How to use this site to explore the Wild Atlantic Way

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How to use this site to explore the Wild Atlantic Way

This site will help you explore the Wild Atlantic Way.

I have tried to design this site so that it is easy for you to navigate. This site will provide you with ideas of places to visit and things to do while you travel your chosen part of the Wild Atlantic Way (WAW).

Read about the Points of Interest along the WAW

A lot of care has gone into choosing points of interest along the Wild Atlantic Way worth visiting. These may be official so-called official ‘Signature points’ or ‘Discovery points’ along the WAW, or just places I have been to myself that I think are worth a visit.

These are all described in the individual blog posts describing a particular route. The POI’s are shown individually in the downloadable Google Maps routes with recognisable coloured icons.

If you download the routes into Google Maps on your phone or tablet, you can see a description and photos of all the locations.

Any opinions in the text are my own. All photographic or video content is my own and copyrighted by Explorewaw.com unless stated otherwise.

The routes are found by starting at the relevant county (counties) and selecting the relevant route blog post.

Download the route onto your phone into Google Maps and select the destinations you wish to visit one by one.

I have done all the planning for you. Now all you need to do is delegate a navigator!

To read how to use the downloadable files on your phone read this post:

How to use the route files in Google Maps

How to recognise the Wild Atlantic Way

When you are driving the WAW you will see the official blue WAW road signs along the road with the official WAW logo. They look like this:

wild atlantic way signpost, wild atlantic way sign posts, wild atlantic way interactive map, wild atlantic way google maps, wild atlantic way route google maps
WAW logo going North

The (N) illustrates that the road is going from South to North, and the (S) shows the road going from North to South.

wild atlantic way signpost
WAW logo going South

These signs are super handy, so if you get lost just follow these signs until you get back to where you want to be.

Discovery points or Signature Points along the way are signposted with signs that look like this:

discovery point signpost

Normally if this is a viewpoint there will be a place for you to pull over to. But it may be cramped so take care!

How to use this site to plan

First, you will need to determine how much time you have available. This will determine how much you can see during your trip.

You may have a certain part of the WAW you wish to visit; the county where your forefathers originated, where the best golf courses are, or particular historical sites you wish to see.

This site will give you information and help you decide upon the best routes to travel.

The site provides downloadable routes with points of interest (POI’s) along the way and close to the WAW.

The routes generally follow the Wild Atlantic Way signs, but in some cases there may be a deviation to visit a particular spot of interest if it is worth the deviation.

And in other cases, I may just create a route that is off the WAW, but just worth driving, either for its incredible natural beauty or to visit things along the way. These are indicated as such. You just choose the route you wish to follow.

How to Plan Your Trip

The best way to plan your trip is as follows:

  • determine your method of travel (car, camper etc)
  • determine the time available and dates
  • choose the county (counties) you wish to visit
  • select the routes you wish to travel
  • read the relevant route blog posts
  • decide which POI’s you would like to visit
  • download the route links to Google Maps on your phone
  • book flights/ferry, accommodation and car hire
  • use Google Maps on your phone to navigate to where you want to go (hands-free of course! – it is illegal to use a phone whilst driving in Ireland)

This blog post ‘How to use the route files in Google Maps‘ will show you how to get the most out of these navigation tools, including a colour coding of the points of interest and a legend for the icons used.

The Google Maps links are the best way to navigate, as Google Maps will give you all the details including the photos of the POI’s.

Google Maps will also tell you if there are any traffic restrictions or hold-ups along the way, as long as you have an internet connection.

Also, the link is automatically updated whenever I add a new POI or more details to the routes.

I hope you find this site useful.

Last Updated on November 19, 2023 by Gav

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