Exploring Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way – 3rd Edition

Over the last few months David Flanagan and I have been slowly working away on the latest update to Exploring Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way. It was first published in 2016 and was received better than either of us expected. In the autumn of 2019 we started work on the second edition. The route has barely changed since first being launched, nor have any significant parts of the land itself been blown away in storms or anything like that, so the changes mostly consisted of tidying things up where we thought we could do better, redesigning the maps, adding some newly developed walking/activity trails and removing mentions of any companies no longer operating along the way. We swapped out a good number of photos too, as well as changing both covers. The first order of new editions arrived just before the first COVID lockdowns in spring 2020, which dampened the excitement somewhat. Despite that minor hiccup, the second edition was going fine.



This time around the changes are a little more significant. The main change is we’ve included a select few accommodation and food and drink options at the end of each chapter. It wasn’t so long ago that the only places to stay in Ireland were hotels, hostels, B&Bs and caravan parks. In the last half a decade the choice has become so varied and interesting that we felt it worth including a few noteworthy options for each of the areas that make up the chapters of the book. From converted buses and fishing boats to treehouses and charming timber cabins, there are a hell of a lot of great places to spend the night along the west coast these days. The food and drink revolution started a bit earlier but the same principle applies – the variety and quality of stuff available now is excellent, and we wanted to reflect that in the book. After all, where you stay and what you eat can be the difference between a good trip and a great one.



We also included the Shannon Estuary Way in this third edition. While not as obviously exciting as much of the Wild Atlantic Way it has its own charm and interest, and makes for a very natural continuation of the route between North Kerry and Clare for those happy to take the extra time rather than take the ferry. There's also details of the many new mobile saunas that have popped up on the west coast in the last two or three years. Other changes are more of the same; some new photos, general tidying up and correcting for any old mistakes or new developments. A nice little feature is the inclusion of French flaps on the covers, which work nicely as bookmarks, as well as an easy to find reference for the contents list. And of course, as always, the hardest part was choosing a new cover. There are so many great photos in the world, but it’s surprising how few work for the cover of a book. We had a great option from Achill but it turned out the photographer had lost the file in a hard drive malfunction, and the screenshot from Instagram wasn’t going to cut it. We didn’t have many other options we were both happy with. In the end I headed out to make this cover shot the day before the file went to the printers, and thankfully the last minute dash worked out. I still think the cover of the first edition was the best so far, but even if I prefer how that one looked, I’ve no doubt that the contents of this third edition make it the best version yet.

If you’re a west coast obsessive and/or a bibliophile like me I think you’ll enjoy this new version, even if you have the first or second editions. And if you’ve landed on my website without ever having held a copy in your hands before, I think you’ll definitely be glad to have one.

Cheers to David for inviting me to be part of this project nearly ten years ago now, and for the interest to keep it fresh. The fact that the book is still viable is a testament to the enduring fascination to be found along the west coast of Ireland.

Buy it direct from Three Rock Books.