest of world, and hopefully inspire a few more of you to take on this route.

The route itself is no secret, it is brilliantly signposted from start to finish and is easily completed without a sat nav, map of even the slightest clue about the geography of Ireland. There are numerous towns and villages that you will pass through and the options from accommodation range from a bit of wild camping to official campsites, or gorgeous little family run B&Bs right through to Hotel Resorts and Spas. Brilliant. Initially I had planned on completing this trip with my only accommodation being at the side of the road where I stopped. Just prior to my trip I decided on changing this due to the predicted weather, and the constant rain the Met Office told me I would be facing. It turns out on this trip over the one week timescale the change to B&B style accommodation was a good one!

This first post though will cover the gear that I used on my trip, it will touch on my motorcycle, and the gear I used for the daily ride and how it held up with the weather of an Irish ‘Summer.’ Summer in this case needs the ‘ ‘ marks, as at the time of typing I think we are somewhere close to Day 60 of consecutive rain falling somewhere in the country (its a small country) and having just passed the coldest, wettest July since 2003. On saying that as you will see over the up and coming #WAWIn1Week posts I was pretty lucky with the weather. I did get a good, in fact severe soaking, twice – enough to test the gear to the absolute limits, but for most of the time I was only hitting passing showers, or trying to keep them in my mirrors! With this route hugging the West Coast of Ireland and therefore the limits of the Atlantic Ocean it is subject to some pretty extreme weather conditions and one thing to remember if you are over and on the route what looks grim ahead may take a dramatic change around the next corner. The weather is really that changeable and if you just look out over the ocean you will get a very good idea of what the jet stream is bringing across to you over the next couple of hours.

So here we go, the gear I used and how it coped with taking on the world’s longest dedicated coastal route, 2,600km and six days on the coast…

#WAWIn1Week – Completed!

August 2, 2015 by TomBoyNI

Just by way of a quick update I have finished my trip of the Wild Atlantic Way in 1 Week.

It was an epic journey along the West Coast of Ireland and I will be posting a full ride report very soon, but in the meantime please have a look at my Twitter and Instagram accounts where you will find a large selection of photos using the hashtag #WAWIn1Week

I will also be uploading my complete route from my GPS in case anyone fancies doing the same route.

If you do fancy doing it let me know as I am considering am starting a wall of fame for the adventurers who complete this journey in the timescale.

Believe me when I tell you it was tough.

#WAWIn1Week

Torr Head, Torr Road, Ballycastle, Northern Ireland

June 12, 2015 by TomBoyNI

The Causeway Coastal Route, in Northern Ireland currently sits at Number 3 in the Top Ten Driving Roads in the world! That is amazing, and it has been in the top ten consistently for the last 10 years!

It runs from Belfast to Portrush and takes a good couple of hours to complete, or many more hours if you decide to check out the numerous scenic points and forest drives along the way. It truly is stunning and on a bright, sunny day it is simply outstanding. If you ever have the privilege of visiting Northern Ireland the ‘Coast Road’ is an absolute must.

However as you travel along it you will come across a sign post for Torr Head Scenic Route, this is one of many brown ‘Tourist’ Signs dotted along the Causeway Route, and it can be hard to decide which ones to go for and even harder – which ones to miss.

Torr Head Scenic View Point, Ballycastle

This is one you can not miss. This is one of my favourite roads in the country and although I love the Causeway Route I often drive it just to get to the Torr Road. The views here are breathtaking as you weave up and down the mountains before arriving at Torr Head View point. An old abandoned Coast guard post remains, and when the weather is good you can clearly see Scotland, which sits a mere 12 miles in front of you. It is a nice climb to see the Coast Guards’ Station but truthfully it is all about this road, it is like something in the movies, honestly, drive it, you will not be disappointed!

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