Athlone

Ireland

Athlone commands Ireland's most crucial river crossing where the Shannon divides Westmeath and Roscommon, sitting bang in the country's centre. The M6 motorway makes it dead handy, with Dublin 124km east and Galway 90km west, while regional roads fan out to every corner of Ireland. The town's got over 30 EV charging points and sits on the Dublin-Galway rail line. Lough Ree draws the boating crowd, and there's a grand 13th-century Norman castle overlooking the crossing. Sean's Bar holds the Guinness World Record as Ireland's oldest pub, with evidence of punters having a pint there since 900 AD.