County Donegal
Hiya and welcome to my post detailing our 5-day trip to Ireland’s most north-westerly coast, County Donegal. If you don’t know, the island of Ireland is split up into 32 counties, 26 in the Republic, and 6 in Northern Ireland. Think of counties like U.S. states, not from a governmental perspective, but from a geographically, home-town pride, and culture sort of way. County Donegal is as North as it gets for the Republic and it remains very untouched. Between its mountainous sea cliffs, pristine beaches, and countless sheep, I’d say it’s one of Ireland’s most breathtaking counties. I think those from Donegal would agree and say, “Aye!”. Tuck in, grab a pint, and enjoy reading about some of the best places you can visit in County Donegal.
Dublin to Donegal — A 5-Day Itinerary
Day 1 - Leave Dublin, Trim Castle, Get to 1st Airbnb
Chris and I were so excited to get out of town for the long weekend. In Ireland, there is a bank holiday for St. Patrick’s Day, so our road trip to faraway County Donegal was two-fold: 1) get out of Dublin before the tourists take over for Paddy’s, and 2) take advantage of Chris having off from work on Monday. We left Dublin around 3:00 in the afternoon with our two pups, Hugo and Victor, in tow and way too much luggage. [I ALWAYS pack way more for a road trip than when we fly to another country, like WAY more. Anybody else?!] With the cutest co-pilots around, we were ready to hit the road for our 4-5 hour journey.
About 1 hour Northwest of Dublin in County Meath is the beautifully in tact Trim Castle, which is most famously known for being in the movie Braveheart. [Even though the movie is set in Scotland, it was filmed in Ireland because it’s relatively cheap to film here.] Trim Castle is the largest Anglo-Norman castle in Ireland. What I think makes it different from other castles we’ve seen [Malahide, Dublin, Blarney, Bunratty, Ross, & Dunluce] is that it still has a good portion of its castle walls, so you get a better idea of how fortified and imposing it was. And you can see part of the original moat, which I thought was very cool!
When I planned that we would try and stop to see Trim Castle, I had no idea if we were going to be able to get close or not since we had the dogs with us. A few months back when we were driving from Portrush back to Dublin, we had tried to stop and see New Grange in Drogheda, an ancient structure older than the pyramids. We thought we would be able to just walk right up to it. Little did we know, it sits far away from its Visitor’s Centre, and there is no getting to it unless you get tickets and pay for a tour. Plus, no dogs are allowed, so that was a huge bust. Trim Castle could have been the same way, but lucky for us, it was totally accessible! It sits right on the road that goes through town and you can park your car in the little parking lot at the affordable rate of 50 cents per 30 minutes. We were able to take the dogs and completely walk around the exterior of the castle and in the fields no problem. In fact, many of the locals were out walking their dogs around the castle fields too. Could you imagine having this in your backyard?! We had so much fun romping around and getting great views of the castle. Plus, I think the boys thought they were auditioning for Braveheart 2! Move over, Mel Gibson!
For those traveling without furry friends, you can go inside the castle and keep for €5 / adult. The castle is open daily March - October, and on Saturdays and Sundays only November - February. For as little as 50 cents for parking and / or the low-cost entrance fee, this castle is definitely worth the stop!
The rest of the drive up to Donegal was a long and rainy one. It took us 4 hours from Trim Castle to get up to Kilcar, including a pit stop along the way to pick up some cider, wine, and coal for our second Airbnb. The rain was lashing, it was dark, and we were very ready to get to our Airbnb, make dinner, and tuck in for the night.
Our AirBnb in Kilcar was very cute. It was a classic country residence in the shape of barn. The hosts lived next door, which made it convenient to ask questions and get great local tips. The place was charming and we felt right at home. The location, hospitality, and dog-friendliness were a-one.
Day 2 - Slieve League & Silver Strand Beach
First on the agenda for our day was to take the dogs and go hiking. Slieve League, which is located about a 15 minute drive from where we stayed, is a range of sea cliffs that are the tallest in all of Europe. These cliffs are actually 3x the height of the Cliffs of Moher and are breathtaking. What I particularly like about Slieve League is that I feel safer there than at the Cliffs of Moher. The Cliffs of Moher are sheer, straight rock cliffs where you could easily fall to your death, however, Slieve League has a much wider landscape, so it doesn’t feel as dangerous. Both are equally stunning.
