Im not sure I can remember when we last had a proper holiday. The sort where someone else does all the cooking, washing up and cleaning for a week. I think it might have been our honeymoon back in 2007, as we started our journey to Financial Freedom in 2008. During that time every penny []

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The Wild Atlantic Way runs 2,500 kilometres from Donegal in the north to Cork in the south. Nobody drives the whole thing in one trip. The question is always the same: which part, how long, and where do you start?This page is designed to answer exactly that. It does not replace the detailed day-by-day guides we have already written for each segment of the route. Those are linked below and between them cover the entire WAW in practical driving detail. What this hub page does is help you match the right section to your trip length, your starting point, and what you actually want to see.How the WAW breaks down for a campervan tripThe route divides naturally into four sections, each of which works as a standalone trip of three to seven days. You do not need to do all four to feel like you have done the Wild Atlantic Way. Most people who have driven it multiple times say they have a favourite section, usually wherever they first stopped and looked at the Atlantic and thought: this is it.The four sections, and what they are best for:Cork and Kerry: the most dramatic coastline, the most visited, and for good reason. The Ring of Kerry, the Dingle Peninsula, West Corks hidden inlets. Best for: first-time WAW visitors, couples, anyone who wants to cover the classic Irish coast with maximum scenic return per kilometre.Clare and Galway: the Cliffs of Moher, the Burren, Galway City, and the beginning of Connemara. This is where the landscape starts to change from the lush south to the more stripped-back, elemental west. Best for: anyone doing a 4-5 day trip from the midlands or wanting to combine city time with wild coastline.Westport and Achill Island: the section that surprises people most. Achill Island is the largest island in Ireland and accessible by road. Croagh Patrick. The beaches at Keem Bay and Dugort. The bog roads. Best for: photographers, walkers, anyone who wants to feel genuinely off the beaten track while still having campsite facilities within reach.Donegal and Sligo: the most remote and the most wild. Malin Head. The Slieve League cliffs. The beaches of north Donegal that have no names most people know. The light is different up here. Best for: experienced campervans, anyone doing a full week or more, anyone who wants the WAW with as few other tourists as possible.How long do you need for each sectionCork and Kerry: minimum 4 days, 5-7 is better. The Dingle Peninsula alone rewards a full day.Clare and Galway: 3-4 days gives you the Cliffs, the Burren, and enough time in Connemara to go beyond Clifden.Westport and Achill: 3-4 days. Two nights on Achill itself is worth doing.Donegal and Sligo: 4-5 days minimum if you want to reach Malin Head and come back without rushing.Driving distances and realistic daily targetsThe WAW is not a motorway route. Many of the most rewarding sections involve single-track roads, narrow passes, and coastal lanes that are spectacular but slow. A realistic WAW day in a campervan covers 80-130km. Planning more than 150km on a WAW day usually means you will skip the things worth stopping for.Total route length from Kinsale to Malin Head is approximately 2,500km. Realistic daily distances vary enormously by section. The Connemara coast between Roundstone and Clifden, for example, is 25km but takes an hour because you will stop four times.Where to pick up fromOur campervan hire in Roscommon depot is ideally placed for the Clare, Galway, Westport, Achill, and Donegal sections. From Roscommon Town, Sligo is just over an hour north, Galway is 75km south-west, and you are well into Connemara by mid-morning if you leave early.Our Greystones depot suits the Cork, Kerry, and Clare sections particularly well. Head south on the M9, cross into Munster, and you are in West Cork within three to four hours. For a full WAW trip starting in the south and finishing in Donegal, Greystones is the natural start point.Best time of yearSeptember and October are the best months for the WAW by campervan. The roads are quieter, the light is extraordinary in the evenings, the campsites are relaxed, and the hire rates are lower than summer. June and July are also excellent but busy, particularly the Ring of Kerry and the Cliffs of Moher.April and May offer a good balance of quieter roads and decent weather with enough daylight. March is for the dedicated. The WAW in late winter is extraordinary if you are equipped for cold evenings.The detailed guides for each sectionEach link below takes you to our full day-by-day guide for that section of the route, with specific campsite recommendations, driving notes, and what to see at each stage.Cork and Kerry by Campervan Wild Atlantic Way ItineraryClare and Galway 5-Day ItineraryWestport and Achill Island by CampervanDonegal and Sligo Itinerary Wild Atlantic Way by CampervanPlanning your hireBoth our Roscommon and Greystones depots have availability throughout the WAW season. Browse our full fleet to choose the right van for your group. The 4-berth and 6-berth options are popular for WAW trips where you want proper sleeping space rather than converting a dinette each night. Check our campervan holiday offers for shoulder season pricing.Campervan holiday offersThe post Wild Atlantic Way by Campervan: The Complete Planning Hub appeared first on Craic N Campers.

