For travellers, going to extremes can be rewarding – especially if you choose Malin Head, the northernmost point of Ireland. Standing on the raw edge of Europe, where the land crumbles into the ocean, brings sheer exhilaration.
Malin Head also provides a suitably remote and inspiring place to begin a journey on the Wild Atlantic Way.
For visitors to Ireland, this route is a brilliant concept: over 1,600 miles of scenic roads and trails that wrap around the nation’s west coast. The Wild Atlantic Way binds together breathtaking locations along the shore where the ocean reaches Europe – with rich heritage, attractions and activities to enliven the experience.
Malin Head has long been a strategic location: its name is bestowed on the sea area in the Shipping Forecast that encompasses the northern coast of Ireland. A lookout tower, built to defend the island against an attack from Napoleonic France, still peers out to sea. But these days, you’re more likely to see the Northern Lights than invaders.
The location feels a world away from anywhere – yet Malin Head is just a one-hour drive from City of Derry Airport. Malin Head is the top of Inishowen: a spectacular peninsula whose name translates as “Owen’s island”. Just beneath Malin Head you find Ireland’s northernmost beach, Five Finger Strand. Why the name? The dunes backing on to this clean sweep of sand resemble knuckles. It is the first of many glorious seascapes away from the crowds.
Seabirds swoop and circle, but above the beach you can encounter some unexpected companions. The alpaca, a relative of the llama, can usually be found chewing grass nearly three miles high in the Andes of South America. But John McGonagle, the founder of Wild Alpaca Way, cares for a flock of more than 40 of these creatures – who seem to thrive at 55 degrees north. He, along with Fred, Ted, Badger, Ollie and Benjy, took me on a breathtaking coastal walk, where we even took a few selfies together.
Once you leave the drama of the far north coast, driving through the gentle scenery of Inishowen is a joy, with quiet roads leading you to all manner of enticements. “Ireland in miniature” is a frequent description of Inishowen. One natural attraction has only become accessible in the past three decades: Glenevin Waterfall.
In 1993, an American visitor named Doris Russo visited this part of Inishowen and fell in love with the area. The following year, she moved in and discovered the waterfall after a tough hike through thick vegetation. Doris set about creating a pathway so that visitors could enjoy one of Ireland’s great natural attractions. The reward for what is now the modest effort of a 15-minute walk: a cascade cutting through deep green.
Wherever you are in Inishowen, the sea – and your next adventure – is never far away. Fort Dunree is perched on an outcrop overlooking Lough Swilly: one of the deep inlets that corrugate the north coast of Ireland. Lough Swilly is actually a deep-water fjord, carved by a glacier. Over the years the lough provided protection at times of war for the Royal Navy. Today, it is the venue for Inish Adventures, which specialises in aquatic activities along a coast carved by time.
I donned a lifejacket and took to a kayak to explore the shore. Under the watchful eye of my guide, John Harken, I paddled into a sea cave where the echoes of the lapping ocean resounded. “You have everything here,” says John. “Absolutely everything. To me there’s nowhere in the world to match it.”
Soon after starting out along the Wild Atlantic Way, you realise all these activities create a formidable appetite. So I headed to Ballyliffin to visit a Victorian farm building that is now a sought-after restaurant: Nancy’s Barn, whose seafood chowder was selected as the best in the world.
After a delicious dinner courtesy of the Atlantic Ocean, the only way is up: toward Malin Head once more, and the northernmost pub in Ireland.
Farren’s Bar, like all the best Irish hostelries, is more than a pub: it’s a hub of the community. There is no such thing as a stranger here, just friends you haven’t yet met.
“It’s a talking bar,” says landlord Hugh Farren, the sixth generation in his family to run the pub.
My final stop in Inishowen: Buncrana, gateway to the rest of Ireland, a friendly town with a spectacular location and a summer ferry (June to mid-September) to the western parts of Donegal. With clear skies, clean air and enticing sandy beaches, Buncrana is the natural conclusion to a stay of sheer joy.
Best of the northwest – along Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way
Find out more about the Wild Atlantic Way and the unique adventures it offers, and start planning your own Ireland escape .
Thanks to the Common Travel Area, British visitors do not need a passport or a visa to travel to the island of Ireland (though check with your travel provider for any ID requirements).
