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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.

Disclosure :