Some campervan holidays follow a clear routine: arrive at a campsite, plug in, shower, sleep, and move on in the morning. That version of the trip works well. But for many of our customers, the nights they remember longest are the ones spent somewhere else entirely. Pulled off a Connemara headland at six in the evening, nothing between you and the Atlantic except the glass in the windscreen, waking up to a view that nobody booked.Wild camping in Ireland with a hired campervan, sometimes called free camping, is more accessible than most people realise. This guide covers the legal position, the Leave No Trace principles that keep it sustainable, and the specific spots that CNC customers have been returning to for years. For the rules specific to a Craic N Campers hire, see our dedicated page on where you can park your CNC vehicle.The legal position in IrelandWhen it comes to wild camping rules, Ireland does not have a legal right to roam equivalent to Scotlands Land Reform Act. Technically, most land in Ireland is privately owned or managed, and camping on it without permission is trespass rather than a legal right.In practice, this rarely causes problems. The Irish countryside is large, the population is small, and there is a long cultural tradition of tolerance for responsible overnight parking in quiet spots. The key word is responsible.The situations where problems arise are: lighting open fires on private land, leaving rubbish, blocking farm access gates, parking at known beauty spots in large numbers during busy periods, and staying in the same spot for multiple nights. None of these apply to a campervan hirer with a chemical toilet, a contained waste system, and a single night in any given location.Coillte land (the state forestry company) is generally accessible for day use and has become more permissive about overnight parking in recent years in lower-impact areas, though policies vary by region. National Parks generally do not permit overnight camping outside designated areas. Check before you park in a national park.We have a dedicated page covering the rules for CNC hires specifically: can I park my Craic N Campers vehicle wherever I like?Leave No Trace: the practical standardThe Leave No Trace Ireland principles are the practical guide for wild camping anywhere in the country. For a campervan, the relevant ones are:Plan ahead and prepare. Know where the nearest campsite is in case you need waste disposal or water.Travel and camp on durable surfaces. Park on the road verge, a gravel pull-off, or rocky ground rather than on bog or wet grass.Dispose of waste properly. Chemical toilet waste goes in a campsite or motorhome service point, never in a drain or ditch. Rubbish goes back in the van.Leave what you find. Gates as you found them, no stone removal, no digging.Be considerate of other visitors and locals. Do not play music late at night. Do not park in a way that blocks a locals access to their land or view.Where CNC customers actually goThese spots come from customer reviews and conversations at the depot over the years. They are not secret, some of them are well-known, but they are the places that come up again and again when people describe the nights they remember.The Sky Road, Clifden, Connemara: The road west from Clifden runs out to a headland above the Atlantic. There are several wide verge areas suitable for overnight parking. The views from here at dawn are the kind that end up on phone screensavers for years. Clifden town is ten minutes back for any supplies.Dogs Bay, Connemara: The beach here has one of the finest natural parking areas in Ireland. A wide flat area above the white sand that is used regularly for overnight stops. The beach itself is a double arc of white sand facing into Bertraghboy Bay. Multiple reviews from our customers mention this spot specifically.Achill Island, Keem Bay