Have you thought about visiting remote County Donegal but are overwhelmed by all the places you feel you need to visit along the Wild Atlantic Way? Follow this 3 day itinerary where you can see a castle and climb a mountain in the same day.
This trip included stops in Glenveagh National Park, a climb up Errigal Mountain, a stay in Gweedore, stops in Malin Beg and Slieve League, a final stay over in Donegal, Glencar Waterfall and of course lots of beautiful drives along the Wild Atlantic Way in between.
County Donegal exceeded all of our expectations. The views were stunning with the striking blue sea against a rugged landscape. My sister, Chelsey, came over for a holiday and planned most of the places she wanted to see while visiting. Her top destination of choice was Slieve League, which did not disappoint! We rented a car and departed from Dublin on the 4 hour drive to Glenveagh National Park located in the upper Northwest side of the country. This leg of the drive was not that eventful and we were on a mission to see the park and climb Errigal Mountain in the same day.
Glenveagh National Park consists of walking trails, Glenveagh castle and gardens, Lough Veagh, and mountains including part of Errigal Mountain. The castle sits right on the lake and is accessible by walking or shuttle from the park’s visitor center. We took the shuttle to save time and our legs for the mountain hike later in the day. We walked the View Point Trail loop which gave great views of the castle and lake. We opted out of a castle tour to save money and to allow more time for the outdoor experiences including the hike and gardens.
From the park, we drove the short distance to the bottom of Errigal Mountain. We parked on the shoulder of the road where other hikers were already parked and hoped we were in the right place. The beginning of the hike was very wet and we were basically hiking through a bog. As we climbed higher, it became dryer and more enjoyable. Don’t get me wrong, this is a hard hike and I don’t recommend unless you are an experienced hiker. It was straight up and straight down (as all mountains are!) with very few trail markers. The burning muscles were so worth the view from the top and we met plenty of nice hikers along the way. From the top we had sweeping views of The Atlantic Ocean, Glenveagh Park, Altan Lough, Lough Nacung Upper, and neighboring towns. By the time we hiked down we were starving and drove the short distance to our BnB outside of Gweedore then immediately drove to town for some grub and pints. We found the cheapest pints we’ve had on the island so far, which was a welcome surprise.
The next day was all about the sights along the Wild Atlantic Way to Donegal. We drove down N56 to Adara and then used smaller roads to get out to Malin Beg to check out The Silver Strand beach. I’m not exaggerating when I say that I think it’s the most beautiful beach I have ever seen. There’s nothing quite like it. With green grassy knolls dropping off into gradual cliffs that lead you down to the bright sand and that color of blue ocean that a photograph cannot truly capture. Another unique aspect to the strand is the sheep grazing on the grass overlooking the beach that have no clue what prime real estate they have! As I like to say, “It almost looks tropical!” even though you are wearing a beanie and bundled up in layers of coats. We could not have had nicer weather and I think that May might just be the perfect time of year to come out here. However, the weather is so unpredictable that you really just have to hope for the best no matter the season.
From the Silver Strand, we continued on to our next stop, Slieve League. We parked at the first parking lot but soon discovered you can drive past the gate, along the coastal road, and park at the end of the road right where the views of the cliffs are located. I’ve read a lot of blogs that compare Slieve League to the Cliffs of Moher and I have to say that I don’t think they should be compared. They are both beautiful in their own right and offer glorious views of the ocean and cliffs. Slieve League is a ways out there so it takes more planning than if you just hop on a tour from Galway or Doolin to see the Cliffs of Moher, but the isolation of Slieve League does make for a unique experience. We would have spent more time hiking around these cliffs, but one of us wasn’t feeling well (I’m not going to name names, but Matt… It was Matt.) so we decided to hop back in the car and head to Donegal.
After spending the last few days in more isolated parts of Donegal, being in a city center was a nice change of pace. We went out for some good craic and landed a few seats in a small pub on the edge of town to listen to some traditional music. We had great BnB hosts that made our stay in Donegal very lovely, but I’m not sure I would recommend staying in town unless you want to go out and party. I personally thought the few days in the country we had before Donegal were more enjoyable, but that could be because we are living in Dublin and have had the Irish city experience.
Our last day we walked around Donegal, which was nothing special…and then hit the road back to Dublin. We stopped and checked out Glencar Waterfall in County Leitrim and that was definitely worth the stop. It’s a quick walk from the car park and the greenery was beautiful. We ate lunch at the little cafe they have on site and from there we made it back home to Dublin in a few hours.
County Donegal is epic, dramatic, and fulfilled all of our expectations. I would say it’s one of our favorite places we’ve been so far. I feel like I say that a lot, but this place is truly special and if you are touring Ireland for a week to ten days, County Donegal is a must!