the Achill Head Hotel in Keel.
Another highly recommended track
on the island is to the top of Minaun
Heights. To get there, take the main road
through Dooega and you’ll reach a left
turn that leads to Minaun Heights. We
drove to the top of the mountain in the
Land Rovers, only to get badly stuck on
the summit. It’s best to stay away from
the boggy surface at the top – it’s a bit
like black soil combined with quicksand.
We ended up being stuck for five hours
before we were eventually recovered by a
local in a JCB.
There are a couple of great campsites
in Achill. You can camp at the base
of Minaun Heights, or you can stay at
the well-established Keel Sandybanks
campsite located right on the beach just
a couple of kilometres from Europe’s
highest cliffs.
As we headed north towards County
Donegal we contacted Shane Gallagher,
who recently set up a website called
Greenlane Donegal. This site provides
plenty of information to help you plan
your 4WD adventure in this remote part
of the Wild Atlantic Way. Shane kindly
agreed to spend a couple of days taking
us to some of the county’s best 4WD
tracks and hidden-away camping gems.
Donegal, located in the country’s north-
west, is the last county you will hit along
the Wild Atlantic Way, and it’s one of
the largest in Ireland. Two thirds of theland consists of rough pasture, lake-filled
valleys, windswept moorland and upland
bog, making it the perfect playground for
some 4x4 fun.
Our first Donegal challenge was
tackling the Glenveagh National Park
and the surrounding green lanes and
mountain tracks. We then hit the tracks
near Sheephaven Bay, before finally
arriving at the Inishowen Peninsula,
which is the most northerly point of
mainland Ireland.
Our last camp was in Leena, a small,
picturesque coastal fishing village. The
fishing was apparently pretty good here,
so we decided to camp on the pier and
throw a line out. We had just set up
camp when one of the local fishermen
kindly offered us a whopper of a crab for
tea. This was the perfect end to a great
adventure along the Wild Atlantic Way.
This trip more than lived up to the
surrounding marketing hype. Around
most corners of this coastal route you
will be presented with magnificent views
of the west coast’s rugged shoreline.
With the endless coastal vistas, diverse
attractions, great pubs and ancient sites,
you can easily spend more time than
originally planned in any one area.
Better still, if you explore the Wild
Atlantic Way in a 4WD you will be
guaranteed to experience the hidden
gems that don’t always get into the
tourism brochures.Yes, that’s Russ’s D90, which you’ve
seenin plenty of Australian adventures.
Traditional music in
Doolin, County Clare.Around most corners of this coastal
route you will be presented with
magnificent views
136 http://www.4X4australia.com.auEXPLORE IRISH COASTAL ADVENTURE