Northern Coast Road Trip

Introduction

Ireland is a beautiful place wherever you go. But there is something magical about the northern coast. I had run part of the Causeway Coast road at the Antrim half marathon, and fallen in love with the idea of Donegal reading Donegal Table by chef Brian McDermott.

Since then, we had been loosely planning a trip around the northern coast for the past few years. The planning is often the fun bit of a holiday. But, this time, I was looking forward to the holiday bit as well.

Below, you follow us on our journey. Click on each image to enlarge it.

The map above is nonsense. The towns are all in the wrong places, and the route does not match the one we followed. Alas, after eight attempts, I concluded that ChatGPT was not going to get it correct and chose the most aesthetically pleasing illustration.

Causeway Coast

Our story starts in Larne. We took the motorway as far as here, and the only backstory you miss is Little Bear enjoying his first Gregg's. In Larne, we joined the Causeway Coast road going north. It hugs the waterline with only a small wall between you and the Irish Sea.

We stopped in Drain's Bay for the first ice cream of the trip. Cheesecake flavour for me. It is a familiar location for anyone who has run the Antrim Coast half marathon. We continued up through Ballygally. Eventually, the road leaves the coast slightly and heads through the glens onto the northern coast, where you encounter Ballycastle, Bushmills, and our first base, Portrush.

Portrush parkrun

Portrush is a popular spot during the summer, and I was one of over 500 runners to take on parkrun. The route is an out-and-back along the beach. Luckily, the tide was out and there was hard sand to run along.

Portrush

Our first full day was spent on the beach building a sandcastle. Unfortunately, I miscalculated the tide line and our castle did not get washed away! Portrush has the feeling of a British seaside town: caravan parks, a fairground and lots of fish and chip shops.

That Saturday happened to be both Portrush Pride and Pipe & Drum Major Championships. We were too busy building sandcastles to make it to either, but we did see the final pipe & drum parade along the seafront. Food was mostly touristy, but we found some decent grub at Tides.

Giant's Causeway

Some might say that no visit to the north would be complete without seeing the Giant's Causeway. But honestly, the National Trust have heavily monetised it. They legally have to provide public access, but it's £15 each if you want to have a wee.

The Giant's Causeway has some cool rocks. If you haven't been, you might imagine a huge coastline of the stuff, but it is one rocky outcrop. The scenery around it is also stunning, though, so there is no shortage of views.

Salmon Rock Beach

We continued along the coast to the village of Portballintrae, where we found Salmon Rock Beach. It is a mixture of sand and rocks to explore, and it was cool to see the tide coming in over the rocks.

Dunluce Castle

Further around the coast is Dunluce Castle. It is built on a rocky outcrop, and you have to cross a bridge to get there. There are sharp drops on either side of the castle. A good place to defend!

Derry

On Monday, it was time to head to Donegal. We were going to have another outdoor day, but when Storm Floris rolled in, both the petting zoo and the ferry were cancelled. So, we headed the long way around. We stopped at the Free Derry Museum and had lunch at Terra Bakehouse.

Saying goodbye to the British side of the trip, we crossed the border and headed up the R238 onto the Inishowen Peninsula. The road passes through Muff, and we had a quick stop to check out the Muff Liquor Company.

Greencastle

By the evening, we had made it to Greencastle on the Inishowen Peninsula. It is much less touristy. Mostly because there is nobody here. Even the nearest Dunnes is like an hour away. But there is a local shop slash cafe in Greencastle that does an excellent seafood chowder.

In the first photo, you can see Magilligan Point in County Derry, where we had been that morning. We had tea at the Redcastle Hotel, which has floor-to-ceiling window views of Lough Foyle. Our apartment also had a view overlooking the lough, as well as a piano in the living room.

Stroove

Our next beach day was in Stroove near the top of Inishowen. We had some brief heavy rain showers, but otherwise a nice day. Another good castle was built, but again, we could not stay long enough to see it all destroyed! After a long day on the beach, we headed to Rosatos in Moville for some grub. It was another excellent meal, but a large part of that is that I snagged the final slice of the cheesecake of the day, mint aero.

Doagh Famine Village

Leaving Greencastle, we headed to the west side of Inishowen. Doagh Famine Village has been on my list to visit for years. Unfortunately, they recently had a fire and some of it is closed. Still, worth a visit, though. The guide had lived in one of the houses until the 80s and talked about the arrival of things like running water, transport, and the option to eat something other than seaweed.

As part of the tour, they offer some samples of the food and drink, including local seaweed and a shot of potcheen, previously known as Irish moonshine. They talked us through the brewing process and how to hide your illicit brewing from the law.

Doagh Strand

Next to the Famine Village is Doagh Strand. This was probably the most beautiful beach we visited, with sand, rocks, and mountains in the background. It is a dangerous place to swim, but a stunning place to admire the views. I could have sat and watched the waves come in all day. But, alas, we had to continue on to Letterkenny.

Glenveagh

Arriving in Letterkenny, we had come to the biggest town in Donegal. With a population of over 20,000, it is three times bigger than anywhere else in the county. We had tea at the Yellow Pepper restaurant, which served a delicious hot seafood platter.

The next day, we headed to Glenveagh National Park. Parking and using the visitor centre is free, and there is a mixture of walks by the lake and through the forest.

Tropical World

Our next excursion from Letterkenny was to Tropical World. No Olly the Octopus, unfortunately, but plenty of cool animals to see. We had tea at a gastropub named Sister Sara's. Like all of the food in Donegal, it was excellent.

Narin Beach

Leaving Letterkenny, we took the N56 the long way around to Donegal Town. We stopped halfway to visit Narin Beach, where the tide comes in from two directions. Finally, one of our castles was fully washed away! Venla also found a starfish.

Donegal Town

Our stop in Donegal Town was brief. We saw the ruins of the Four Masters Abbey, the castle (from behind the railings) and another quick ice cream stop before continuing on the road to Sligo.

Sligo

Our hotel in Sligo was in what used to be St. Columba's Hospital, originally Saint Columbas Lunatic Asylum. We were full of fancy food by this point, so we headed to Supermac's for some tea.

The hotel has a pool, and Venla and I gave it a go. Unfortunately, it is 140cm deep the whole way, which is above Venla's head! I went back at 8 am for a proper swim before taking on Sligo parkrun. This gave me a chance to run through the town centre as well as around Doorly Park.

Rosses Point

Checking out of our hotel, we did one final beach day before heading home. Rosses Point has both sand and rocks, but the tide was going out, so no chance to build a sandcastle. Instead, we went shell hunting and explored the caves. You can see Knocknarea in the background.

Conclusion

Jon Kabat-Zinn talks about the difference between being mode and doing mode. I spend most of my time in the latter. Thinking about the next thing.

But sitting on top of a rock on Doagh Strand watching the Atlantic Ocean crash onto the shore, savouring fresh seafood in Letterkenny, or digging up most of the sand on the northern coast, was an opportunity to just be. Many moments that were not captured on camera because I was simply living it.

Through these moments of simply being present, I came home with a little feeling of magic. Before I went, my friend Leanne, who is from Donegal, suggested the county was overrated. I must respectfully disagree. For me, Donegal and Inishowen in particular is the jewel in the crown of Ireland.