Donegal delights
Looking for exotic greenlanes but don’t fancy crossing the English Channel? The lanes of Donegal in the north-western corner of the Republic of Ireland certainly won’t disappoint. Plus the diesel is cheap...
The north-western corner of Ireland doesn’t disappoint when it comes to greenlaning
Ihave probably been to Northern Ireland about 30 times to visit family and some friends. Trips there normally involve an Easyjet flight from Luton to Belfast followed by a stay at the inlaws who live about 15 miles from Belfast in the most adorable little coastal village of Donaghadee. The sometimes wild but always rocky coastline reminds me of the west coast of South Africa, which is where I grew up. Donaghadee has become my home away from home. I love nothing more than enjoying a pint of the black stuff at the popular Pier 36 pub. This is normally followed by a large bowl of seafood chowder served with warm wheaten bread. I’m salivating as I type this.
On one or two occasions I have taken the ferry and a Land Rover over and my family and I have explored some of the more scenic parts of the Antrim Coast, which is currently overrun with Game of Thrones fans. They come from all over the world just to visit the many sites in Northern Ireland that were used for the filming of this epic series. In all my visits to Ireland (both the north and the south), never have I been off-roading in a Land Rover. Now, that is about to all change.
A few years ago we ran a piece on the Republic of Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way, the popular 1553-mile driving route that goes all the way along its west coast. Not everyone has the time it takes to do that whole route all at once, plus if you own a Land Rover then the chances are good that you might want to go off-road in it? Just saying...
I had heard about the fairly active off-roading scene in County Donegal on social media and so I ask LRM’S Northern Irish correspondent Trevor Cuthbert, who has a holiday house in Donegal, to help. For the geographically-challenged this Republic of Ireland county mostly borders Northern Ireland. So it is common for those living in the north to take a summer holiday along the stunning Donegal coastline. In fact, people from the north will often travel over the border to fill up with diesel as it is cheaper there. That does not help me as I am in a 2.0-litre petrol Discovery and the difference in the petrol price is not as significant as with diesel. Trev has put me in touch with service engineer Ivan Black who is based in County Donegal. According to local Landy fans noone knows the legal off-road trails here better than Ivan, who
meets us at the Lucas Restaurant in Letterkenny. We enjoy a full Irish breakfast while discussing the day’s laning that lies ahead. Ivan has lived here for most of his life and as he deals with rural farmers in his work, he knows of tracks that you won’t find on Google.
Ivan is in a Tdi 110 and also with us is Michael King in his tidy Td5 110 which has the shiniest black sawtooth wheels I have ever seen. Last but definitely not least is Trevor Cuthbert, who will be driving my new Discovery while I try and take decent pictures in the rain. I ask Ivan how difficult it is for a ‘foreigner’ to come laning here as they don’t have Trailwise, the mapping software we use in the UK to show us the open and legal lanes. “You would not know where to go without a guide. I suggest going with a local club such as North West. Also a lane might be open now but in two years time that might not be the case.”
County Donegal is second in size only to County Cork and the guide books reckon you need at least a week to just scratch the surface of the place. Poor old Ivan only has a day to show us some of his favourite lanes. Our first lane starts just south of Letterkenny and it cuts through a commercial forest with some pretty large trees. The track has been well maintained and there is no need for low range. Just easy
“According to local Landy fans no one knows the legal off-road trials here better than Ivan”
“The scenery changes spectacularly for the next set of lanes, as commercial and indigenous forests are replaced by hilly, weatherbeaten boglands”
off-roading in a beautiful part of the world. Yesterday when I was shooting a Lightweight from Derry on the nearby Inishowen Peninsula, the sun was out and one could have been forgiven for thinking we were on a Greek island. Today the skies are grey with heavy rain predicted for later. Luckily for us Land Rovers are like infantry soldiers, they can operate in all weathers. My photos might be a little on the dull side though.
Our second lane starts just to the west of Drumkeen. We can see that it has had loads of repairs done to it over the years. The repairs are top quality and often this makes a lane less challenging. That does not bother me as I have come for the scenery. Ivan tells me that over the years they have lost some lanes to walkers which is no different to the situation in Wales and England.
