Hey, you beautiful human being.
Welcome back to The Gibbons House, and if you're new here, hello!
I'm TJ, and in June 2022 I went travelling, alone (other than my dog Anayah), around Ireland in a small van for two weeks. It was my first solo trip: it was terrifying and insanely awesome at the same time.
I drove onto the Ferry at Fishguard, Wales, and ported at Rosslare, Ireland. I then travelled North along the East coast, across just under Dublin and skirted around the Northern Ireland boarder to get to Glenveagh and then drove down the West coast, exploring the Wild Atlantic Way in all it's glory. I visited all six of the National Parks, drove 1600 miles and walked 80 (ish) miles in 14 days.
It was exhausting, but worth every second.
I loved most of the parts of Ireland I saw and choosing my favourites was a challange, but there were a few that are regularly visited memories.
Here are my 5 favourite places that I saw whilst touring Ireland:
Continue reading for details about each place, and some photos!
Robertstown Canal - County Kildare
I parked at Robertstown Canal for my 3rd night in Ireland, and if I didn't have so far to travel the following day to stay on track, I would have stayed another night. You have to drive over the little bridge and follow the canal to the right to get to the car-park next to where the boats were moored. It's a single track but was perfectly smooth when I drove it, and there are some - not many, but a few - passing spots.
The atmosphere of the canal boats bobbing up and down, the family of Mallard Ducks quacking away and Cranes trumpeting as they flew overhead is one I will never forget. The boats were colourful and each unique, and there were taps to fill up my water supply in the van.
I met a lovely man who lived on the boat opposite where I had parked and we chatted a while before he very kindly offered for me to use his Waterways card so I could have a shower in the block that was close by. It was talking to him that aided my entire trip, as the following morning I stopped at the local shop to buy a Waterways card (a pre-punch card that allows access to toilets and showers along majority of the canals in Ireland), which had me searching for places to stay by the canals and harbours to be able to get a shower regularly.
The canal was popular with dog walkers, cyclists and joggers up until about 7 pm, by which time things had settled enough for Anayah and I to have a peaceful night.
You can walk all the way along the canal and into the village where there were a few small shops, or you can walk the opposite way which leads you down a beautiful footpath following the canal. A place to stay the night or just spend the day.
2. Coral strand (Trá an Dóilín) - County Galway
What a unique place this is. Coral strand is one of two Coral beaches in Ireland, a rare beach that is made up of coralline algea, Maerl. When the Red coralline algea in Greatman's Bay dies, small parts break off, becoming discoloured and wash up on the beach. This is a beautiful landscape and should be on your bucket list of things to see. Even though the drive out to the beach was long, it was worth it! The coral crunches beneath your feet as you walk over it, and the waves move the pieces over each other creating a unique sound. It was a sensory - pleasing location. Anayah and I enjoyed a walk over the beach, though we had to dodge all the people having pic-nics, Anayah was lucky enough to find a dog toy shaped as a chicken which is still one of her favourites, and every time I see her with it I am reminded of this bizarre location!
It was fairly busy with tourists, with even a coach or two, and there was a welcoming man who was litter picking on the bay and he helped me understand the sign on the beach that is all in Irish! There are a few spots to park along the road, including a fairly large car park, though with all of the camper vans and motor homes, maneuvering became tricky.
3. Velentia Island - County Kerry
To get onto the island, there are two ways. Reenard Point Ferry and the Maurice O'Neill Memorial Bridge at Portmagee.
The little ferry was a fun experience, a drive on drive off situation. Anayah wasn't a fan of being able to see the sea out the window, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. It only took a few minutes to cross and was relatively cheap, and then we were on the island. I found Geokaun mountain and cliffs after a bit of a drive, the 'highest spot on Valentia'.
There are spots for parking on the way up the mountain, including the top, but I parked in the bottom car park and found what looked like a footpath (turns out it was a sheep track, not fit for humans) from the cliff view and hiked up the mountain the hardest way possible, through ferns and heather. It was adventurous and made the trip more memorable, but I highly recommend finding an actual footpath or walking up the road if you are wanting to walk to the top instead of drive. Easier underfoot and it doesn't cause any damage to local wildlife and plants. Its also dangerous not following paths, there could be steep cliffs, loose ground or other hidden issues. Had I known it was not a footpath, I would have found an alternate route!
