Having completed the Bluestack Way from Donegal to Ardara, Eric and I begin a new walk along the Slí Cholmcille. This route is part of several long-distance and heritage trails. The Slí Cholmcille is one of 4 loop trails that make up the Bealach na Gaeltachta (Gaeltacht Way). The International Appalachian Trail (IAT) follows a section of this route, as does a pilgrimage walk that is currently being developed and will eventually end in Scotland.
We are walking a modified version of the Slí Cholmcille, designed by Tailor-Made Tours, covering Ardara to Kilcar plus the Slieve League Cliffs. Come walk with us…
Day 1 Walking the Slí Cholmcille
Total Distance: 14mi / 22km
Our first day on the Slí Cholmcille begins with a taxi to the supermarket to pick up lunch, then drop off at the Assaranca Waterfall. The first few miles are on a busy road but at least we have lovely views of an estuary and Loughros Beg Bay. Before we know it, we’re surrounded by mountains and rivers.
As our route notes suggest, we take a quick detour to explore Maghera Strand, considered to be one of the most beautiful beaches in Donegal. I wholeheartedly agree! I would travel to Ireland just to explore this long stretch of sand, surrounded by mountains, dunes, crystal clear lakes and sea caves.
Back on the road, we continue along the Slí Cholmcille, steadily climbing up into the mountains.
Passing through a picturesque valley with bleating lambs and a stream running down to the beach.
At the top, we exit the valley, walking towards an old stone cottage where we leave the roads and any semblance of civilization behind us.
This is the second most challenging part of our hiking in Donegal. Just like the Bluestack Way, Slí Cholmcille includes open hillwalking through hag bogs. The path is more defined here, with loose rock to help guide us through most of hills.
But at one point we reach a section where everything has been washed away, leaving the hags isolated far apart and separated by a thick morass of black tar-like mud. I have to slide down a hag and almost twist my ankle when I step into a sinkhole hiding underneath the reeds. In three different places we steal rocks off the trail and use them to create a pathway through the mud in order to get to the next waymarker.
The route also involves several small stream crossings, nothing difficult, but enough to keep things interesting. Stopping for lunch along a river, Eric nearly drops his sandwich in the water because his hands are shaking after a near-catastrophic fall down one of the hags. Hard not to smile when surrounded by so much beauty.
Once past the Glen River valley we pick up a road again. The countryside is beautiful, with traditional cottages and sheep being the highlight of this section.
It starts to rain again, has been off and on all day, but Eric and I don’t mind as long as it’s a light shower. Ireland is absolutely stunning no matter the weather.
And just like that, the rain stops as we reach Kiltyfanned Lough, where we enjoy lunch and we bask in the sun like lizards.
This road leads to An Port, a deserted fishing village with some of the most impressive views we’ve seen on Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Coast.
An Port is one of those “hidden gems” that many may know about but are often unwilling to hike or drive to this remote location. We meet up with an adventurous bloke who drove here. He says he likes American football, brings his boy to the NFL games when they come to London but he prefers the college games. He tells us we have to watch a game of hurling if we have a chance.
From An Port our path ascends uphill. We’re both tired at this point but the coastal views more than make up for our weary feet.
After walking up the back of Faugher Mountain, we begin a long descent into Cashel where we’re staying the next 2 nights. The hard tarmac road is brutal on our bruised feet, but again, such lovely views that it’s hard not to feel exquisite joy in this moment.
In town, we stop at the local market for food. Options are limited in this tiny convenience store but we’re too exhausted to be picky. Plenty of time for a hot meal and pub tomorrow.
When we arrive at Millstone B&B, Geraldine greets us with “oh, you must be wrecked!” It’s an apt description because I feel like a ship that’s been battered and tossed about, grateful to have reached shore. Her warm greeting is one of the things I love most about inn to inn hiking. When far from home, at the end of a long day of hiking, it’s comforting to know someone is waiting for you with a smile and hot cup of coffee or tea.
Rest Day in Glencolmcille
We have a day to rest and explore the beautiful village of Cashel. At breakfast, we visit with a young man from northern China who is traveling around Ireland by bus with no itinerary, just pottering around for a month. Says he took trains and boats to get here, no airplanes. Interesting is too simple a word for this guy. It’s a sunny day so I wash laundry and hang our clothes to dry on the lines outside before walking to town.
We walk to the Glencolmcille Folk Village, an open air museum with 7 buildings, each depicting various stages of rural life in Ireland. It’s an excellent collection of artifacts and they did a fantastic job of authentically re-creating living conditions. As we enter buildings, smelling the peat fire and old wool clothing and linens, it is easy to imagine what it would have been like to sleep in these tiny beds and live in these conditions.
The first building we enter has a life-size replica of Fr. James McDyer, who established the folk village in 1967 as a way to boost the local economy and preserve their cultural heritage. Fr. McDyer is fondly remembered as being an activist who tirelessly fought to improve living conditions in his rural parish. Sounds like someone my parents would have loved to meet.
Across the street from the folk village is a beautiful beach with the mountain that we hiked yesterday looming above. Glencolmcille is my favorite town in Donegal so far, at least for scenic beauty. Nestled at the sea between mountains and rocky outcroppings with rivers and verdant green pasture, this quiet slice of heaven calls to me on a visceral level.
As we walk back through town, visions of living the quiet life in such a beautiful place, we pass an old man in a kilt. Unfortunately it’s a windy day and my eyes just so happen to settle on him as he experiences a Marilyn Monroe moment. He’s a genuine Scotsman, that’s all I can say.
We end our nearly perfect day at John Eonin’s Pub, where we enjoy a fantastic meal and try carrageen moss pudding which is made from seaweed found off the south and west coast of Ireland. It’s delicious! Roisin joins us for drinks. Her brother owns Tailor-Made Tours and she works at the Slieve League Visitor Centre. She gives us all sorts of good advice and doesn’t seem to mind that I have tons of questions. She offers wonderful conversation and buys us a round. To my eternal shame, we forget to return the favor. Guess we’ll have to go back to Donegal and meet Roisin for another round of drinks. Oh darn. 😉
Our time in the lovely Cashel and Glencolmcille region might be over, but we still have one more day of hiking to reach Carrick on the Slí Cholmcille. Stick around for that and the Slieve League Cliffs.
