The south-west corner of the county carries the two best known entries here. Slieve League rises 601m out of the sea, and a short walk from the Bunglass car park gives you the full drop without taking on the knife-edge of One Man’s Pass. Inland from Ardara, Glengesh Pass turns up a glacier-cut valley to about 275m on tight hairpins; drive in from the Ardara side so you descend the switchbacks rather than climb them. Barnesmore Gap and the Bluestacks lie east again.
North-west of that, the Derryveagh Mountains hold the densest cluster on the page. Errigal at 751m is the county’s highest, with Glenveagh National Park at its feet and walks running from a kilometre along Lough Veagh to a half-day on the ridge. The Poisoned Glen cuts in below Errigal from Dunlewey, a rough 4km there and back past a ruined white marble church. Muckish, flat-topped at 667m, takes the steep Miner’s Path to its summit cairn. Horn Head’s quartzite cliffs stand about 180m above the mouth of Sheephaven Bay, north of Dunfanaghy.
The rest are drives. Fanad and Inishowen deserve a day each, the Inishowen 100 being a signed 100-mile loop by Malin Head and Grianán of Aileach. Cloud decides everything up here: the long views from Horn Head to Tory Island and Errigal need a clear day, Bloody Foreland earns its name only in the last hour of light, and Crohy Head has one small layby, no facilities and arches reachable only at low tide.
Ireland's second-highest sea cliff at 601m and a fraction as busy as Moher, with a short walk from Bunglass giving the full drop.
A narrow Gaeltacht peninsula between Lough Swilly and Mulroy Bay, with a climbable headland lighthouse, Blue Flag sand and rugged coastal driving.
A hairpin mountain road climbing to about 275m through a glacier-cut valley between Ardara and Glencolmcille, with a small viewpoint car park.
Quartzite cliffs about 180m above the mouth of Sheephaven Bay, with a clifftop drive and a short walk to the wartime lookout.
The most thinly populated ground in Ireland, rising to Errigal at 751m and wrapping around the free lakes and oak woods of Glenveagh.
26 of 28 shown — tap a pin for the place.
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Bunglass is the main viewpoint for the Slieve League (Sliabh Liag) cliffs in south-west Donegal. Check the visitor centre for access and transport, and treat the Pilgrim Path as a strenuous mountain walk.
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Fanad lies between Lough Swilly and Mulroy Bay, with rugged coastal drives, ancient tombs, beaches and Fanad Head Lighthouse. Check the lighthouse's current tour dates and access, and use marked public stops along the coast.
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Glengesh Pass is a narrow mountain road between Ardara and Glencolmcille in south-west Donegal, climbing through a glacier-cut valley. At the pass, look down the steep-sided valley towards Loughros Beg Bay. Use the designated viewpoint and take care on the narrow road.
Horn Head, donegal
Horn Head's quartzite cliffs rise about 180m out of the Atlantic at the mouth of Sheephaven Bay, a few kilometres north of Dunfanaghy. The Wild Atlantic Way viewpoint is the easy stop. Beyond it the ground is rough and the cliff edges are unfenced.
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The Derryveagh Mountains rise to Errigal at 751 m and wrap around Glenveagh National Park, a wilderness of lakes, oak woods and red deer with a Victorian castle on Lough Veagh. Walks run from lakeshore strolls to an exposed ridge climb.
Barnesmore Gap, donegal
Barnesmore Gap (An Bearnas Mór) is a glacial valley carrying the N15 through the Bluestack Mountains. For two centuries it was highwayman country; today the road, river and old railway line share the valley floor, and a greenway is proposed.
Bluestack Mountains, donegal
The Bluestack Mountains, the Croaghgorms, rise across southern Donegal with rounded granite tops, mist-hung lakes and a landscape shaped by the last Ice Age. Sport Ireland lists the Bluestack Way as a moderate 64.1 km route from Donegal Town to Ardara, crossing wet and exposed ground.
