Three French Guys, One Van, Ireland’s Calling

Into the Wild

After 48 hours on the road, including a rough ferry crossing and a pit stop in a Dublin pub for the rugby final, the boys finally pointed the van west. Their first destination: Achill Island.

When they rolled in late that evening, the scene was unreal. A massive freshwater lake sat right behind the ocean, framed by towering cliffs and shrouded in low fog. They parked the van in a field right by the water and took in their new surroundings: dramatic Atlantic views, roaming sheep, and a ridiculous amount of sheep droppings.

Everything felt wild, remote and almost cinematic. Having the whole place almost entirely to themselves made it even more special, and the boys knew immediately that they had made the right decision coming to Ireland.

Following the Wind

What followed was the exact rhythm they’d been chasing: wake up, check the forecast, and go. No set itinerary, just three friends  exploring as they went. Beyond weather apps and the Duotone Academy App, half the fun of travelling an unfamiliar coastline was figuring it out for themselves, piecing together satellite imagery, geography, wind direction, and tides to predict where the conditions would line up best. When that homework paid off with an uncrowded session, it made the reward even sweeter.

The beauty of having no fixed plan was total flexibility. If the forecast shifted, so did they. And if the wind dropped off completely, they simply found something else to do: trading kiteboards for surfboards to mess around in the Atlantic shorebreak, or heading inland to hike Croagh Patrick, where the views looked more like Norwegian fjords than typical European coastline.

One of the biggest surprises came further south in County Cork, where they stumbled upon a sea inlet. As the tide dropped, a massive sandbank emerged in the middle of the estuary, creating a completely unique playground with local fishing boats cruising past while they rode.

Out on the water, they met a local kiter who mentioned he hadn't seen foreign riders at the spot in almost five years. He was incredibly welcoming and, at the end of the session, even offered them his garden hose so they could rinse themselves and their gear.

When Things Go Sideways

Naturally, not every day went smoothly, and no van trip is complete without a few moments where things go slightly sideways. More often than not, those are the moments you end up remembering long after the trip is over.

While Tristan claimed the prize for the hardest wipeout of the trip after coming down heavy after a jump, the most memorable story belonged to Achille back on Achill Island. After losing his board mid-session, he lost his ability to make ground upwind, slowly and helplessly drifting across the vast freshwater lake toward the far shore.

Watching your friend float away into the fog while trying to figure out a rescue plan felt pretty stressful at the time. But by the time they were sitting down over a pint of Guinness that evening, the whole episode had already turned into one of the favourite stories of the trip.

The Good Stuff

Beyond the stoke on the water, it was the unscripted rhythm of van life that made the journey feel complete. Every evening had its own natural workflow: Tristan (who works in the food industry back home) ensured every session ended with a proper apéro, Tanguy took charge of the stove as resident chef, and Achille got the Duotone gear prepped for the next morning.

Despite living out of a van, they ate surprisingly well every night. One evening in particular stood out: a quiet barbecue on the beach at sunset, with good food, a couple of glasses of wine, and an unreal Atlantic backdrop after a full day out on the water. It was one of those simple, perfect moments where you stop, look around, and realise just how lucky you are to be there.

Parking by the water, long drives in the van playing games and talking nonsense, and hopping from pub to pub in Dingle, it was a real, unvarnished adventure, and exactly what they’d come for.

Would They Go Back?

Two weeks later, as the van rolled back onto the ferry, all three of them were saying the exact same thing: two weeks wasn't nearly enough. Moving quickly from spot to spot meant they barely scratched the surface of what Ireland had to offer.

If they did it over again, they'd add at least another week, not just to explore more of the coastline, but to slow down and spend more time in each place.

Would they go back? In a heartbeat. In fact, they were already talking about where to take the van next before they even reached dry land.

Because if this trip proved anything, it's that you don't need a massive production budget or a flawless master plan to pull off an adventure. Sometimes you just have to stop overthinking whether it's realistic, pack your gear into a van with some good company, and go.