Ireland · Galway / Mayo · Premium route guide
Wild Atlantic Way — Galway to Sligo via Connemara and Achill
682 kilometres from Galway to Sligo — Connemara's twelve peaks, the Sky Road at Clifden, Killary Fjord, Achill Island's Keem Bay, and the Erris peninsula. Half of Ireland's most-photographed roads are on this stage. GPX, route map and rider-vetted stays.
- Distance
- 682.4 km
- Peak elevation
- 174 m
- Elevation gain
- 2,496 m
- Best months
- Apr–Oct
The route
From Galway city west along the R336 coast to Spiddal and Rossaveel, through Carraroe and Roundstone to Clifden and the Sky Road, north via Letterfrack, Kylemore Abbey and Killary Fjord to Louisburgh and Westport, out to Achill Island (Keel and Keem Bay), across the Erris peninsula to Belmullet and Ballycastle, and finally along the north Mayo coast to Sligo. Pins are motorcycle-friendly stays other riders have vetted.
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Works with Garmin, TomTom, BMW Navigator, Calimoto, Kurviger, komoot, MyRouteApp. Import as a track to ride the exact line. Road data from OpenStreetMap (ODbL); elevation from SRTM.
Track vs. route — how to load this into your GPS
What you're downloading is a GPX track — a dense, road-snapped breadcrumb of the exact line, with elevation on every point. It's not a GPX route (a short list of turn waypoints your device re-plans between). Tracks preserve our road choice; routes let the device pick its own way and can send you down a boring motorway shortcut.
How to use it on your navigator:
- BMW Navigator / Garmin Zumo / zūmo XT: import as a track, then Convert to Route (or Trip Planner → new trip from track) if you want turn-by-turn prompts. Keep Recalculation off so it stays on our line.
- TomTom Rider: import the GPX in MyDrive — it loads as a track / itinerary. Enable Follow the exact route so it doesn't re-plan.
- Calimoto: open the GPX and choose Import as tour — Calimoto follows the track line.
- Kurviger / komoot / MyRouteApp: open the GPX and pick Import as track to keep the road choice. Only choose Import as route if you want the app to re-plan for your bike profile.
- Google Maps / Apple Maps: these don't read GPX. Use the map on this page for turn cues, or import the file into a GPX-capable app first.
Rule of thumb: if your device asks "track or route?", pick track to ride our exact line — pick route only if you want the device to re-plan.
Elevation profile
From ~-2 m at the base to 174 m at the top — 2,496 m of total climbing across the route.
Three days at a comfortable pace, four with a proper day on Achill. This is the middle third of the Wild Atlantic Way and arguably the best-known — Connemara is on every Ireland postcard for a reason, Killary is the country's only fjord, and Achill has Ireland's most beautiful beach (Keem) at the end of a proper motorcycle road.
Weather is the main variable. Connemara gets more rain than anywhere else in Ireland; Erris in a gale is an experience. Ride the coast on the good days and the inland loops (Doo Lough, Ballycroy) on the wet ones.
The road, honestly
This is the classic Irish west — Twelve Bens on the horizon, black lakes below, and a road that changes character every ten kilometres. Around Roundstone and Clifden it's Atlantic beach road; past Letterfrack it's fjord road with the Mweelrea massif dropping straight into the sea; past Westport it's causeway-and-island riding out to Achill.
The Sky Road at Clifden (12 km signed loop) and the Doo Lough valley (R335 south of Louisburgh, one of the most atmospheric drives in Ireland) are the two under-visited high points. Don't skip either.
Achill Island is a full day
Achill has beaches on three sides, a cliff road up to Keem Bay (the postcard shot), and a very rideable loop around Corraun. The Atlantic Drive is signed and worth the whole afternoon. Sleep in Keel or Dooagh if you want a second day there — otherwise leave early from Westport and be on the island by 9am.
Weather, food and pubs
Rideable April to October. Summer is Atlantic-changeable — expect wind above all. Fuel is easy in Galway, Clifden, Westport, Achill Sound and Ballina; sparser on Erris and Belmullet.
Matt Molloy's in Westport (owned by the Chieftain), Peadar O'Donnell's in Bunbeg, and any pub in Doolin will get you a session most nights of the week. Order the fresh crab claws in Clifden.
What to see along the way
- Sky Road (Clifden) — 12 km signed loop around the headland west of Clifden. The view of Inishturk and the Atlantic islands is the classic Connemara photo.
- Kylemore Abbey — Gothic castle reflected in a lake, on the road from Letterfrack to Leenane. Coffee stop with a walk if you have time.
- Killary Fjord — Ireland's only proper fjord. The N59 hugs the north shore for 16 km — flat, dead-straight, spectacular.
- Doo Lough valley (R335) — The R335 south of Louisburgh through a treeless glacial valley. Famine memorial at the head of the lake.
- Keem Bay (Achill Island) — The postcard beach — a horseshoe of blue-green water at the end of a proper motorcycle road.
- Downpatrick Head (Mayo north coast) — Sea stack (Dún Briste) 40 m offshore. Short walk from the R314 near Ballycastle.
Rent a bike
Rent a motorcycle or scooter for Wild Atlantic Way — Galway to Sligo via Connemara and Achill
Flying in? Pick up a bike near the start of the route. We've pre-filled the pick-up city with Clifden / Westport — change it if you're basing elsewhere.
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Rider-verified stays within 30 km
Automatically selected by proximity to the traced route — no editorial cherry-picking. Sorted by how close they are to the road.
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