Cappagh, donegal
Bunglass Point is the main viewing platform for Slieve League in County Donegal, looking across the bay to some of Ireland's highest sea cliffs. Stone slabs spelling ÉIRE from the Second World War sit near the upper car park, and a Napoleonic signal tower stands at Carrigan Head. Check current parking, shuttle and accessible drop-off arrangements before driving up.
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Crohy Head is an exposed Atlantic headland near Maghery, west of Dungloe, with an offshore sea arch known locally as 'The Breeches'. A safe, signed public approach to the cliff viewpoint has not been established, so keep to public roads unless a landowner has given permission, and stay away from cliff edges and tidal rocks.
Killybegs, donegal
Drumanoo Head is a low, grassy headland at the mouth of Killybegs harbour on Donegal Bay. In the 1830s it was considered for a lighthouse, but the Ballast Board built on Rotten Island instead, first lit in 1838. View the coast from public stops and keep away from exposed rocks and private fields.
Fanad, donegal
Fanad Peninsula juts between Lough Swilly and Mulroy Bay, a living Gaeltacht of quartzite ridges, sandy beaches and winding roads. Its headland lighthouse, built after the 1811 wreck of the Saldanha, is one of Ireland's most photographed and drew over 65,000 visitors in 2024.
Near Killea, donegal
Rising 260m near Killea in south Inishowen, Holywell Hill is a short, easy walk to a wide view over County Donegal and across the border into Derry. The summit pairs an ancient cairn with a 60m broadcasting mast, and the Grianán of Aileach ringfort sits close by.
Inishowen Peninsula, donegal
The Inishowen 100 is a 100-mile signed loop around Ireland's most northerly peninsula, taking in Malin Head, the clifftop fort of Grianán of Aileach and the coastal batteries of Fort Dunree. You can drive it in five hours flat, but it rewards a full day with stops for beaches, forts and a waterfall.
Inishowen Peninsula, donegal
The Inishowen Peninsula holds Ireland's most northerly point, Malin Head, and the two ways to see it are the signposted 160km Inishowen 100 coastal loop and the 14-stop heritage trail. Between them you get Atlantic headlands, the Grianán of Aileach ring fort, Napoleonic coastal forts and long strands like Culdaff.
Inishowen Peninsula, donegal
At the tip of the Inishowen Peninsula, Malin Head marks the start of the Wild Atlantic Way, with rugged cliffs, a raised beach and the Lloyds Signal Tower. Walk the cliff loop, hunt for semi-precious stones in the shingle, watch for dolphins, and – on a clear, dark night – the northern lights.
Derryveagh Mountains, donegal
Muckish is the flat-topped peak that dominates north-west Donegal, 667m of quartzite and the second-highest of the Seven Sisters. Its northern flank was mined for high-grade glass sand, and the steep Miner's Path still follows the workers' route to the summit cairn and cross; the gentler climb starts from Muckish Gap by the Bridge of Tears. Low-level looped walks along the old Burtonport railway suit families.
Inishowen Peninsula, donegal
Raghtin More rises 502m over the Urris Hills at the western edge of Inishowen. The easiest way up starts high at Mamore Gap, and the summit – a prehistoric cairn beside a trig pillar – looks down the length of Lough Swilly and north to Malin Head.
Donegal, donegal
Rosguill, or Ros Goill, is a peninsula on the north Donegal coast between Sheephaven Bay and Mulroy Bay. Follow the Atlantic Drive for views of bays and headlands, use designated stops and signed access around Downings and Tranarossan, and read about the Gaeltacht where Seamus Heaney spent summers learning Irish.
Bloody Foreland, donegal
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Northwest Ireland, donegal
Dunaff Bay, donegal
Knockalla, donegal
Dunlewey, donegal
Carndonagh, donegal
Sturrall Headland, donegal
Teelin, donegal
Urris, donegal
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