I was super excited to get some good exercise and spend several hours out in nature, but it seemed that the weather had different plans for us. March can be a tricky time to travel in Ireland as the rain and wind pick up, but it’s Ireland, so you never know what the weather will do in a given day. On this particular day, the winds were gale force and we probably should have taken it as a sign that we were literally the only people there that conditions weren’t going to be great. Slieve League is less popular than the Cliffs of Moher, but there are still typically a few tour buses and other cars of visitors. I should have really taken a hint when the lobster roll food stand wasn’t there. [Sad face because I was really excited to eat there finally!] Because we’re “do-ers”, we thought let’s try it anyway. We made it about 10 minutes up before the winds basically knocked me to my hands and knees. The dogs were miserable, I was scared. This was not going to happen. The higher we got, the worse the winds were and with dogs in tow, it was not safe to continue on. The sea water was getting blown up the cliffs. It was madness! We made it back down to the lookout, took in the views a bit, and hit the road for our next destination. Maybe next time Slieve League, maybe next time.
If you ever make it to Slieve League, do not forget to appreciate all of the sheep that are hanging out. They will be in the road, in the fields, on the cliffs… everywhere. They are just the cutest!
The winds may have stopped us from hiking, but we were not going to let that get us down. Located about a 15 minute drive down the way, our next stop for the day was Silver Strand Beach, which is also known as Malin Beg. I have seen this beach on Instagram countless of times and wanted to go see this place for myself. We essentially drove at the base of the entire Slieve League towards the ocean, hooked around at the end, and found ourselves next to a sheep farm overlooking the most incredible beach. There is a free car park there, which was great, and yet again, we were the only people there.
The waves outside of this bay are HUGE [they don’t call it the Wild Atlantic Way for nothing!], so the fact that this beach is protected by a horseshoe bend makes for pristine white sand and calming waves. The walk down to the beach involves about 200 steps, but it doesn’t seem so bad when you get to take in the views.
The minute we got down to the beach, the weather gods hit us again and it started to rain. It felt like we were not going to catch a break, but because we’re used to Irish weather, we figured the rain would last about 10-15 minutes and then clear up. In the meantime, we found some shelter…
We were right! The rain came and went and soon the sun was shining. It felt like a dream to be walking the beach at Silver Strand. We spent about an hour down there enjoying the sounds, the views, and having the whole beach to ourselves. Here’s a collection of about 15% of the photos we actually took — it’s hard to stop shooting when the views are this beautiful!
If you are ever in this area, this beach is an absolute must even if it’s 45℉ / 7℃ and raining. 😊
Post-beach, it was time to get out of the elements and grab some lunch. We dropped the boys off at our Airbnb to get some rest, then we drove into the town of Killybegs to try out our host’s recommendation of the Ahoy Café. Killybegs is a fishing town and the harbour is filled with all sorts of different boats. It’s pretty cool to see. Right on the harbour is the Ahoy Café and it is so cute. It was also packed, which we took as a great sign. Ireland is known for its fresh seafood, especially along the coastline, so we were not going to miss out on that! The seafood chowder and fish ‘n chips were delicious.
After getting blown around in the wind + a full stomach of hearty food = cozying in for the rest of the day. We had planned to potentially go back to Slieve League without the dogs to give hiking another go, but decided the warm Airbnb, wine and puppy snuggles were calling. A night in watching the new season of Queer Eye was just what we needed.
Day 3 — Errigal, Glenveagh National Park, Get to 2nd Airbnb
On Saturday morning, it was time to pack up and head North. We were sad to be leaving the Slieve League area without having hiked it, but we had fun stuff ahead and couldn’t wait to get on the road. Here are a couple shots we got on that foggy morning as we were driving away. Isn’t the area gorgeous?
Our first point of interest was to drive through Glengesh Pass, which is a winding road that connects the towns of Glemcolmcille and Ardara. It’s super scenic and there is even an outlook that you can stop at to take pictures. I was hoping for more clear weather, but I think the fog added a bit of mystique to our pictures.
County Donegal is one of the craziest counties in terms of terrain. One minute you’re in lush green farmland, the next you’re in red and orange fields, and the next you’re up in the mountains and it’s snowing, all within two hours. We were very mesmerized by our drive this particular morning. Doesn’t this little lake we found look like a heart?
