Morocco or Ireland for a road-trip?

Ireland is a joy of a road trip and I'd happily recommend it — the Wild Atlantic Way, the Cliffs of Moher, emerald hills, ancient ruins, cosy pubs and some of the friendliest, funniest people anywhere, all in English with familiar, gentle driving (once you've adjusted to the left and the narrow lanes). For an easy, romantic, low-stress self-drive through soft green scenery with a pint and live music at the end of each day, Ireland is hard to beat, and on sheer ease and charm it's lovely.

What Ireland trades away is drama-of-contrast and exoticism. It's beautiful but consistently so — green, mild, maritime — and the weather is famously changeable and often wet. The landscapes are gorgeous but in one broad register; you won't find desert, high mountains or a radically different culture. For some travellers that gentle consistency is exactly the appeal; for others it's less of an adventure.

Morocco's road trip is a bigger, more cinematic swing. Behind the wheel (or, honestly, with a driver, which many prefer here) you cross from imperial cities to the edge of the Sahara, over the High Atlas passes, through the Todra and Dades gorges, past kasbahs and palm oases, and out to Atlantic surf towns — a kaleidoscope of terrain and culture in a single loop. It's more exotic, more varied and excellent value. The honest caveats: driving is busier and more assertive than Ireland's, signage and road manners take adjusting to, and many visitors opt for a private driver to relax into the scenery — which is easy and affordable to arrange.

So: choose Ireland for a cosy, green, easy-driving, English-speaking road trip heavy on coast, pubs and craic. Choose Morocco for a dramatic, diverse, more exotic road trip spanning desert, mountains and ancient cities, at better value — accepting livelier driving or simply hiring a driver. Ireland is the gentle, charming option; Morocco is the epic, varied one. Both make superb road trips a short flight from the UK and Europe.