walks around inishowen peninsula

Takes you past the water mill, working until recently, and close to Donagh Cross-takes about 1 hour....

Beside Croic na Coille (Hill of the old oak trees) - on Ballyliffin Road. You may enjoy a forest walk and a picnic in one of Ireland’s few remaining natural woods with its oakwood, birch, rowan, hazel and holly. This fine stand of old oakwood is classified as an area of regional importance. In this wood stands the stone altar or Mass Rock, four feet high and three feet broad, where Mass was offered in Penal times....

A short river walk has been developed and includes an ideal picnics area which starts at the bridge near the school....

For the hill climbing enthusiast, a walk up Slieve Sneacht, Inishowen’s highest peak (2019 ft) will be rewarded with a spectacular view of the Peninsula....

Dunree Hill is largely composed of flaggy quartzite rock and when you reach Dunree Bay or Portbane, you can see rock beds of schistose at the waters edge, weathered by frost and sea. The Bay and surrounding low land is full of blown sand. It seems that two hundred years ago the sand banks all along the north coast of Donegal broke up and the 1820’s were a particularly severe period for drifting. Beneath the sands lie the remains of the village of Killard which was covered by the sands in an anci...

Buncrana is renowned for the variety and extent of its walks, but one walk in particular is worth taking, 'The Coastal Walk'. Starting at the Castle Bridge and continuing out past Ned's Point Fort which was built in 1812 during the Napoleonic Wars and continuing on past Porthaw Bay to Friar Hegarty's Rock. It was here that a local clergyman suffered martyrdom during 'The Penal Times' in 1632. You continue on to beautiful Sragill Strand....

This walk begins at Ballynarry Strand now called Stragill. When you are at the Strand walk to the right along the northern side and at the far end of the bay you can see where the sand ends the rock of Ballynarry Hill. That point marks the end of the northern schist rocks and the beginning of Crana quartzite rocks. The walk also takes in Mount Peter, Coplagh rocks, Currach hole, Linsfort Church and Castle, and Linsfort House (The Covent)....

If you drive from Buncrana towards the Gap of Mamore then when you are on the upper road you take the fourth turn right after Dunree junction, beside an asbestos roofed house and you arrive at Green Hill. The walk begins at the old church and takes in the road from Green hill to Mintiaghs, Owenirk River, Lough Doo and Lough Shivnagh, with a view of Slieve Sneacht in the distance....

This walk takes in the following: Straid Church, Sraid, Clonmany This church is now in ruins. St. Columba originally founded it in the sixth century. In the grave yard there is a stone on which, as tradition says, St. Columba prayed. Although originally built as a Catholic Church it later became Protestant....

Tradition tells us, that one day while travelling through the Gap of Mamore St.Columba rested near the well, which now lends his name. He prayed on the flag-stone and drank from the spring which he blessed and then went on his way. The date of his visit could be either 15th August or 8th September. So from time immemorial the people of the district have been making a Turas (Pilgrimage) at the well. It consisted of three visits to the well. First on 15th August the third on 8th September and the...