Donegal,
The sparkle in Ireland?s Eye,The lone county.
Why
not travel North to visit wild Ireland while it still exists.
Take
time to explore the magic, mystery and natural beauty of Ireland?s
enchanting northwest coast with an expertly guided small group.
Breathtaking
Landscapes
County
Donegal is a paradise for hikers, where you will find some of the last
true wilderness and untamed landscapes in Ireland.
There are lanes and pathways away from people and traffic where you
can walk for hours and be surrounded by some of the most dramatic scenery
in the world, including dramatic lakes, soaring cliffs and mountains,
magnificent glaciated valleys and glens, rolling heather-coated granite
hills, bog lands, and a craggy Atlantic coastline.
Our hikes this trip will focus mainly on two parts of this
fantastic area: exploring some of the small offshore islands and hiking along
the stupendous sea cliff overlooking the Atlantic.
Fascinating History
The northwest of Ireland offers a great variety and quantity of
archaeological and historical monuments.
For nearly 6,000 years, this mountainous coastal area has been
occupied by a series of fascinating cultures.
You will see a wide range of sites from the Bronze Age, the age of
the Celts, the Early Christian and Medieval periods, up to the historical
sites relating to the more recent sectarian conflicts between Protestants
and Catholics and ruins of the Famine Era.
You will see everything from megalithic tombs to medieval castles
and medieval walled towns. Only
a walking tour can give participants such an intimate connection with the
history of one of the world?s most romanticized cultures.
Abundant
Wildlife and Beauty
The
unique climate of Donegal will allow you to see a wide variety of exotic
flora and fauna. A profusion
of spring wild flowers abound including wild orchids, heather, primrose,
bluebell, foxglove and even the insectivorous sundews and pale
butterworts. We will
have lots of opportunity to see a wide variety of shore and sea birds
including kittiwakes, guillemots, razorbills and many more, especially on
our trip to Tory Island where the spectacular cliffs in June will be
filled with nesting sea birds, including puffins.
Unique
Culture and Heritage
Our trip
will be in the largest of Ireland?s Gaeltachts, places where
Irish (or Gaelic) can still be heard as an everyday community language. Not only is this ancient language alive and
flourishing, but in this secluded corner of the world so are many other
Irish customs and traditions which are rapidly disappearing in other parts
of Ireland such as peat cutting, hand weaving of wool, traditional music,
storytelling, and others are flourishing.
This region has a particularly rich heritage of ancient myths and
legends, many of which are connected to places that we will be visiting.
In the evenings, walkers have the option of joining in the
exploration of various pubs, many of which feature traditional Irish
music.
What
others say about hiking in Donegal: Here is what Lonely
Planet?s book Walking in Ireland has to say about Donegal:
For
many walkers, Donegal?is second to none among Ireland?s generous
collection of walking areas for its sheer wealth of places to explore ?
along the amazingly indented coastline, and inland among the remote and
rugged mountains. Donegal?s
mountains are quite modest in height?but they lack nothing in scenic
quality and variety?. You will also find much of the best coast walking
in the country, above the towering cliffs and headlands and around
secluded bays and inlets.
Niall
Mc Ginley is a
local Irish writer and historian who lives on the shore of Lough Gartan.
NIALL IS A RETIRED TEACHER OF IRISH AND ENGLISH, HE IS A FLUENT
GAELIC SPEAKER.HE HAS WRITTEN ?DR MC GINLEY AND HIS TIMES?
?WORLD WAR ONE AND ITS EFFECTS ON DONEGAL?,AND ?A HISTORY OF
LETTERKENNY?
Itinerary
Exploring the Heart and Sole of Donegals Highlands and Islands.
