Sligo to County Donegal, Ireland
Monday, January 16th, 2012Following my week in Dublin we headed out to Sligo and County Donegal for a “megalithic” road trip. We headed out on the motorway from Dublin and 4 hours later were in the countryside. We started out in Sligo Town, then over to Donegal Town, around the western coast to Carcheevan and Dunfanaghy. Then we headed out to Northern Ireland, which will be in another post.
On the drive over to Sligo we attempted to visit the shaft tomb site called Carrowkeel just off the main road, supposedly where Quen Mab is entombed. You MUST have GPS coordinates of the tomb in order to find it as you have to hike to it from the main road and off of the hiking path. It is pretty chilly on the hilltop so only attempt it if you have a wind-proof jacket and hiking shoes. Also watchout for wayward sheep, baahhh..
In Sligo we ate at a great indian restaurant called on the main street. I forget the name of it now but it is upstairs and in a white building with modern furnishing,decor. They had a full selection of vegetarian entrees and the prices were reasonable. We stayed at Pearse House B&B which was a beautifully appoint B&B with friendly and helpful owners. It was about a 10 minute walk to town and had parking.
From Sligo we drove over to County Donegal and on the way visited the neolithic Court Tomb of Creevykeel and the neolithic cemetary site of Carrowmore which are chock full of Dolmens and stone circles. These are both very impressive neolithic sites and are WELL worth the visit. They are also not that frequented by tourists so you get some great pics.
In Donegal Town we ate at the Olde Castle bar restaurant right across the street from the Castle. This is a (large) traditional pub and they have at least two to three veggie mains to choose from. The portions were large and very nicely prepared. They also have a locally made beer which is worth trying. We ended up staying at a B&B just outside of town, so we had to drive in to see the town, shops, castle, and restaurant. I reccomend staying at a place in town or in walking distance to town. In town the big draws are the beautifully restored castle and a 13th century monestary just above the main parking lot overlooking the river.
Afterwards we drove along the Donegal coast and visited the beautiful cliffs and sea caves of the Slieve League. If you are afraid of heights don’t get too close to the edge! We continued the coastal route and spent the night in Dunfanaghy on the Northern side of Donegal.
In Dunfanaghy we ate at the newly opened (at the time – 2010) Swan Chinese restaurant. It is on the main street but upstairs, so if you aren’t looking up it can be difficult to locate. They have several good veggie options to choose from. We stayed at the Whinn’s B&B which was a lovely place, beutifully decorated rooms, friendly owner, with ample parking and a 5 minute walk from the town. It is across the street from the beach.
anitasen