The Wild Atlantic Way…Nearing the end of five year ago Madeira, Portugal photos…

Five years ago, on a walk-in Madeira, Portugal, we spotted this waterfall. For more details on the 2014 post, please click here.

Fascinating Fact of the Day About Ireland 
“Wild Atlantic Way is the longest coastal driving route in the world.

The Wild Atlantic Way, a stunning drive that stretches from the cliffs around County Donegal in the far north of Ireland down to the beaches of County Cork, is the ‘longest defined coastal driving route in the world.’ The 2,500 km, 1553 mile route passes through nine counties and three provinces. Can you name them all? If you’re planning on driving this famous route, then make sure you build in some time at Ireland’s best surf spots along the way.”
In the above “Fascinating Fact of the Day,” the Wild Atlantic Way is a 2500 km coastal drive that passes through nine counties (not countries) which includes the following route:

The Wild Atlantic Way in 14 Steps

Here is the map from this site indicating the counties in which the Wild Atlantic Way passes through:
 
This could be an exciting way for ambitious tourists to see a considerable portion of Ireland in only a few weeks. As mentioned in the above site, there are numerous bed & breakfasts, hotels, restaurants, and local points of interest along the route.

The 2500 km, 1553 miles, journey could take weeks, especially when stopping for overnight stays and sightseeing. However, with fuel costs, hotels, and dining, the price for such an adventure may well be less than a two or three-week stay in more expensive hotels in large cities.

As shown in these other photos, we walked through this short tunnel to reach the ocean at the other end.
We’ll be spending one night in a hotel in Dublin before we fly to Amsterdam in a mere ten days. We used priority points from Hotels.com on our site, but without our credits, the cost of the four-star hotel is Euro 121.35, US $135.

We’re anticipating dinner to be approximately Euro 72, US $80, in a nearby restaurant, plus we’ll need to add another Euro 37, US $40, to our expenses for taxi fare and tip. Once we arrive on Thursday (next week), we’ll drop off the rental car and use the hotel’s free shuttle to the airport.
Nothing is as mesmerizing as the sea.
The total cost of the one night stay at the hotel near the airport is expected to be Euro 230.35. US $255. Sure, we could have chosen to drive to Dublin on the day of our 1320 hrs, 1:20 pm flight. It’s a 3½ hour drive from here.  
But, to keep stress to a minimum, we felt this short hotel stay was worth it. We’ll have an unrushed breakfast (included) at the hotel and then plan for a relaxed pace to arrive at the airport a few hours before the flight.
Two small waterfalls flow from the rocks in a natural rock wall.
If a tourist chose to drive the 2500 km Wild Atlantic Way route as their holiday in Ireland, most likely they could do it for the Euro as mentioned above 230.35. US $255 plus costs for car rental, extra meals, and tours.  
 
Multiplied accordingly, the anticipated two-week journey may incur a cost (excluding rental cars, tours, entrance fees to various venues, and additional meals and snacks). The total cost could be Euro 3209, US $3570.  
Clouds were rolling in.
Add approximately another 30% for car rental and extras as mentioned above. This could prove to be quite a holiday, especially for families, if the kids and adults typically enjoy rode trips.

Oddly, for world travelers, one would assume we look forward to long road trips, but as we’ve mentioned here in the past, neither of us enjoys long periods in the car. Tom is a relatively aggressive driver with little patience for traffic.
The preformed cement blocks aren’t attractive but serve a useful purpose.
Riding in the car can be stressful for both of us. Our lives intend to keep stress to a minimum, especially with my recent heart surgery. We’ve found we’ve been able to thoroughly revel in our travels without embarking on long road trips.

The 3½ hour drive to Dublin on August 8th will be a long enough drive for us.  When we arrive in England after the Baltic cruise ends, we’ll fly to Exeter, England, and over two months, we’ll be driving to our four chosen holidays rentals every two weeks or so as our address changes. These shorter trips will be perfect for sightseeing and enjoying the English countryside.

Have a great Monday!
Photo from one year ago today, July 29, 2018:
Male kudus have horns; females do not.  At about 15 months, the horns begin to take on the shape of the first spiral. For more photos, please click here.