One of the places I was most looking forward to seeing was Errigal. It is the tallest peak in the Derryveagh Mountains near the towns of Gweedore and Dunlewy in Donegal. The mountain stands at a height of 751 m / 2,464 ft and looks pretty majestic in photos. When we got close, we realized that Errigal was totally enveloped in a cape of fog. Noooo! :( It seemed that was going to be our luck for the duration of the trip. We pulled over at an outlook point to assess what we wanted to do while taking in the views of the mountains and valley below called the Poisoned Glen.
Since we couldn’t see Errigal, we pulled an audible and drove down this little side road to go explore the Abandoned Dunlewey Church. I had seen this church in a pretty epic photo of Errigal on Instagram and was pleased to find out it was super close to where we were and completely free to visit. This church was built around 1850 and served the local community until the church population dwindled. In 1955, the roof was removed for safety reasons, and in recent years, restoration efforts have been made to keep the church in a preserved state. There are rumors that the church is haunted and after having visited, I would believe it. It was a very eerie setting in the Poisoned Glen with the fog and rain.
About a 15 minute drive from Errigal was our second place of interest for the day, Glenveagh National Park. Trip Advisor describes Glenveagh as "Literally heaven on earth, peaceful, beautiful, charming and historical." And they’re not wrong! I chose this spot as one of our stopping points because I thought it would be a good place to take the dogs out for a walk since we were going to be in the car for several hours, but it turned out to be so much more than that. This national park is huge and there are so many different walking and hiking trails, and hello, there’s a castle. Their website is full of helpful information, so if you ever go visit, check it out to see all the park has to offer.
Visiting the park is free, as well as the car park. I’m not sure if the shuttle to the castle costs anything, so it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have a couple Euro coins on you just in case.
We chose to do one of the easier walks, which was the lake walk down to the Glenveagh Castle and Gardens. From the Visitor Centre’s car park to the castle is a 4 km / 2.5 mile walk, so remember that’s x2, which is a decent walk of 8 km / 5 miles roundtrip. There are shuttles for those who want to visit the castle, but don’t fancy the walking bit.
Once we got onto the walking trail, we couldn’t believe how stunning the park was. Right away we were blasted by its beauty — snow-covered mountains, a deeply-hued lake that looked like glass save for the rain drops hitting its surface, pine trees, and even a deer made a brief appearance. It felt like we were in an oasis in the middle of nowhere. I think the dogs loved it too!
The entrance to the castle and gardens is through the gates with the two stags’ heads on either side. We walked through part of the gardens, which had the fresh coating of snow that the rest of the park had. I bet these gardens are outstanding in full bloom. The gardens are designed in a Victorian-style and have plants from all over the world. Along with trees that were brought over from Asia, there were also Balinese statues that are meant to keep evil spirits away.
Through the gardens and right on the shores of Lough Veagh sits Glenveagh Castle. This castle was built between 1867 and 1873 by owner John George Adair. It’s a smaller, but beautiful castle. It is in great shape and tours can be arranged. It is always a big deal to find a castle that still has its roof on and has been restored. A lot of the castles dotted around Ireland are in ruins and I heard once that the roofs get removed by the owners so they no longer have to pay tax on them. Now, I have no idea if this is true or not, but I’ll go with it for now. Thus, we always have an appreciation for castles such as Glenveagh that are still fully intact. Anywho, since we had the dogs with us, we didn’t go inside the castle, but we were able to walk around the outside. My favorite part of the exterior was what looked like the world’s first infinity pool, which you’ll see in the pictures below.
On our walk back to the car, we were hit with heavy rain and soaked through to the bone. We had originally intended on visiting Murder Hole Beach for our last stop of the day, which was only a 35 minute drive from Glenveagh, and is supposed to be the most incredible beach. If you talk to anyone who has visited County Donegal, they will tell you that Murder Hole Beach is a must, and the Irish Independent named it Ireland’s top hidden beach, which you can read about here. The beach is off the beaten path and from what I have read, it takes about a 2 km trek to actually find it. I really wanted to see Murder Hole Beach, but we were wet, cold, and the weather didn’t seem like it was going to let up any time soon, so the extra car time + rain + 2 km hike just to find the beach didn’t win out over getting to our second Airbnb during the daylight and warming up by the fire.
It turned out that we had 100% made the right call. The rain was lashing the entire drive up to our second Airbnb, so I am so glad we made the drive in the daylight versus in the dark like our first place because the Irish countryside roads are no joke!