Day 1
Welcome
to Ireland! Maeve will meet
us at Dublin Airport who drives us to our first lodge, the Gartan Outdoor
Education Centre, where we will have very comfortable lodging for the next
five days of our stay in Donegal. Once at Gartan (it?s about a four hour
drive from Dublin plus some time to stop and eat a bite) there will be
time to unpack and get settled, stroll around the grounds, and perhaps a
take a light walk along the shore of Lough Gartan just to loosen up the
legs a bit. Dinner is in the lodge?s dinning room and afterwards we will
spend some time together talking about plans for the upcoming days.Then
early to bed to get rid of that nasty jet lag!
Dinner
at Gartan.
Day
2
Starting
from Lacknacoo, the birthplace of Saint Columcille (there are numerous
spelling of this ubiquitous saint including Colmcille.
He is also known as Saint Columba) we will walk into Glenveagh
National Park and the magnificent Lough Veagh valley.
The park is formerly a colossal estate (14,000 hectares) with its
own romantic castle, beautiful formal gardens, herds of red deer, all
centered around a spectacular lake walled in by cliffs, waterfalls, and
mountains covered in blanket bog. We will take an easy stroll on the old
road along the shore of Lough Veagh and up the glen following the old
hunters track along the Owenveagh River to the head of the valley, taking
in the natural grandeur of the granite cliffs of Staghall Mountain we as
we go. Niall Mc Ginley,
a colorful local historian who will recount the history of the area, will
accompany us on todays walk. Dinner
at Gartan.
Hiking level: easy TO
MODERATE ROUGH STONY TRACK UP THROUGH HEAD OF THE VALLEY. Distance: 8 miles
Day 3
After a
spectacular drive through Muckish Gap to the Gaeltacht town of
Falcarragh and onto the coastal town of Magheraroarty we will take the
small ferry to Tory Island, nine miles off the north coast, a
Gaelic speaking island with rugged scenery you will never forget.
Tory
is a wild and beautiful windswept island less than three miles long and
three quarters of a mile wide.
It was once a monastic site of Saint Columcille and is home of some
fearsome legends, including the mythological Balor the Giant, who could
kill with a glance of his single eye.
Upon
arrival at the island?s scenic harbor, we will be greeted by the
Island?
s king, Patsy Dan Mac Ruairi, and will view the sights of the
harbor and some of the early Christian remains before heading towards the
islands cliffs on the far side of the island.
We?ll hike to the ruins of an Iron Age coastal promontory fort
(Balor?s Fort in mythology) and walk along the sea cliffs, which should
be filled with thousands of nesting sea birds, including puffins.
We?ll walk the length of the island stopping occasionally to
watch the Atlantic surf pound endlessly against the granite cliffs and
rocks. Back at the town we will visit the island?s art gallery,
home to the native style of Tory Island
PRIMITIVE painting, WHICH WAS ENCOURAGED BY THE FAMOUS ARTIST DEREK
HILL WHO LIVED ON THE SHORES OF LOUGH GARTAN.
Dinner at a restaurant on the way home
Hiking
level: moderate Distance: 8 miles
Day 4
This will be a much easier day today, a bit more of the sightseeing
kind, but with some walking. In the morning we will drive to Grainne of
Aileach (pronounce greenan- in Irish it means ?sun place?) a
restored ancient stone fortification and royal palace dating from the time
of the Ancient Celts (Iron Age) and the Early Medieval eras.
It is a place of myth and legends about the Heroes of old,
especially Niall of the Nine Hostages who became the first of the kings of
Ulster. It is perched on the
top of a high hill overlooking the Inishowen peninsula and the panoramic
views are wonderful.
After a
refreshing cup of tea at the Old Church craft shop AND VISITOR CENTER we
will cross over from the Republic of Ireland into Northern Ireland to the
town of Derry (also known as Londonderry), founded in the 6th
Century by Saint Columbkille (or Columba), who seems to really have gotten
around! The focus of our
visit will be a walking tour of the old town, especially walking
along the tops of the historic walls of the city dating back to the early
1600?s. From our local guide
we will hear the whole history of ?the
Troubles? from the time of William of Orange right to the present day.
