This itinerary is built for slow travellers who want to have the flexibility to include or exclude some places. When you drive in the counterclockwise direction, you get to do the bird and whale watching first, and then on your way back to St. John's, decide which activities/hikes/places you would like to add or remove from your trip.
This is the exact itinerary I had when I drove this loop. I knew that bird and whale watching would be the priority for me. So firstly, I didn't rush when watching birds at Cape St. Mary's. And secondly, after spending a few hours at St. Vincent's Beach, being so close to the whales, I decided I wanted to stay here even longer. Luckily, I planned the trip in a way that I didn't need to rush to see everything on my way home, I could just skip some places and leave them for next time.
If you pick this itinerary, you get to choose whether to do these activities as part of the Irish loop, or keep them for another getaway 20-40min drive from St. John's: La Manche Suspension Bridge, Blackhead, the boat tour in Witless Bay.
