Don’t forget your Wild Atlantic Way passport on your next Irish road trip (PHOTOS)

The Kilkee Castle as seen from Dunlicka Castle on Loop Head Peninsula Co ClareValerie O'Sullivan

There’s so much to see along Ireland’s west coast that it’s hard to fit it all into just one trip.

Luckily, a new Wild Atlantic Way passport will allow you to easily track where you’ve been, where you’ve yet to go, and act as a handy souvenir of your trip all in one.

With tourists and locals alike burning to explore all the cliffs, mountains, rivers, lakes and pastures along the coastal route, Fáilte Ireland and the Irish mail service An Post have teamed up to ensure you don’t miss a single one of the 188 Discovery Points along the way.

The new passport will allow travelers to stamp off each place they visit through a trip to local participating post offices, with each place holding its own unique motif.

Discovery Point: Loop Head Lighthouse.

“The Wild Atlantic Way is already proving popular with visitors – both from overseas and from Ireland,” said Irish Minister of State for Tourism and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan TD at the launch of the new initiative.

“We want to deepen visitor engagement and encourage those who travel along the route to slow down, dwell longer and immerse themselves in the local towns and villages of the west coast. The local Post Office is at the heart of these communities and the passport is a clever means to build such interaction into the Wild Atlantic Way experience.”

Each of the different regions along the coastal route has its own section in the passport and they can be purchased for just $11 (€10) in over 130 select post offices.

Discovery Point: Moville.

“This passport is a wonderful way for visitors to record their experiences along the Wild Atlantic Way,” said Fiona Monaghan, Fáilte Ireland’s Head of the Wild Atlantic Way.

“However, by encouraging visitors to visit local towns to get their passport stamped in the Post Office, we also hope the passport will help increase tourist activity and engagement with people and places along the route.

“The passport is also neatly placed to encourage a return trip for those that have part-completed their passport – and we will be urging visitors to think about completing their collection of Wild Atlantic Way stamps over a number of years.”

A view of the Wild Atlantic Way during the Summer Solstice.

With a special Wild Atlantic Way gift available for every 20 stamps collected, passport holders will also be placed into a draw to win another trip back to complete their stamps.

Staff in post offices across the west of Ireland have all the information needed to help you along the way, while An Post Director of Innovation and Quality, John McConnell, hopes that by using the passport travelers will meet with the institution that is the Irish post office.

“Ensuring the best possible customer experience is what An Post does on a daily basis throughout our retail network,” he said.

The front cover of the passport. Image credit: Fáilte Ireland.

“This colorful, keepsake Passport is a great addition to our range of products and services and will help to drive footfall into rural Post Offices along the route. We’re delighted to be working so closely with Fáilte Ireland and here’s to a busy summer season ahead.”