The Wild Atlantic Way and Western Ireland. Tom Cooper
IHH maps cover all of Ireland, and the An Óige map includes the Hostelling International Northern Ireland (HINI) hostels as well as the RoI ones. Look for a copy at the first hostel you stay at, or get it from a tourist office. Dormitory beds cost on average about €20, with private rooms typically about €25–30 per person.
Some of the hostels allow camping, which saves a bit of money (this varies) and allows you to still use the hostel’s facilities.
Camping
Ireland has a scattering of official campsites. Generally, sites are more plentiful as you head south and west. The best source of information is the Irish Camping and Caravan Council. Most touring sites are members and they are listed on the council website and in their annual Caravan and Camping Guide. Copies are available from tourist offices or you can order one online for a small fee. Supplementing this list is a handful of local authority-run sites and forest parks as well as unaffiliated sites.
Sites usually charge per person, not per tent, and cyclists are usually charged €11–15 each. Sometimes there is a €1 charge for a token for a hot shower.
There is no right to wild camp anywhere on the island. Seeking permission from landowners is not easy, as in remote areas it is hard to find someone to ask. But in some of the quieter corners of Ireland where there are no official sites, such as Donegal and perhaps Connemara, wild camping on or near the beach or in the high country is possible. Ordnance Survey maps (1:50,000) are good for ferreting out potential places. Setting up as it gets dark and leaving early are both a good idea. Be exceptionally clean, well behaved, and, if you do meet anyone, polite. ‘No Camping’ signs are getting more common, so don’t ruin the few wild possibilities remaining.
Bed and breakfast
If there is an open tourist office in town, they will often find you a bed and breakfast, for a booking fee (about €5), but it is best to be prepared with at least a few numbers to call yourself. The annual Definitive Irish Bed and Breakfast and Self Catering Guide, produced by B&B Ireland, is comprehensive and not too bulky.
Expect to pay €35–40 per person sharing, and €50–60 for a single. Some pubs also offer bed and breakfast accommodation – look for signs.
See Appendix A for some useful websites for finding accommodation.
Castletownberehaven was once a Royal Navy port (Route 6, Stage 2)
Health and safety
Emergencies
Dialling 112 or 999 will put you through to the emergency services – fire, police, ambulance or mountain rescue.
Crime
The police in the Republic of Ireland are the Gardaí (pronounced ‘gardee’, sometimes known colloquially as ‘the guards’), or, in the singular, Garda – but if you ask for the police, people will usually know what you mean. For non-emergency police matters, contact the nearest Garda station, or in Northern Ireland, police station. In the Republic, the nationwide free Irish Tourist Assistance Service aims to help with the practical and emotional aftermath of crime (01 6610562, www.itas.ie).
When travelling in Ireland it is sensible to take reasonable precautions against crime, without being paranoid.
Healthcare and insurance
Both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland have public healthcare systems, but access to free treatment is by no means guaranteed for visitors. Since costs such as property loss or damage, legal expenses, repatriation costs and alternative travel arrangements may also be incurred, visitors to Ireland should take out travel insurance.
Some insurers do not include cycle touring in their basic level of cover, so check this. Most insurers will expect you to access public healthcare where possible. European Union residents should obtain a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) before travelling. Arrangements for UK citizens may change when the UK leaves the EU, so check the latest situation. The EHIC will give access to the public system for treatment that becomes necessary during your stay. In both Ireland and Northern Ireland this is a good level of free treatment, although you may have to pay prescription charges. Do expect to pay for dental treatment. Some other countries have bi-lateral arrangements, which may give access to either free or below-cost healthcare. Without an EHIC or access to these bilateral schemes, expect to pay the full cost of any treatment.
Barleycove beach (Route 6, Stage 3)
Pharmacists are a good first point of contact for non-emergency problems. As well as being able to supply some medications without a prescription, the pharmacist can advise and point the way to a doctor or hospital if necessary. To access free care in the Republic, it is important to see a GP contracted under the Primary Care Reimbursement Service (PCRS) scheme. If you can’t find one, the local Health Service Office (www.hse.ie) will have numbers. In Northern Ireland there are fewer doctors working privately, but in all cases it is worthwhile mentioning you want to be treated under the EHIC arrangements.
When appropriate you can go to the accident and emergency (A&E) department of a public hospital, and this is probably where an ambulance will bring you in the event of an accident. EHIC holder or otherwise, if you end up in this situation, the most important thing is to get better and not be worrying about charges, so be insured, keep the details on your person, and get a friend to contact the insurer’s helpline for advice.
TAKE
EHIC
copy of insurance policy and contact card
copy of prescriptions
reasonable supply of regular medication
spare spectacles/contact lenses and an optical prescription
Food and drink
Maintaining a healthy diet with a good calorific intake should be a priority on any extended tour.
If the plan is to eat out, the bigger centres generally have a choice of restaurants where a three-course meal will set you back a minimum of €30. Pubs offer cheaper food, although the quality is mixed, and especially in rural areas some pubs only serve food on certain days, or don’t serve food at all. At cafés and pubs you can usually pick up a meal for upwards of €10.
In terms of specialities, the seafood is worth a try anywhere on the Wild Atlantic Way. Bed and breakfasts usually offer a ‘full Irish’ breakfast. The core ingredients are bacon, eggs and toast, while sausages, beans, potato cakes, soda bread, black and white puddings and other fare is often included. Ireland is not a paradise for vegetarians – count on having to look around when eating out.
Most small towns have a takeaway and if you stick to the busy ones you won’t go far wrong. Some of the international franchises such as McDonald’s have made it to the larger towns.
For food on the road there is no reason to not eat plenty of fresh fruit, breads and cheeses – these are available everywhere. Fresh vegetables are widely available, and, together with staples such as pasta and rice, a big nutritious evening meal can be made for as little as €5.
Ireland’s national drink is Guinness, but there are other similar dark stout beers available – Beamish and Murphy’s are two alternatives. Ireland is also known for its whiskies.
Language
Irish is the first official language of the Republic of Ireland, and, according to the 2016 census, 40 per cent of the population can speak it. This figure is considerably higher in the Gaeltacht – areas where Irish is recognised as the predominant language. The main Gaeltacht areas are all along the Wild Atlantic Way. These include much of northern and western Donegal, the north and west of County Mayo, including Achill Island, a large part of