Cycle the quietest and most scenic roads in Europe on the Wild Atlantic Way

Nothing quite beats the wind in your hair and the open road in your sights, with the promise of a cosy bed and hearty meal in a nice bed and breakfast at the end of an active, healthy day outdoors. In fairness you are probably not going to cycle all 2500 kms of the longest coastal route in one trip, but you could easily do a couple of chunks and come back another time to sample the rest.

Cycle Routes

A very good idea is to base yourself in a particular area and just cycle the coastal stretches and back roads there. Trust me you will see more scenery in any of the following locations than you will have time to photograph. Really quite safe areas to cycle along the Wild Atlantic Way include the Inishowen and Fanad Head peninsulas in Donegal, Achill Island, Loop Head, the Burren isn’t a great idea as there are a lot of tour buses going to the Cliffs of Moher, similarly the Ring of Kerry and Dingle, too much traffic. But if you get off the main roads in Kerry and venture on to Valentia Island or the smaller Ballinskelligs loop, you will be laughing. Similarly, if you find yourself in West Cork, the Beara or Sheep’s Head peninsulas are very hard to beat, but please don’t tell everyone.

Western Greenway

If you want one that is 100% traffic free, try cycling the Western Greenway which runs from Westport to Mulranny. A converted, dis-used railway line it winds its way through some of the most spectacular scenery in Ireland. You can even hire your bikes and equipment at one end and drop them off at the other plus there are plenty of watering holes along the route, not to mention castles, standing stone and fairy rings.  

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Posted: 06 Aug 2014 by Claire Regan | with 0 comments

Tags: cycling, Wild Atlantic Way