Northwest Donegal Active Eco Tour
"Discover Donegal's Natural Secrets, Sustainably"
The Northwest Donegal Active Eco-Tour offers an energetic guided tour of the beautiful landscapes of the county’s northwest coast. The features guests encounter along the way will teach them about the geology, geography, history, mythology, flora and fauna of this area. This is a low-impact tour that serves to leave-no-trace, so that guests can feel more connected with the landscapes they explore. This particular route has been selected as it showcases a diverse range of landscapes and highlights features of natural, historic and mythological interest. The small geographical size of the route ensures that only 2hours 40mins are spent in transit, maximizing time for outdoor endeavours. Throughout the day, guests will carry out four walks ranging from 1km-4km and drive through several unique landscapes, giving them a taste of boglands, wetlands, grasslands, native oak woodland, rocky coastline, sandy beach, machair conservation areas and non-native spruce forest.
Route Itinerary
This route takes guests on guided walking nature tours through several unique landscapes throughout Donegal’s northwest. The schedule for the day is as follows;
8:45am: Meet-Up & Orientation at the Shandon Hotel
9:00am: Shandon Hotel to Doe Castle
9:20am: Guided Tour of the Grounds of Doe Castle
9:45am: Doe Castle to Glenveagh National Park
10:05am: Glenveagh National Park Visitors Centre: (10min Video Orientation, 10min Self-Guided Exhibition & 5min Restroom Opportunity)
10:30am: Guided Tour along the Derrylahan Nature Trail
11:15am: 5min Restroom Opportunity at Glenveagh National Park’s Coach Car Park
11:20am: Glenveagh National Park to The Poison Glen Car Park
11:40am: Free-time to walk to the Poison Glen Bridge (Guide Prepares Refreshments)
12:00pm: Time for Enjoying Refreshments
12:15pm: Guided Tour of Dunlewey Abandoned Church
12:30pm: Dunlewey to Leo’s Tavern
12:50pm: (LUNCH STOP at Leo’s Tavern with Restrooms Available)
1:50pm: Leo’s Tavern to Bloody Foreland Arch
2:15pm: Guided Coastal Walking Tour of Bloody Foreland Arch & Éire 76 Sign
3:15pm: Bloody Foreland Arch to Horn Head
3:35pm: 10min Restroom Stop at McClafferty’s Eurospar/Circle K, Gortahork)
4:05pm: Quick Pull-In to Highlight Machair Landscape at Lurgabrack Nature Reserve
4:10pm: Guided Tour of Horn Head to Napoleonic Signal Tower
5:05pm: Horn Head to Shandon Hotel
5:30pm: Arrival & Fairwells at the Shandon Hotel
