During this pandemic we all tried to make the best out of the Summer and most people in Ireland stayed put and went on a “staycation”. We have had many holidays in Ireland in the past and to be honest, once you have good weather, it is one of the best holidays ever for the kids. Pack the whole house into the car and off you go. No worries about fitting everything into suitcases.
And this is exactly what we did this Summer of 2020. We booked a lodge close enough to all attractions for a week and off we went. Donegal has so much beautiful scenery to offer and it is nearly impossible to cover it all within a week, especially when you have kids in tow. One day I might come back and discover all the other hidden gems we didn’t get to see.
Fanad Head Lighthouse
On our first full day we drove up the road along the Fanad Drive to see a lighthouse. Fanad Head Lighthouse has been a working lighthouse since 1817 and opened its doors to visitors in 2016. If you want a a unique place to stay, then this is it. Accommodation is available to book in the lighthouse with a minimum of two nights. It is a pricey one but it can be for a special occasion. Think about the views you will wake up to.
If you prefer just a wander around that is worth the money too of course. Due to COVID-19 there are currently no tours taking place and the tower is closed. Thought we got to see the building of the lighthouse which tells the story. A family ticket is €10 or it’s €4 per adult. It is worth it to swing by the little shop at the bottom of the lighthouse too beside the car park. It was cloudy on the day we visited but the views can be incredible. From afar I could see boats watching the dolphins and whales swimming by.
Oakfield Park
The next day we ended up going to Oakfield Park which is located South of Letterkenny and not far from the Northern Ireland border. It is such a lovely park. Pre-bookings are not required. As you arrive, you pay the man through the little house. (card payments are accepted) A family pass, including the journey on the train, for two adults and two kids comes to a cost of €35. There are a few picnic areas available, so bring your own lunch. The picnic area outside the cafe is the most convenient one because it is right beside the playground.
Our first stop was the cute little train. The train station is at the entrance of the park. It looked like Thomas the Tank Engine which made it more exciting for the kids. The safety measures are met here, in case you are wondering. Everyone was queuing with a distance of two meters. Queuing time was around twenty minutes max. Each carriage had a plastic protective wall so there was no worry about being too close to the next person. The train ride gave us a good idea of where we wanted to walk to. You are getting a map at the entrance as well to guide you through the park.
When we got back up from the train ride, we stopped off in the picnic area beside the playground to have our packed lunch. It took maybe ten minutes or so to grab a free table. But that was not a problem as the kids were occupied on the playground.
Next up was the hedge maze. Matthew loves being the leader trying to make it to the centre of it. It was me and him and then daddy and Chloe went on their own. They gave up in the end and Matthew and I made it to the middle. He was delighted with himself. We have discovered mazes during lockdown.
Another feature of the park is the wishing tree. As well as the map at the entrance, you also get two pieces of paper, a string and a pencil to write down the kids wishes. There were hundreds of them hanging up. Chloe really wants to be a dinosaur and Matthew wants to be a racing car. Who am I to change their mind, so we hung it up with exactly those wishes.
With the help of the map we walked around the park and discovered a few cute little forest walks. We finished it off with an ice cream.
Tropical World
Day three of our staycation in Donegal brought us to the outskirts of Letterkenny. Chloe wanted to see some animals and I promised her we would. We missed out on Wild Ireland to see the bears. They are sold out nearly seven days in advanced.
When Chloe saw a dinosaur at the entrance she was already sold on the place.
Right now it is essential to book your tickets online. Simply call them and they will tell you the next available slot. You will pay when you get there. We paid €30 for a family ticket.
Tropical World has a lot of exotic species to offer. We’ve seen chameleons, lizards (Chloe’s favorite animals besides cats), tarantulas, monkeys, parakeets, snakes etc.
I have to say I really liked the Butterfly House. I didn’t think there would be butterflies that big. They were massive and were just flying around us. It was incredible to see.
We had lunch in the cute Thymeout Café right beside Zoo and garden centre before heading off to the beach.
Glenveagh National Park
Probably one of the most beautiful National Parks I have come across in Ireland is the Glenveagh National Park. You could spend literally a day here roaming around the lakes or the castle grounds. The distance from the car park to the castle is 4km. It is quite far from my two to walk especially Chloe. At the entrance of the park you are able to rent bikes with a company called Grass Routes. Matthew got his own bike and Chloe went into a trailer behind hubby’s bike. The bikes were €12 each and the trailer €6 which I find very reasonable. You get them for 3 hours but if you go over a bit they are not going to charge you extra. Sometimes it can take a little longer to get back with kids especially.
At the castle grounds you can park your bikes in a designated area and walk around the beautiful gardens. There isn’t a picnic area as such but you can sit in a little Summer house or anywhere on the side wall. There is also a cafe with amazing sandwiches and incredible desserts. Seating is limited due to being able to keep the social distancing but seating is also available outside.
You can then continue your journey on the bikes to the waterfall. It is a 3km ride from the castle. So in total we actually cycled 14km that day. Pretty good for an eight year old. In my opinion the waterfall wasn’t that spectacular. I am not sure if you can get closer to it but I think you can but at that stage we were done. I would suggest you bring a hoodie with you. The amount of midgets flying around was unreal. I am sill suffering from it now, very itchy.
All the gorgeous beaches
Of course during a Summer holiday we couldn’t leave the beaches out. We’ve been to a quite a few of them, one of them being the famous Murder Hole Beach. Yes, I dragged everyone there as you never know when I will be up there again. It is quite a distance to drive from the East of the country.
Ballymastocker Beach
I don’t think there is a beach in Donegal that is not pretty. Most of them are blue flag beaches. Lifeguards are present at all of them. Ballymastocker Beach is a short drive from the place we stayed and close to Fanad. Easy parking along the side of the road and because it is so big, there is plenty of space for people to not sit on top of each other. Come beach prepared and not like us. That means bucket and spade, wetsuits, the whole lot. I am an abroad beach person so not used to stocking up on these products.
Dunfanaghy Beach/Killahoey Beach
The sand dunes are amazing at this beach. Very high to climb and kids just running down the hill or sliding down on their boards. My two enjoyed hiding with the cousins at the time and get their feet stuck in the sand. A great place to build sand castles as well and of course to go for a swim. I kind of regretted that I didn’t have bring my swimsuit. Hopefully there will be a next time.
Murder Hole Beach
I have seen so many posts, photos and comments about this beach online. And I can honestly say it did not disappoint. It is a bit of a rocky drive there and a trek to walk but it is worth it. Absolutely stunning. Nobody knows where its name is coming from though. I left the kids with daddy at the start of the beach and walked all the way around it to discover the famous cave everyone was taking photos from. The water is so blue and it is so calming just to watch the waves.
Malin Head
While we were in Donegal, we might as well visit the most Northern point of Ireland, Malin Head. I strongly advise you to park at the bottom of the hill! Now it was holiday season with everyone holidaying at home but the parking was horrendous trying to get up there with people parked along each side of the road. Bring a coat because it is very windy up there. You can take a walk along the cliffs but we opted out of that one with two kids in tow. You could actually see bits of islands that belong to the UK from this viewing point. There is a coffee dock to fuel up or grab a muffin.
Stunning place and people just sat on the stones and had their packed lunch there. There are still many other places I have to discover in Donegal, for example the whole west part of Donegal. You only realise how big the county is, once you are in it.
Have you been on a staycation this year and where did it take you?
