Fanad Peninsula and The Beautiful Fanad Head Lighthouse

Wow and more wow! Fanad Head Lighthouse and all that I saw of this very quiet peninsula is gorgeous.

I know I keep saying this about all of Donegal.

But take a look at these images and I think you’ll agree that this is a beautiful spot in Ireland.

 

 

The drive from Dunfanaghy

To Fanad Head Lighthouse is only about 40km, so just 25 miles. But once off the N56 the driving is slower and there are loads of places to stop and take photos or simply take in the view.

You can make a side trip to Doe Castle.

I just took in the views of this castle that was most likely built in the 1400’s. It’s free to take a peek though. So take the short drive to it and check it out.

 

For me, it was simply about the scenery.

There are loads of inlets or bays coming in from the Atlantic Ocean. There are sheep grazing in the green fields and there are beautiful soaring mountains. With few settlements, it’s a serene destination for sure.

Then you get near the the rough waters of the wild Atlantic and see the blue-green waters, waves crashing into the rocks.

 

 

 

And then — you see Fanad Head Lighthouse.

It’s definitely in a spectacular setting guarding the entrance to Lough Swilly. It’s incredibly picturesque.

You can simply take in the lighthouse from somewhat close up or…

You can take a tour.

And get really close up to it.

The tour gets you onto the grounds, gives you a good 30-40 minutes filled with lots of interesting history and allows you to go up into the lighthouse for spectacular views. Well worth the €8 for an adult.

I loved it. Although the young man — I swear he was all of 16 — who lead my tour (private tour as I was the only one) had that damn Donegal accent that I was struggling to understand. I’m trying. But I kept asking him to repeat himself. However, the tour itself was very good with loads of intriguing history on the operations of this lighthouse. Cool shit, really.

 

 

 

Get this…

There are actually 3 self-catering apartments at the lighthouse. So if you wanted to stay at the lighthouse, you could.

I had the privilege to see 2 of these apartments and they were quite nice. Rustic. Nothing fancy. But the views? Stunning!

 

 

Now I didn’t drive all the way around Fanad.

I probably should have. There’s Portsalon on the east side of the peninsula. It’s a nice town with a gorgeous golf course. Someone told me this is where Rory McIlroy played a lot. Regardless, it looks like a beautiful course from the website.

There are also the towns of Rathmullan and Ramelton on the east side of the peninsula.

But let’s face it. Most folks are coming here for Fanad Head Lighthouse.

And who can blame them?

Certainly not me!