Driving the Sky Road from Clifden

Clifden's best short drive

If you do one thing from Clifden, make it the Sky Road. In Irish it is Bóthar na Spéire, and it is a looped coastal road of around sixteen kilometres that runs west out of the town, around the Kingstown peninsula, and back. It takes the best part of an hour by car if you stop for the views, which you will, and a good half day if you cycle or walk it. It is part of the Wild Atlantic Way, and it earns the billing.

The loop starts and finishes in Clifden, so you cannot really get lost. Head west out of the town and follow the signs, and the road will bring you back where you started. The thing worth knowing before you set off is that there are two roads, an upper and a lower, and they are not the same drive.

Take the upper road

The lower road runs closer to the shore and is pleasant enough, but the upper road is the one people come for. It climbs along the spine of the peninsula to a Wild Atlantic Way viewpoint with a small car park, and from up there the whole of Clifden Bay opens out below you, with the scatter of offshore islands and, on a clear day, the mountains behind the town. It is one of the great roadside views in the west of Ireland.

Most people drive the loop clockwise, taking the upper road out and dropping back down on the lower road, which keeps the best of the views ahead of you rather than in the mirror. Either way works, but if you only have time for one, the upper road is non-negotiable.

Driving it safely

The Sky Road is narrow. For long stretches it is barely wide enough for two cars, with grass down the middle in places and few passing points, so the golden rule is to drive slowly and use the pull-ins. If you meet a car coming the other way on a tight bend, one of you reverses to the nearest gap, and a bit of patience and a wave goes a long way. Locals use this road every day, so do not hold up the traffic to take a photo from the car; pull in properly at the viewpoint instead.

It is genuinely popular in summer, and the upper viewpoint car park can fill up on a sunny afternoon. Early morning and evening are quieter, and the evening light over the bay is the best of the day for photographs.

What you will see

Out along the lower road you get a view of Clifden Castle, the ivy-clad ruin of John D'Arcy's old manor, sitting above the water. The upper road gives you the big panorama over the bay and the islands of Turbot and Inishturk offshore. Near the western end of the peninsula a side road drops down to Eyrephort, a quiet white-sand beach that is worth the short detour if the weather is kind, and a good spot for a sunset.

Making more of it

The Sky Road pairs naturally with a walk out to Clifden Castle, which sits just off the lower road, so you can combine the two into a relaxed half day from the town. Bring a coffee and something from Walsh's bakery on Market Street and make a stop of it at the viewpoint. If you are cycling, the loop is a fine ride, but remember the roads are narrow and shared with cars, and Connemara is windy, so it is more of an effort than the distance suggests.

However you do it, take your time. The Sky Road is short, but it is the kind of place that rewards stopping, looking, and letting the Atlantic do the talking.