You?ll see, historical places ranging from the city gates blocked
by the apprentice boys in 1688 to the scene of the infamous Bloody Sunday
massacre of 1972 and the modern protest murals of the Catholic section of
Bogside. Today things are
very safe and the town is once more welcoming tourists back.
ANY SHOPPING YOU WILL NEED STERLING.ON THE WAY HOME WE WILL DETOUR
TO SEE THE BELAGHY STONE CIRCLE.
Dinner
in Letterkenny on route home. Last
night at Gartan Outdoor Centre.
Hiking level: easy
Day 5
We will drive to
the Slieve League Peninsula to the village of Glencolumbkille, tucked into
the scenic glen at the head of Glen Bay with its abundance of prehistoric
sites and early Christian monuments, especially those associated with Saint
Colmcille. We?ll
start our hike from the old Church of Ireland along a quiet country road,
which we will follow to the signal tower at the top of Glen Head (a
gain in elevation of about 650 feet).
We?ll follow rudimentary and precipitous sheep paths along the
towering Atlantic cliffs with grand views of the crenellated coast line
with deep chasms, rocky bays and spindly rock sea stacks to the old famine
village of Port. After
lunch we will return via a grassy road up hill and join the old road back
to the start.
We will see
some spectacular scenery of cliffs and wild Atlantic Ocean and breath some
of the freshest air imaginable.
Dinner at our guesthouse in the town of Ardragh.
Hiking level: Moderate
Distance: 10 miles
Day 6
We return to the
Slieve League Penninsula and head for Slieve League mountain,
walking up the glen along the old Pilgrims path to the summit.
The hike today will be on grassy path as we climb to the lofty
summit, some steep cliffs but with stunning scenery to take your breath
away. Once we reach the top we will walk along the highest and
grandest expanse of sheer sea cliffs in Europe, at about 2,000 feet.
We will then gradually descend along to the car park having plenty
of stops to take in the absolutely magical views of cliffs, sea, and sky.
You will be amazed at the intense drama of the place. Final
dinner in Ardragh.
Hiking
level: strenuous (due largely to the 2000 foot gain in altitude) distance:
7 miles
Day 7
Return to Dublin Airport for departure.
Hiking
Participants
should be in good physical condition!
Walking conditions will range from mildly strenuous to strenuous,
usually six to eight miles per day, but will not involve technical
climbing, rock climbing, or scrambling. Some of the of the days will
involve walking paths over gently rolling countryside.
However, several days will involve steep ascents of between 1500
and 3000 feet and walking over steep and difficult terrain.THERE ARE VERY
FEW TRAILS HIKING ON THE WILD SIDE!!
Weather
Please keep in mind that it rains more frequently in Ireland than other parts of Europe. Since so much of our tour will be out of doors, travelers must be prepared for the eventuality of being out in the rain. However, June is one of the driest and sunniest months of the year, and Donegal receives only an average of 2.6 inches of rain (compared to an average of 4.0 inches in June for La Crosse, Wisconsin). However, its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean makes it susceptible to rain showers almost every day, although these may not be long lasting. Donegal has an average temperature of 55 degrees, with an average high of only 61 degrees for the time period that we will be hiking. The coolness is intensified by the strong breezes that blow in from the ocean. Walkers can expect weather conditions to change rapidly and frequently in the space of one day, and need to pack and dress accordingly. In addition, we will be frequently walking over boggy land making water proof and high topped boots some thing you?ll be very glad you brought along! Jim will provide participants with detailed hiking tips for this trip at a later date.
FOUR SEASONS IN ONE DAY, GREAT
FUN.
Required items:
- Well broken-in waterproof hiking boots, preferably high topped, with good rubber cleated bottoms.
- Gore-tex rain jacket and pants
- A daypack big enough carry your rain gear, lunch, water bottles, camera, binoculars for bird watching, sweater, sunscreen, etc. HAT, GLOVES, LINER FOR DAY PACK SO STUFF WILL STAY DRY, MIDGE REPELLENT.
Recommended:
A walking stick