Our third lane is through a large commercial forest and according to Ivan in the past the Donegal International Rally has run along this very same lane. Trevor looks at me with a smile but I warn him not to get any speedy ideas with the 300hp Discovery. So far we have just been able to leave the Terrain Response in auto mode though we did raise the ride height to its maximum as we are driving rather slowly.
Our fourth lane has also received extensive repairs by local farmers but due to all the winter rains there are some washed out sections. It finishes at the village of Newmill, home to a mill with one of the largest operating water wheels in the country. It’s definitely worth a stop and look as the mill race is just over a kilometre in length.
The scenery changes rather spectacularly for the next set of lanes, commercial and indigenous forests are replaced by hilly, weather-beaten boglands, it reminds me of the Yorkshire Moors. We’re now in the district of Gartan, the birthplace of Saint Colmcille, who is also the patron saint of Donegal. While he founded several monasteries in Ireland he is best known for spreading Christianity in Scotland.
Our laning adventure continues north of Glendowan and Ivan points out the boundary fence of the Glenveagh National Park, which is where we are headed. Before we get there we follow a rocky track that runs parallel to the impressive Lake Gartan. The dark waters of the lake look cold and ominous but there is an adventure centre on its shores where kids and adults can partake in a host of activities such as sailing, kayaking, climbing, orienteering, archery and canoeing.
Our next lane takes us into the park proper. I cannot believe that the hard, rocky tracks are in such good nick. We are in the middle of the peat harvesting season, also known locally as black gold. It’s been harvested for centuries as it provides a useful alternative to firewood for cooking and heating. When younger Ivan used to spend weeks harvesting these bogs. It was a great way to make a few pennies and also get enough logs to last you until the next season. The harvested peat lies everywhere around us. They’ve left it out to dry but it’s raining.
The scenery is spectacular and I try and keep an eye out for the elusive golden eagle which was reintroduced here in 2000 after being hunted to extinction in the 19th century. Sadly we don’t see one.
We allow ourselves a stop at the park’s visitor centre but only for a toilet break. I’m told that the castle and gardens are worth a look so if you are ever doing lanes in the area do allow time for it or else just come back to see them. That is what I have done.
“Despite the fact that we have standard road tyres the Discovery comfortably climbs up the rough track ”
We proceed north to our final set of lanes but not before stopping to take in the views at Dunlewy. In front of us is the Poisoned Glen, an unfortunate name that stuck after a translation error. Behind us is the highest mountain in Donegal, Slieve Errigal (which Ivan has climbed). We can’t see the peak due to rain and low clouds.
So we move on to the final few lanes of the day, heading west along the 251 towards Gweedore and the coastline. Did you know the coast of Donegal has almost 190 miles of coastline? The only way we are going to see it in this weather is if we drive on the beach. At Gweedore we head north along our next lane passing a huge quarry along the way. Thankfully we have Ivan with us as there are tracks in every direction. Thanks to the rain, we have to pass through a few waterholes. Why do Land Rover drivers just love driving through muddy puddles? I can just about make out the coastal village of Bunbeg, which is famous for its shipwreck called Eddie’s Boat which ran aground in the 1970s. Bono once shot a music video here and the rest is history. Tourists and wedding photographers come from afar to get a snap with the wreck while belting out their favourite U2 track.
Our final two lanes are my favourites of the day and start near the village of Falcarragh with a water crossing before finishing with a climb up the lower slopes of the flat-topped Muckish Mountain. It’s the hour or so of tracks in between these two points that are just so enjoyable. Plus they are definitely a little more technical than those we had driven so far, especially the narrow rocky beds with drop-offs on both sides. There is also a pretty old viaduct that needs crossing but it’s the rocky drive to the Muckish viewpoint that I love the most. Despite the fact that we have standard road tyres the Discovery comfortably climbs up the rough track.
By now the rain is pelting down but I still offer to make everyone a cuppa. You can’t bring a little gas stove all the way to Ireland and not use it once. We all stand and stare at Muckish while enjoying a hot drink. Yes you guessed it: Ivan has climbed to the top before.
Years ago they used to mine the pure white quartz sand here and export it all over the world for glass making. Today the equipment stands abandoned.
Despite the weather we’re in good spirits. Ivan and the lanes of Donegal have been good to us. Donegal is a great place to go laning in your Landy. These lanes must be heavenly on a sunny day. I will have to come back to find out.