Airbnb — The Most Northerly House in Ireland, Malin Head
Donegal is a big county, so it was important for us to get a second place to stay in a new location to allow us to explore a different part of the NW corner of Ireland. One of my fellow Instagrammers, @thisisus_living, who is a South African expat living in Dublin, had stayed at this particular Airbnb with her husband, and cute little pug, and it looked like the perfect place to cozy up for a couple days. The house is located right on the Wild Atlantic Ocean and is the most northerly house in Ireland. It was also a filming location for one of the recent Star Wars movies — how cool is that?! Plus, there were sheep on the farmland and they would come and greet us every time we pulled up. #neighbahhhhs
This house is the perfect spot for a couple’s getaway, or a family holiday. It’s big, it’s cozy, there is a coal-burning fireplace, and Geraldine was a great host. She even had a welcome basket with fresh scones from the local bakery along with some other treats. Love that kind of hospitality! You can book your stay here.
Day 4 — Banba’s Crown, Five Fingers Strand
Part of the appeal to staying in Malin Head was that we could walk out of the house and explore the area by foot. Located just up the hill from the Airbnb is Banba’s Crown, a tower built in 1805 by the British, which was later used by the Irish Army as a lookout tower in WWII. The views up at the top look down over the cliffside at the crashing water, the farm fields, and the hills in the distance. It made us appreciate the beauty of where we were even more. It is no wonder at all why the inhabitants of this small, rural town live where they do.
This is also where the famous Wild Atlantic Way starts [or finishes] in the North. Chris and I reflected on how much of the Wild Atlantic Way we have driven and while it’s not the whole thing, we have covered Malin Head down to Portmagee in County Kerry, which is pretty good!
You’ll notice in the pictures below that it says “80 EIRE” in the grassy cliffside. During WWII, the Irish used rocks and painted them white to spell out Eire in big letters to let any militaries flying overhead know not to drop bombs since Ireland remained neutral during the war. There are several of these all around Ireland, including a recently discovered one in Bray just outside of Dublin.
You will also notice Hugo did not accompany us on this walk because wind isn’t his thing. 😂 Oh, and it was St. Patrick’s Day, so don’t mind the cheesy hat!
From Banba’s Crown, there is a cliffside walk down to Hell’s Hole, a chasm where the water crashes into the rocks. The walk is relatively short and easy, so it is well worth it to take in the views. You might even get some sea water splashed on your face from the wind! Haha
As you can imagine, the most northerly spot in Ireland isn’t swimming with too many food options, but there is a great restaurant called the Seaview Tavern, which also serves as a hotel. The Seaview Tavern boasts a full menu filled with Irish classics, such as stews and fresh fish. I had been craving mussels since before we left on this trip, so I was excited to dive into a big bowl of fresh Donegal mussels. And when I say big, this bowl was massive and I ate every last bit. All finished off with a pint of Guinness of course. It certainly was a Happy St. Paddy’s Day! ☘️
After lunch, we popped into this teeny tiny antiques store [shed?] called The Curiosity Shop and picked up a vintage Guinness sign, an old map of Ireland, and some great gab from the shop owner.
In the afternoon, we grabbed the pups and drove about 15 minutes down the road to the Five Fingers Strand, a Blue Flag awarded beach. I wouldn’t call this beach a hidden gem as there are road signs advertising it, but it is a bit tucked away and quite possibly one of the most beautiful beaches we have ever been to. Who knew Ireland had some of the most beautiful beaches in the world? The doggos had an absolute blast romping around on the beach while Chris and I took in the views. This was one of our favorite places of the whole trip and I’d be lying if I said we didn’t day dream about going back here at least once a week.
Parking is free at the church when you drive in, or there are a couple spots closer to the entrance, but it’s tight up there, so I’d recommend parking at the church and walking the extra wee bit.
Day 5 — Grianán of Aileach, Derry, Home to Dublin
We woke up on Monday sad to be packing up and leaving Malin Head, but happy that Chris had the day off from work [thank you St. Patrick’s Day!] so that we could take our time getting back to Dublin. We had a few stops planned along the way to break up the long drive back to Dublin: Grianán of Aileach, an ancient ring fort, and Derry / Londonderry, a city filled with history, especially related to The Troubles.
Our first stop was to visit the ring fort of Grianán of Aileach. This was about an hour South of Malin Head, and admittedly, we drove right past it on our way to our Airbnb two days before, but had no idea. So if you are using this as an itinerary, this could be easily added to the day with Errigal and Glenveagh National Park.
