Best areas to use as a base to explore the Wild Atlantic Way

Best areas to use as a base to explore the Wild Atlantic Way

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Posted Wed 7 Jan 2026 11:29 PM
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I’m planning a trip to visit the south west of Ireland, Wild Atlantic Way in May 2026. I would like some recommendations regarding where to seek vacation rentals that we could use as a base to explore the area. We’d like to stay 10-14 days and will consider rentals in 2 different places to maximize our experiences. We’d like to fly to/from Shannon airport. I found a lovely accommodation in Schull that I’m seriously considering as one of the locations. I’m looking for another well situated location maximize our travel experiences in the area. Thanks for whatever recommendations are made! Patricia
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Posted Sat 10 Jan 2026 10:28 AM
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Hi Patricia,

This looks like a fantastic trip you’re putting together! 🌊💚

It sounds like you already have your heart set on the place you found in Schull, and that’s a wonderful starting point. Schull makes a great base for West Cork and works very well if you’re looking for somewhere to slow down a little while still having lots of options for day trips. From Schull, there are a couple of directions that tend to work very well.

One option is to stay within West Cork and look for vacation rentals around places like Skibbereen or Clonakilty. Both are good hubs for holiday homes and cottages and give you easy access to different coastal routes, beaches and small towns, while keeping driving distances fairly manageable.

Another option is to move into County Kerry for the second part of your stay. Looking for rentals around Dingle, Kenmare or Killarney is very popular. Dingle is a great place if you want lots of coastal scenery close by. Kenmare is smaller and nicely positioned between Beara and the Ring of Kerry, while Killarney is practical if you’d enjoy lakes, woodland and several classic day-trip routes.

This accommodation search page is a handy way to find places to stay in the area. If you scroll about halfway down the page, you’ll see a green button where you can choose different filters to narrow things down. The results link directly to the accommodation providers’ own websites, where you’ll find more details and contact information. If you also want to look at Bed & Breakfasts, the B&B Ireland website is another useful place to browse.

Hope this is useful, and enjoy the planning!


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