The 2,500-kilometre Wild Atlantic Way, from West Cork to Donegal, is Ireland’s first long-distance touring route, and part of it runs through the Foyle area.
At the very tip of the Inishowen peninsula, 15 kilometres north-west of Malin Town, is Malin Head – Ireland’s most northerly point. Movie fans may recognise it as the location for the water-covered planet Ahch-To in ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’.
Nine kilometres away, along the White Strand Bay, Knockamany Bends affords a spectacular view over Five Fingers Strand with its 30-metre sand dunes.
Kinnagoe Bay, 7 kilometres north of Greencastle, is a stunning, golden beach where divers found the wreck of the Spanish Armada vessel, La Trinidad Valencera. Portkill, 2 kilometres north of Stroove, is where St Colmcille reputedly left Ireland for the Scottish island of Iona.
Grianán of Aileach lies halfway between Buncrana and Newtowncunningham off the Wild Atlantic Way. The ringfort, with panoramic views of Lough Swilly and Lough Foyle, was once the stronghold of the kings of Aileach. Nearby is Inch Wildlife Reserve, an internationally-acclaimed bird sanctuary.
Inishowen boasts some of Ireland’s most beautiful beaches. The spectacular Causeway Coast, with its magnificent beaches and some of the island’s finest golf courses, are just a 15-minute journey away, via the Scenic Lough Foyle Ferry.
