Glenveagh National Park

National Park Of About 16,000 Hectares In The Derryveagh Mountains, With Glenveagh Castle (1870s) And Its Gardens On Lough Veagh · Churchill, Donegal

Glenveagh National Park covers roughly 16,000 hectares of the Derryveagh Mountains in north-west Donegal: long glacial lakes, bog, rocky peaks and a deep glen, with a Victorian castle and famous gardens on the shore of Lough Veagh at its heart. The estate carries a dark history - its first owner, John George Adair, evicted some 244 people in the Derryveagh evictions of 1861 before building the castle - and a gentler later one, when the American collector Henry McIlhenny made the gardens and gave them to the nation. Today visitors ride a shuttle bus from the visitor centre to the castle, take the guided tour of its rooms, wander the free gardens and walk into the wild glen beyond, where red deer roam and golden eagles have been reintroduced. It is the most complete day out in inland Donegal. The honest caveats: the castle tour is small and fills up, cars stop at the visitor centre, midges can be fierce in summer, and the eagles are rarely seen.

Glenveagh visitor centre on the R251 near Churchill, about 25 km north-west of Letterkenny, County Donegal, Churchill, Donegal, Ireland

The park, trails and gardens are open all year, roughly daily from morning to late afternoon, with longer hours in summer and a closure over Christmas (confirm). Castle tours run through the day in groups with limited places, with fewer tours in winter - buy your tour ticket as soon as you arrive. Private cars stop at the visitor centre on the R251 near Churchill, about 25 km north-west of Letterkenny; a shuttle bus runs the 3.5 km to the castle, or you walk or cycle the lakeside road. Public transport is thin - drive or take a tour from Letterkenny.

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