and the Achill Drive: The road around the north of Achill is quiet even in summer. Keem Bay at the western tip has a car park that is often used for overnight stops in shoulder season. The cliff road approaching the bay is narrow but manageable for all our van sizes with care.Rosses Point, Sligo: The headland at Rosses Point, west of Sligo town, has parking areas facing across Sligo Bay to Knocknarea. A quiet overnight stop with easy access to Sligo city the next morning. Comes up regularly in reviews from customers who collect from our campervan hire in Roscommon depot.Malin Head, Donegal: The parking area at Malin Head is used for overnight stops throughout the season. At the northernmost point of Ireland, the night sky is extraordinary and the next morning walk to the headland takes about fifteen minutes. Facilities are minimal. Plan ahead for waste disposal at Carndonagh before you head out.Mullaghmore, Sligo: The harbour at Mullaghmore is quiet, the views across to Classiebawn Castle are the kind of thing you did not expect to find, and there is a wide parking area suitable for overnight use in shoulder season.Barleycove, West Cork: At the southern end of the Mizen Peninsula, Barleycove has a beach car park that is used for overnight parking outside peak season. West Cork is less travelled than Kerry and the Mizen Peninsula in particular is a rewarding diversion.Lough Derg, Clare and Tipperary: For customers who want a quieter, inland option rather than the coast, the eastern shore of Lough Derg has several layby areas used for overnight camping. The lake is enormous and it does not feel like second best.Practical tips for wild camping in a hired vanWater: Fill the fresh water tank at a campsite or motorhome service point before heading to a wild spot. The van carries enough water for a day or two at normal usage (cooking, washing up, a short shower). Top up every one to two nights. If you want a campsite night to refill and empty, our list of campsites in Ireland open all year covers the sites that stay open outside the summer.Waste: Empty the toilet cassette at a motorhome service point before going somewhere remote. Know where the nearest service point is along your route. Most larger campsites accept the cassette even if you are not staying there, for a small fee.Power: The 12V leisure battery in the van runs the lights, the fridge, and device charging without shore power. For heating overnight, gas is the main source. Make sure the gas bottle is not near empty before you head somewhere off-grid. The vans fridge switches between 12V and gas automatically.Gas: We provide a full gas bottle with every hire. If you are doing a longer trip with significant wild camping, it is worth checking the level on day three or four. Bottled gas refills are available at most petrol stations and some hardware stores.Signal: Mobile coverage in the west of Ireland is variable. Download offline maps. Google Maps and Maps.ie both support this. If you are heading somewhere remote, tell someone where you are going.Dogs: Keep dogs on a lead at wild camping spots, especially near livestock, wildlife and other visitors. With our pet-friendly campervan hire, your dog can come along for the whole trip.Where to find more campsitesFor full campsite guides by region (including sites with motorhome facilities, electric hookup, and seasonal opening dates) see our campsites in Ireland open all year page. For sites chosen specifically for campervans, our best campsites for campervans guide covers the country region by region with notes on pitch size, hard standing, and motorhome facilities.Ready to plan your own wild camping trip? Browse our full fleet to choose the right van for your campervan hire in Ireland.Campervan holiday offersThe post Wild Camping in Ireland: Rules, Best Spots, and What You Need to Know appeared first on Craic N Campers.