The view off the cliffs is incredible, but nothing beats the view from the very top. It was a 360 degree panoramic view, and the photo above shows the stunning site!
If you get the chance, go and visit the island and this mountain, you wont regret it. I felt on top of the world.
There are many information points on the way up, explaining about the Fauna and Flora. If you do plan on driving up, just a word of caution, it's steep and bendy!
4. Rosslare beach - County Wexford
This might be seen as a weird one, but I think it's the combination of the people I met and the fact that it was my first and last stop on Ireland that makes it special to me.
When I first arrived, the weather was horrid and I was an anxious mess with it being my first night solo travelling.
I squeezed my van into the little car park at the beach and had a quiet and decent night. The beach was 30 seconds away down a path behind the van and is a beautiful bay with views over the port.
The car park is well sheltered from the wind coming in from the sea, though when it is busy, it can be tight driving around the one-way system. If there are no spaces in the car park, you can drive further up the road and there are parking bays over-looking the beach, though they are much more exposed and open to the elements.
The public toilets are well kept, but were closed over-night.
I met a lovely lady walking her German Shepherd, and Anayah and this dog became friends. The lady was chatty and made me feel welcome in Ireland, giving me some places I should try and visit on my way out of Rosslare.
In the morning I met a group of people who went for a run and a swim on the beach every day, they invited me to join them (to which I politely said no, not really my thing!). Most were chatty and wanted to know my travel plans, I explained that I would be staying there again on my last night in Ireland, and they were excited to see me again and to hear my tales from my adventure.
And when I did see them again on the final morning, they were pleased to see me and keen to know where I had been!
The end of the trips visit to Rosslare was much busier, the beach was packed and the ice cream shop was open and doing a buzzing trade (Izmoo, and it was incredible, highly recommend), but again I had a nice peaceful evening and night with the crowds leaving as the sun went down.
5. County Kerry
I know I used Valentia island which is in County Kerry, but County Kerry deserves a spot on this list as a whole. I loved so many places in County Kerry that I couldn't choose just one place from it.
County Kerry is exquisite and a piece of my soul will always remain there. It's a place I cannot wait to see again. The mountains, cliffs, beaches and harbours. The photo above is a little harbour I found accidentally where I stayed for a night and is my overall favourite place in the world. (I will not share the name of it due to it being so small, in such a remote area and the land-owner's wishes for it to stay a secret to the masses). The rocks as the windbreaks create a calm little pool which was perfect for swimming, it was warm too! Though keep an eye out for jellyfish this side of Ireland as they can be a common find. The harbour was quiet when I was there, only a couple of swimmers and a dog walker (the land owner).
This photo was taken at White Strand, another place I stayed overnight. The sunset at White Strand was as golden as sand on the beach and the toilets were open all night, bonus! The cows opposite the car-park were super friendly, this beach was busy with hikers and dog walkers, though, but it became quiet as the sun dipped low, leaving Anayah and myself to enjoy the peace and quiet and the dark sky reserve (typically it was cloudy that night!)
And the final photo was taken at Uragh Stone Circle, only a short walk from the car park but well worth the visit as the views were impeccable and the stones create an awesome atmosphere. The car park was a bit hard to find, and it feels as though you are driving onto private property, there were JCB's around the place as if it were a working bit of land, maybe it is, I don't know!
I encountered a few people doing this walk, but because it's so far off the main road, I can see it being quieter than most of the 'tourist' spots.
These are just a handful of the stunning locations in County Kerry.
Not all of you may find these places attractive, and that's okay! If we all liked the same things, life would be boring. These are, in my opinion, the best places that I visited whilst touring Ireland. There are places I have missed off this list, and places I missed on the tour as there wasn't enough time to see everything.
Remember, if you do go travelling, do your research on location laws and customs as each culture is different.
Disclaimer - This is not a travel guide. Places may have changed their right of ways to the public. You are responsible for your travels!
Travelling as a lone woman? Read my blog post on thing's I've learned as a solo female traveller here:
I have also travelled Scotland, here are The Top 5 places to visit in Scotland:
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