Grianán of Aileach is a stone fort that dates back to 1700 BC and is connected with the Tuatha dé Danann, a supernatural race of Irish mythology, who invaded Ireland before the Celts. The stone fort is built without mortar and has three levels to it that you can easily walk up and around. What Chris and I found most interesting about its history was that it was restored in the 1870s. It’s hard to imagine people that long ago having the resources and care to restore ancient ruins. Cool, nonetheless!
Because it sits high up on a hill, the views from the top are fantastic as you look down at Lough Foyle and Lough Swilly. Grianán of Aileach is free to visit and there is a free car park at the very top.
About a 20 minute drive from the ring fort is the city of Derry / Londonderry, UK. For those wondering, there is no current border patrol between the Republic and Northern Ireland. In fact, it’s hard to tell you have crossed into a new country. The only indicators are that the speed limit signs change from kmh to mph and the signs no longer have Gaelic on them as well. With Brexit, who knows if anything will change, but for now, no passports are needed, no border patrol is had, and you can freely drive right in.
Derry is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland. It is filled with history and lies on the banks of the River Foyle. Beyond its critical history during The Troubles, Derry is a walled city. It’s the only city left in Ireland with its entire wall still intact. The walls were built in the early 1600s as defense against any English or Scottish invaders or settlers. Because they are intact, you can actually walk the walls for free and get great views of the city below. They also have signage up all around giving history about particular parts of the wall.
The main reason I wanted to go back to Derry was to see the Derry Girls mural. If you have not heard of or watched Derry Girls, I HIGHLY recommend it. For those in the States and perhaps elsewhere, the first season is on Netflix and it’s only six episodes long. [Make sure to throw on the subtitles because that Derry accent is no joke.] The show follows four Irish Catholic teenage girls and one English fella living in Derry during the 1990s. The Troubles were still going on, so you get to see a glimpse of what life was like during that time, but you also get to laugh at the crazy predicaments these teens get into. The show is brilliantly done and so so funny. Due to the popularity of the show on this island, a huge mural was painted for the show and is right in the center of town in Derry and I just had to see it!
Like Belfast, Derry is filled with other murals as well, particularly political ones pertaining to the time of The Troubles. Just down the hill from the walls in the Bogside neighborhood, a largely Irish Catholic neighborhood, you will find the famous “You Are Now Entering Free Derry” mural. This saying was originally put up in the 1960s after a particular night when British Police went into the Bogside neighborhood and bashed up the houses and windows of the Irish Catholics. It was also the site of Bloody Sunday in 1972. A man who grew up in the neighborhood at the time described the mural as such, “I like to think of the Free Derry wall as sort of representing a moment in our history, when the idea of freedom didn’t mean just having an Ireland free of British rule or influence, but when it meant something far broader and more hopeful in that it meant freedom for the world.” The wall is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, which you can read more about here.
Of course no trip to Derry is complete without walking across The Peace Bridge situated over the River Foyle. This bridge was completed in 2011 and is meant to symbolize a handshake between the Protestant Waterside and Nationalist Bogside connecting a divided city into one.
There is definitely more to Derry if you aren’t accompanied by any four-legged friends. You can also visit the Tower Museum, which explains a lot of the political conflict that has taken place in Northern Ireland, Guild Hall, and I have heard that the Derry City Tour by the fellas in the yellow jackets is excellent.
After walking the bridge, the walls, and seeing the Derry Girls mural and Free Derry mural, it was time to hit the road and head home to Dublin. It was quite a long 3-hour drive through the Northern Irish countryside. I’m not sure if we hit a motorway for more than two minutes at any point. It was scenic, but long and we were glad to be home from a great weekend in Ireland’s untouched Northwest corner.
Overall Impressions:
All of Ireland is beautiful, but Donegal has to be one of the most stunning counties of them all. The mountains, the hiking, the beaches, the sheep — it’s a stunner.
If you like seafood, you will not be disappointed in the variety and quality of all the same-day caught seafood.
Be sure to dress for all the elements, especially wind and rain.
On the same token, don’t let the weather stop you from powering through because the skies are likely to clear up at some point.
Mind the sheep — one of the oldest jokes in Ireland is that a “traffic jam” in Ireland consists of sheep in the middle of the road. It’s funny and it’s true.
Everything we did was FREE! Besides accommodations, car rental, and food, every single place we visited was free to enter and free to park, so it is a very budget-friendly place to go.
There you have it! I hope you enjoyed reading about County Donegal! And hopefully you got a little inspiration yourself!
Until next time…
Sláinte! xo,
