The Wild Atlantic Way, the feather in Ireland’s cap

The trickiest part is knowing where to start. Unless your clients want to do a lot of driving, they’re unlikely to want to tackle it in one go. Operators including Travel Solutions, Rabbie’s and Newmarket sell tours, and the Wild Atlantic Way can be dynamically packaged in sections using flights to airports including Galway, Knock, Cork, Shannon and Derry.

ITINERARY PLANNING 

Find out what clients enjoy doing, how active they are and which sights or landmarks are on their list. Drivers will find plenty of opportunities to cycle, kayak and admire the views on looped walks and hikes and the lively cities of Galway and Cork are good for incorporating live music and food festivals into an itinerary.

David Wood, trade, industry and business tourism manager at Tourism Ireland, says: “There is lots of great information about the Wild Atlantic Way and the different ways to experience it, both on ireland.com and on our trade portal trade.ireland.com.”

Perhaps there’s a special occasion that calls for a luxury stay. In Donegal, I spend a night at Harvey’s Point, where suites overlook shimmering Loch Eske, framed by the moody Bluestack Mountains.

Foodies are spoilt for choice, with brewery and smokehouse tours, cheese-making workshops, coastal “catch and cook” experiences and  dedicated food trails in The Burren (Co Clare) along the Great Western Greenway cycle trail (Co Mayo). From a memorable bowl of clam chowder served with hunks of home-made soda bread at The Rusty Mackerel pub near Slieve League to scallops with beetroot sorbet and black pudding dust, served at Arno’s Bistro in Westport, the food is a highlight.

Wood suggests visiting the “Getting Around Ireland” section for tips. “Many visitors will choose to hire a car, and we recommend booking in advance for cheaper rates, particularly for clients who want an automatic vehicle or child seats.”

I was keen to visit Galway and Connemara National Park and to see some of County Mayo’s islands, bays and beaches. Using the website, I pulled together a five-night drive from Galway to Donegal. Filled with welcoming pubs and known for its “trad” (live music) sessions and restaurant scene, Galway makes for a great introduction to the Wild Atlantic Way, and needs at least two nights.

Armed with tips from the bar staff at Tig Choli, I set off for Connemara National Park. Four of the park’s peaks are part of Ireland’s “12 Bens” range, and several graded trails lead from the visitor centre. The steepest, Diamond Hill, brings views of the Atlantic islands of Inishbofin and Inishturk and the castellated turrets of Kylemore Abbey.

But even a two-hour walk through tufted grassland scattered with silvery boulders and streams babbling at my ankles is hugely rewarding.

Hidden secrets

That evening, near the seaside village of Ballyconneely, I check-in at the Ocean Sands Hotel. My duplex room has a freestanding bath with a view across grazing sheep to the coral strand of Mannin Bay. Perched above the beach is a barrel sauna and there are new outdoor seaweed baths.

From the beach, guests can take guided kayak tours – suitable for beginners – to a seal colony. Even on an overcast March day, the water is translucent. “The seal colony beach isn’t accessible by road,” says my kayak guide, Clare Cosgrove. It’s a great way to see a spectacular stretch of coast.

As well as shoreline-hugging views, my drive takes in historic sites including the Neolithic monument at Ceide Fields, the seaside village of Killala and the “holy” mountain of Croagh Patrick, overlooking islet-speckled Clew Bay. At the Wild Nephin National Park, framed by the Nephin Beg Mountains, I follow a boardwalk over a vast expanse of Atlantic peat bog to a beach dotted with petrified pine stumps.

At the village of Mulranny, I hire an eBike and cycle over the bridge to serene Achill Island, which has a pristine beach at Keem. My brakes are often in use, not for cars, but to avoid the handsome curly-horned sheep that wander the narrow roads.

Back at Strandhill, surf lesson over, I heed Melanie’s advice and take a seaweed bath at Voya (the 50-minute bath costs €45). Seaweed bathing is an Irish tradition and a source of natural moisture for skin, hair and nails. I bathe in a private room where hot, tea-stained water is filled with bladderwrack. I slide in, take a deep contented breath, and think of Ireland.

Book it: A Wild Atlantic Way EV Road Trip including a guided tour of Fanad Head lighthouse, Achill Island Mission Colony, the Burren, a seaweed tour in Co Kerry, eBike rental in Connemara and a group kayaking tour on the coast of West Cork costs from £2,795pp twin-share on a B&B basis. Includes 11 days’ EV rental, picking up and dropping off in Dublin; mckinlaykidd.com