INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT WILD ATLANTIC WAY

Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way on the outer edge of Europe stretches along the west coast of Ireland. It begins on the Inishowen Peninsula in Co Donegal and goes through the counties Leitrim, Sligo, Mayo, Galway, Clare, Limerick and Kerry, finishing in Kinsale, County Cork. The route which is over 2,600km long is divided into 14 stages.

It is one of the longest defined coastal route in the world. It winds its way all along the Irish west coast from the Inishowen Peninsula in the north down to the picturesque town of Kinsale, County Cork, in the south. This route from start to finish unfolds the wonders of nature, the power of the ocean and its imprint on the west coast of Ireland, and the stunning countryside in all its diversity.

Enchanting villages are nestled along the coast as well as ancient monuments – their origins having long sunk into the mists of oblivion dot the landscape.

The wild Atlantic with its unrestrained and untameable tides and storms has continuously been moulding the west coast of Ireland. With a constant meeting of water and land, a deeply indented and wild terrain has emerged with towering cliffs, spellbinding bays and beaches, mystical islands, always changing and never reaching the end. In the isolation or perhaps expressed in a different way living near and with the Atlantic at your doorstep has ensured that old traditions and the Irish language have been preserved. A trip along the Wild Atlantic Way is also an encounter with the past.

Achill Island is at the heart of the Wild Atlantic Way, and Keem Bay is one of the 14 Signature Discovery Points that span the route. The breathtaking scenery of the west coast of Ireland is unrivalled and Achill epitomises all that is dramatic and wild about the route, with ancient castles, prehistoric sites and towering cliffs.