Ireland, Connacht
Connemara's bog roads and coastal loops begin immediately west of the city.
First instinct from Galway: head west into Connemara.
Scored roads in range
12
Nearest great road
45 mi
Best rated nearby
9.3 / 10
Shortest full loop
4 hr 47 min
Checked by the Drivers Atlas desk
Scored and written by the Drivers Atlas editorial desk, drawing on driven routes across the UK and Europe, mapping data and member road reports. Every road in the library carries a driving and scenery score set by the same method. How we score roads.
Last reviewed 16 June 2026
60 to 150 km from the centre
Far enough to feel like a proper trip, close enough to be home for dinner.
Roughly 5 hr 11 min of driving if you string the lot together and come back the way you came.
150 to 400 km from the centre
Leave early, take the long way back and make a day of it.
Roughly 18 hr 35 min of driving if you string the lot together and come back the way you came.
237 mi away · Brecon Beacons, Wales
A ribbon of hairpins climbing a bare Welsh moorland made famous by Top Gear.
19 km · 11.8 mi · Atlas rating 9.4 / 10
111 mi away · Beara Peninsula
Tight hairpins over the Caha Mountains linking Cork and Kerry above two bays.
12 km · 7.5 mi · Atlas rating 9.3 / 10
207 mi away · Snowdonia, Wales
A dramatic pass beneath Snowdon's crags linking two of Wales's most storied villages.
16 km · 9.9 mi · Atlas rating 9.3 / 10
107 mi away · County Kerry
The classic Irish coastal loop, best at dawn before the tour buses wake.
110 km · 68.4 mi · Atlas rating 9.1 / 10
113 mi away · County Wicklow
Empty moorland tarmac over the Sally Gap, minutes from Dublin but utterly wild.
45 km · 28 mi · Atlas rating 9.1 / 10
175 mi away · Antrim Coast, Northern Ireland
One of the world's great coast roads, hugging cliffs beneath nine dramatic glens.
48 km · 29.8 mi · Atlas rating 9.1 / 10
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