In the Northern Hemisphere spring has sprung; under normal circumstances, many of us would be booking holidays to make the most of the rising temperatures. But these are not normal circumstances, and holidays aren’t even on the horizon. In lieu of a real trip, Emily Cathcart takes us on a virtual journey to Ireland’s west coast, using photography to lift us from our armchairs and drop us onto this spectacular coastal route.

In Ireland, warm-weather wandering often means a trek to the west of the country, and frequently features finding ourselves on the Wild Atlantic Way. The 2,500 km driving route passes through nine counties and three provinces, extending from Donegal's Inishowen Peninsula down to Kinsale in Cork on the Celtic Sea.

Along the way, the trail meanders through Mayo, Clare and Kerry—and it’s hard to find more dazzling stretches of rugged, unspoiled coastline anywhere. Thundering waves crash, secluded bays glitter in the sunshine and you’ll hear more than the occasional word of Irish spoken.

Though your current landscape may be largely restricted to the notable landmarks of your lounge,  through images I invite you to journey with me now to the Wild Atlantic Way…

With plenty of territory to explore, our travels have taken us from Donegal’s Sliabh Liag (Irish for ‘Grey Mountain’), some of the highest sea cliffs on the island of Ireland; to the magical Dingle Peninsula in Kerry, once declared ‘The most beautiful place on earth’ by National Geographic; to wonderful West Cork with its stunning scenery and sublimely slowed-down pace of life.

We may be keeping close to home, but that doesn’t mean we can’t travel in our dreaming and imaginations—whether that’s being transported by memory, or whisked away to entirely new destinations in an online Grand Tour of the places we look forward to visiting in real life... #WhenWeTravelAgain.

Images: Emily Cathcart