THERE are few better feelings than the sense of adventure you get when you hit the road and enjoy the amazing scenery Ireland has to offer.
From the Lakelands and historic midlands to the rugged and spectacular coastlines of the Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland has so much to offer to those of us on four wheels.
With so many beautiful routes to take a road trip on in Ireland, it’s a difficult choice to make. Thankfully, travel site Expedia have narrowed things down for us.
Here are 10 of the best places in Ireland to take a road trip…
10. Lough Allen Drive
This short drive will take you from Leitrim into Roscommon, as you travel the 30km looped route of Lough Allen. The drive will take you through Drumshanbo, famous for its musical tradition and its unique high street fronted by a stone wall.
9. Slea Head Drive
Kerry, as we all know, is a beautiful part of the world – and one of the best ways to see the Kingdom is by exploring Slea Head. This circular route begins and ends in the famous town of Dingle, and takes in many scenic sea routes along the way.
8. The Mourne Coastal Route
The Mourne Coastal Route in Co. Down is a 120km drive along a rugged coastline. Travelling through many quaint seaside towns and villages, this drive will take you through the heart of the Mourne Mountains, the highest mountain range in Northern Ireland.
7. The Slieve Bloom Scenic Drive
The Slieve Bloom Mountains on the Laois/Offaly border offer a number of beautiful driving and walking opportunities along 40km of scenic roads and trails. There are several viewpoints along the way, each providing great vantage points of the “Bloom” region.
6. The Sally Gap
The Wicklow Mountains are one of the most-visited areas in Ireland and with good reason thanks to the picturesque national park. The Sally Gap is one of the two east to west passes across the mountains which provides some of the most amazing views anywhere in Ireland.
5. Boyne Valley Scenic Loop
The Boyne Valley route is the ultimate drive to explore Ireland’s ancient history. Over 5,000 years of Irish heritage – from the Hill of Tara and Newgrange to the Battle of the Boyne’s battlefield – make up what is truly a journey through thousands of years of history.
4. Lough Derg Scenic Drive
Lough Derg is the largest lake on the River Shannon, and a drive around it will take you on a 130km road trip through Clare, Tipperary and Galway. The circular driving route can be completed in a day and features a number of stunning castles and historic sites.
3. The Burren Beauty Drive
The Burren and Cliffs of Moher Geopark in Co. Clare is one of the most spectacular areas in the whole of Ireland, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors every year. The 70km ‘Burren Beauty Drive’ will take you through the gorgeous Burren National Park as you realise just why so many people visit each year.
2. Inishowen 100
The narrow peninsula of Inishowen in rural Donegal is one of the wildest places in the Emerald Isle. The ‘Inishowen 100’ route gets its name from the 100-mile (160km) length of the popular surfing route. For many, the area is the perfect starting point to explore the Wild Atlantic Way, and while it can be explored in one day, two to three days is recommended.
1. Copper Coast
The south coast of Ireland has some of the most breathtaking views and scenery in the country, and one of the finest examples of this is Copper Coast. It gets its name from the 19th-Century copper mines that lie at the area’s heart. The drive takes you from Tramore to Dungarvan, allowing you to explore two of Waterford’s most popular coastal towns with a number of spectacular beaches in between.
