Welcome caravanning 1700 miles of bliss:
Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way (pt1)

Also read:     PART TWO             Free digital issue           100+ caravan tips  

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Spanning no fewer than 1700 miles from Malin Head – Ireland’s most northerly point – to Fastnet off its southwestern tip, the Wild Atlantic Way passes some of the most beautiful and dramatic scenery in Europe. Caravan-wise, it's ripe for a top trip of tourer towing.

The Wild Atlantic Way looks set to take its place in motoring lore as one of the greatest drives ever.

The full route would make a challenging caravan trip, as there are many stretches of road where you’d be better off unhitched, but then that’s the whole point of campsites. Happily, there’s no shortage of these along the way.

Gone the whole Way? Get in touch

There will, no doubt, soon be a series of claims for the first person to traverse the full route by car, bike, unicycle, or pogo stick, and we’d love to hear from any readers who manage to tow a caravan along every mile of this monster drive.

We’d start at Blarney Caravan and Camping to the west of the city of Cork, or Garrettstown House Holiday Park, both of which are convenient for the beginning of the Wild Atlantic Way at Kinsale.

Navigation should be a doddle – for this clockwise tour, simply keep the land on the right and the sea on the left, and you won’t go far wrong. In any case, there will be thousands of distinctive WAW signboards along the route.

Incredible things to see, right from the off

The spectacular scenery starts straight away, with the Old Head of Kinsale and one of the most amazing golf courses in the world. Sexton’s Caravan and Camping Park might provide an early stopover before tackling the south-west coast.

Ireland’s equivalent of Land’s End is Mizen Head, from where on a clear day you can see Fastnet Rock, of shipping forecast and sailing fame. It is also known poignantly as Ireland’s Last Teardrop, as this was the last land seen by emigrants to the USA.

Further around the tortuous switchbacks of the extreme south-west is Dursey Island, location of Ireland’s only cable car. Be patient while you wait to cross, as the three families resident on the island have priority – and so do their sheep.



The route around the fjordland of Ireland’s south west is far from direct, and you will double back on yourself half a dozen times while negotiating it, but you’re not in a hurry. Really, you’re not.

Roll up at Wave Crest Caravan and Camping Park or Mannix Point Camping and Caravan Park and enjoy the extraordinary landscapes – both campsites are on the famous Ring of Kerry scenic route, the major chunk of which is incorporated into the Wild Atlantic Way here.

On the journey north, stop in Dingle to wave at the dolphin and then look out for tall tales of derring-do from the locals on the Blasket Islands, just west of Ireland’s most westerly point at the end of the Dingle Peninsula.

Now read part two of our Wild Atlantic Way tour...

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