Mayo, Sligo and Donegal without a car

Pick your base

The railway gets you to Westport or Sligo

Westport and Sligo use different Dublin terminals. Irish Rail's Mayo route starts at Dublin Heuston and serves Castlebar before Westport. Ballina uses the branch through Foxford and Manulla Junction. The Sligo route starts at Dublin Connolly. Go to the Dublin terminal for your booked journey. With luggage and an onward connection, allow for the trip to Heuston or Connolly before setting off for Mayo or Sligo.

These are useful arrival routes, but they do not form a direct coastal railway between the counties. For a Mayo to Sligo move, one way to travel is Westport to Manulla Junction, the Ballina branch, then Bus Eireann route 458 from Ballina to Sligo. Allow a day for this move, with Ballina as a possible break between the train and bus. Check the operators' sites before you go for connections, evening stops and return journeys, along with any book-ahead service you need.

Westport and Achill use the same bus corridor

Route 450 runs between Dooagh and Louisburgh through Westport. On the Achill side it serves Newport, Mulranny, Achill Sound, Dugort and Keel. On the other side of Westport it serves the Quay and Murrisk. From Westport, you can use this bus for a Greenway outing, a visit towards Croagh Patrick or a move to an Achill village. Each outing starts on the same route, but takes you to a different part of Mayo.

Route 450 ends at Dooagh. Keem Beach lies farther west, beyond the village, so the bus does not take you all the way there. Achill Tourism lists taxis, bike hire and the TFI Anseo service as other options for getting around. Anseo takes bookings through its app. Arrange both the pickup and return for a Keem visit. If neither Anseo, a taxi nor a suitable bike trip works, spend the day around Keel or Dugort, close to route 450.

Sligo is the easiest coastal bus base

The S2 connects Rosses Point and Strandhill through Sligo. That makes Sligo Town a useful place to sleep when beach weather is uncertain: you can spend a town day at The Model and the Yeats Building, with one coastal village added when conditions suit. Transport for Ireland publishes separate daytime and evening maps. For an evening in town, use the evening map to find the bus back to Strandhill or Rosses Point.

Strandhill suits a surf lesson booked with an operator, while Rosses Point suits a walk by Sligo Bay. Swimming at Strandhill is specifically discouraged in the county's beach guidance because of strong currents. Farther southwest, route 458 serves Enniscrone on the Sligo to Ballina corridor. Give Enniscrone its own day with an outward and return journey on route 458. Leave Strandhill and Rosses Point for separate S2 outings from Sligo Town.

Continue into Donegal along the bus routes

Expressway route 64 links Sligo, Donegal and Letterkenny on the Galway to Derry corridor. Route 480 also links Sligo with Donegal towards Derry, and Bundoran's own transport guide identifies the 480 as a resort connection. For Bundoran, choose a journey that lists the resort as a stop. Coaches between Sligo and Donegal do not all serve the same stops, so the route number and destination alone are not enough.

Donegal Town is a manageable overnight base because the castle on Castle Street, the Railway Heritage Centre on Tyrconnell Street and the harbour are local sights. For Glenveagh, continue from Letterkenny on Local Link 971 to the visitor centre. Letterkenny is where you change for the park bus. At Glenveagh's visitor centre, you still need to make the internal visitor journey towards the castle. Allow for both stages when moving north from Donegal Town.

Keep a return that works when plans change

For an Achill day trip, keep the final activity near the bus corridor: Keel Beach or Dugort puts you nearer route 450 than Keem. For Murrisk, leave enough time to descend before the bus connection, or make the lower village the outing. Croagh Patrick is a difficult mountain climb, so the return bus must not create pressure to continue in poor conditions.

For a Donegal Town stay, use the castle and railway museum if a planned rural transfer falls through. For Sligo, stay with the town galleries if the coastal return no longer fits. A late arrival, a cancelled excursion or a missed connection is a reason to shorten the day's reach. Book any taxi before heading to a rural beach or trailhead. If you lose a connection, shorten the outing so you can still get back to town, instead of travelling farther from the bus route.