If you are reading this in autumn 2026, you are probably thinking about an Irish campervan holiday for 2027 in the way that people do when they are still in the planning phase. Not fully committed, but past the stage of wondering whether it is a good idea. It is a good idea. This guide covers everything you need to plan a trip from scratch, with links to more detailed guides for each topic.Whether you are comparing campervan holidays in Ireland for the first time or already pricing your campervan hire in Ireland for 2027, start here.View Our CampervansChoosing when to goThe shoulder seasons (April to early June and September to October) offer the best combination of value, uncrowded roads, and Irish weather that is cold enough to feel alive but warm enough to be outdoors without misery. September is the month most frequently mentioned by people who have done the trip multiple times. The light in late September on the Atlantic coast is genuinely remarkable.July and August are excellent but busy, particularly on the Wild Atlantic Way. The Ring of Kerry and the Cliffs of Moher in August are not the experience you are imagining. Go in May or September for those.For a more detailed look at the financial side of timing, see our guide on how to get the best price on your Irish road trip.Choosing your routeIreland is small enough that an Ireland campervan trip can cover a lot of ground in a week. It is interesting enough that covering a lot of ground often means you miss the best of what is there. A rough guide:3-4 nights: Choose one region. Kerry. Connemara. The Wicklow coast from Greystones. Kilkenny and the Barrow. One region done properly is better than two done quickly.5-7 nights: One full section of the Wild Atlantic Way, or a midlands-to-west crossing from our Roscommon depot. This is the most popular trip length. Enough time to arrive somewhere, stay two nights, and not feel like you are always moving.8-14 nights: A full WAW section plus the adjacent one, or a coast-to-coast trip. The full WAW from Kerry to Donegal is a two-week trip done comfortably.For route planning, our Wild Atlantic Way hub covers the four sections of the route with segment-by-segment guidance on timing, distances, and what to prioritise in each area.Choosing the right campervanThe most important practical decision you will make. For couples: the V66 or V69. For families of three or four: the Dethleffs or Sunlight A68. For larger groups or families of five or six: the Sunlight A72 or A70. For a premium two-person trip: the Sunlight T68. You can compare every campervan for hire in Ireland from our two depots on our campervans page.Our full guide to choosing between 2-berth, 4-berth and 6-berth campervans covers this in detail with practical notes on each model. Travelling with a dog? Our pet-friendly campervan hire means they can come too.Where to stayA mix of formal campsites and wild overnight stops gives you the best of both. Campsites provide electric hookup, showers, motorhome waste disposal, and a base for exploring a town or area. Wild overnight parking on the Atlantic coast provides the nights you will remember longest.Our guide to the best campsites in Ireland for campervans covers the specific sites that work well for a hired motorhome, with notes on pitch size, hard standing, and motorhome facilities. For wild camping, the wild camping guide covers the rules, the practicalities, and the spots CNC customers return to.The booking and hire processYou can book online or by phone. A 250 deposit secures the dates by phone; 50% is taken at the time of booking online. The balance is due a couple of weeks before your start date.Two days before pickup you receive the online check-in email: licence upload, deposit finalisation, extras selection. The pickup itself takes about 30 minutes and covers every system in the van. Our first-timer hiring guide covers the complete process from booking to return in step-by-step detail, and our FAQ answers the most common questions.Both our Roscommon depot and Greystones depot are open throughout the year. Shoulder season availability for 2027 opens in October 2026. Booking early in the shoulder season is worth doing.What is includedEvery hire includes 24-hour breakdown cover for Ireland, Northern Ireland and the UK. A full gas cylinder. Fresh water. A fully equipped kitchen. A private toilet and hot shower. 12V power for device charging. Central heating and cab air conditioning.Optional extras: bed linen and towels, a table and chairs, a bike rack.What to bringPersonal clothing and toiletries. Food for the first day or two. Irish towns have good supermarkets. An OS map if you are going to remote areas, as phone signal is variable in the west. A rain jacket. A good playlist.Current offers and availabilityOur campervan holiday offers page lists current shoulder season deals, early booking discounts, and group hire pricing. Browse our full fleet to check availability by van and date for your campervan hire in Ireland.Planning ahead is the best thing you can do for a campervan holiday in Ireland in 2027. The best weeks go first. The shoulder season fills faster than most people expect. If the dates are in your head, booking them is the only thing that makes them real.Campervan holiday offersThe post Campervan Holidays Ireland: Complete Planning Guide 2027 appeared first on Craic N Campers.

Ive been thinking recently about my West Highland Way adventure and what drove me to complete the 58km hike from Bridge of Orchy to Fort William. I think the fact Id never been to Scotland before had a lot to do with it. The thought played on my mind for quite a while. It was []The post Bridge of Orchy to Fort William: 3 Days on the West Highland Way appeared first on Wild Irish Walks.