Donegal

Hi

Do you mean 1 day in Donegal town, or 1 day in County Donegal? If the county, from which other place will you be arriving from?

Hallo
We are arriving in Dublin ,rent the car ,driving North to Bushmills ,we stay in Bushmills for one night ,next day we driving to Donegal town for 2 nights ,but we are going to have one day for sightseeing.Do you thing we have enough time to drive to Slieve League and Glenveagh Castle in one day?
Ela

We did both in one day on a bus tour so I think you should be able to do them both on your own quite easily. Both were enjoyable, a very beautiful part of the country.

The Reel Inn for traditional music sessions. We liked it so much that we went two nights in a row. That was May 2011.

Thank you so much 😊

This website might help with your planning: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g186601-Activities-County_Donegal.html
Glenveigh is terrific, but can take up to several hours fyi.

Hi

thanks for clarifying. Bushmills to Donegal town is a 2 to 3 hour steady drive (90 miles or so) - the typical route (moving West) will pass via Coleraine, Derry/Londonderry, then either via Strabane OR Letterkenny, to Ballybofey then Donegal. You cross from the UK to the Republic of Ireland just west of Derry, but you would hardly notice, except for the roadsigns and speed limits. Derry City is worth a stopover if you have the time.

Glenveagh is well worth half a day, especially in good weather. To drive to it, from Derry/Londonderry aim for Letterkenny, then follow the N56 and the tourist signs that will appear. It's an increasingly lovely moorland/hills drive from Letterkenny out. Allow up to an hour to drive from Derry to Glenveagh.The quickest way from Glenveagh to Donegal town is to double-back to Letterkenny then pick up the N13 then N15 moving southwest - it would take about an hour or so. However a more beautiful drive, if you have the time and a map or satnav, would be to turn left out of Glenveagh Park, then follow the R251 to Gweedore (Gaoth Dobhair), passing by the foot of Mount Errigal (a mini Mount Fuji) and the Poisoned Glen. From Gweedore pick up the N56 south and follow to Donegal Town - note though that such a route will take 2 hours without a stop (and there's plenty of scenery to stop and look at!).

I would not attempt Glenveagh and Slieve League the same day - Slieve League is 40 mins or more drive from Donegal, west and not on the route from Derry. If you have the time whilst at Slieve League, travel to Glencolumbkille too; it's about another 15 mins. And if you want to see a remote tip of Western Europe, from Glencolumbkille go west about another 15 mins to Malinbeg - it feels like (and is) the end of the road - no tourists there!

Enjoy.

We're staying at the Lough Eske Castle. Any thoughts on this? Is there a better place to stay for two nights? Heard the road to the castle is difficult. Going in January.

Regarding the Lough Eske Hotel, it is a high-class, high cost venue. The road to it is no worse than most other Irish minor roads - single track, with informal passing places. In January, if there's snow or ice it might be more tricky, but it's not a mountain road and there are no real gradients between it and the main road (the N15) about 2 miles from the hotel. You can find it on Google Earth/Streetview too.

Greetings from Ireland!
Marks advice is spot-on, try and see Glenveagh Castle while going from Derry to Donegal Town and that way you'll have a full day to see Slieve League and Glencolumbcille. If you are a history buff, go in and take the tour of the small but interesting Donegal Castle, ancestral home of my ancestor, the great Red Hugh O'Donnell!
le meas/with respect
Stephen