Inishowen Peninsula – County Donegal

It’s not a secret that County Donegal has a special place in my heart, so whenever we have a chance we go there to explore another little hidden place. Ireland is indeed a beautiful country with plenty of amazing places to visit, but what I really like the most about here is the fact that sometimes it seems as if time just freezes and it’s like you can look into the past, time seems to go slower and the scenery sometimes is so overwhelming that you can feel your heart rejoicing with happiness.

This time we went back to the stunning Inishowen Peninsula to revisit some places we visited before but also to explore a few more.

Inishowen Peninsula is located in the north of county Donegal and is the largest peninsula in Ireland, bordered by Lough Swilly at west, Lough Foyle at east and the Atlantic Ocean at north.

This time we decided to stay for 3 days in the scenic Isle of Doagh in a beautiful and charming stone cottage at Cherry Tree Cottage! As recently we added a new member to the family, our lively Labrador “Oscar”, this was the perfect place to spend a few days relaxing and enjoying the stunning surroundings.

Cherry Tree Cottage

Beautiful and charming cottage in the Isle of Doagh. Everything was well thought. We really enjoyed our tranquil stay there with “Óscar”. Siobhan, our host was very nice, she received us with homemade bread and jam that we slowly enjoyed outside enjoying the views. Very well located, the perfect place to relax and recharge your batteries and at the same time have a sense of what it was living in that quirky cottage. Truly recommend!

2. Beaches

During this escape we decided to explore some of the beaches’ trail. We didn’t have the time to visit all the 14 beaches that are part of this trail but we managed to do almost half of them.

Pollan Strand

Close to Ballyliffin you find this beautiful beach with its golden sands.

Tullagh Bay

Another beautiful beach sheltered by dunes with golden sands that stretch as far as your eyes can see.

Leenan Beach

There are plenty beaches to choose from, Leenan beach is another one, surrounded by the mountains and with a small pier where you can see the fishing boats. If there is something I’ve learnt since I moved to Ireland is that the weather is very variable but that shouldn’t put you off what you planned to do, and that’s what we did, the Saturday we planned to visit Leenan beach it rained all day but that didn’t stop me from taking my pictures.

Five Fingers Strand

This beautiful secluded beach is nested by stunning dunes. I had the chance to visit this place before, in 2019 when we visited the Doagh Famine Village but we couldn’t miss the opportunity to revisit such stunning place.

Kinnagoe Bay

When driving your way to Kinnagoe Bay you will start to ascend a narrow road and all of a sudden you will be stunned with its breathtaking views from the top.

Stroove Beach

This small picturesque beach is located beside the Stroove Lighthouse from 1837, in the village of Greencastle at the mouth of Lough Foyle.

3. Glenevin Waterfall

Located at Clonmany, this easy and nice walk takes you through a stream valley that leads you to this 40 ft tall waterfall.

4. Malin Head

We couldn’t miss the opportunity to once again visit the most northerly point in Ireland, this stunning remote place in the wild Atlantic way, with beautiful landscapes shaped by the natural elements was worth stopping again.

I’ve written about this rugged coastline in previous posts that you can read.

5. Mamore Gap

The Mamore gap is a pass through the Urris hills that offers spectacular views. From the top of the road you can see the narrow road meandering through the mountains and at the top the spectacular views through the ocean.