Bonny Glen Wood

Forest recreation place

Explorer Tom

Bonny Glen Wood has a name so cheerful I nearly expected it to greet me at the car park. Instead it gave me a little lough, two short trails, a shelter and a story about people who had to leave this country behind. That mixture of beauty and memory is very Donegal; I would rather let both parts speak than sell the wood as a postcard with trees attached. The woodland near Glenties surrounds Bonnyglen Lough, its water making a centre for the walks. Coillte says these lands once belonged to the Porter estate and that tenants emigrated to America during the Great Famine, their passage paid by the local landlord. That detail deserves thought, not a cheerful claim that the journey was easy or freely chosen. The wood now offers a very different use of the land: a public place to walk and look at the lake. Improvement works under the Neighbourwood scheme have helped make it welcoming, but the older story should travel with you around the shore. Coillte describes two short routes around Bonnyglen Lough, with seating and a shelter along the way. Go Visit Donegal gives the shorter Bonny Glen Walk as a one-kilometre easy loop taking about forty minutes, on forest road and path through Sitka spruce. That is a lovely scale for a visit: long enough for the lough to change angle, short enough to give each stop proper time. Look for birds around the water without chasing them into reeds. I once tried to arrange a lake photograph with every bird facing the camera; the birds voted unanimously for their own schedule. The contrast between wood and the nearby west Donegal shore is part of the pleasure. Within a short drive are open moorland, the Glenties area and beaches around Portnoo, while here the trees hold the view close until the lough opens it again. Follow the signed route that suits you rather than assuming every track is a visitor trail. A longer local wander may lead towards other lakes, but use a current map and judge the surfaces before extending the easy loop. The shelter and picnic space are invitations to pause, not excuses to leave litter for the next family. From Glenties, Coillte directs visitors north on the N56 for about seven kilometres, then onto the R261, with the wood signposted farther along. It lists a car park, picnic area and walking trails; facilities in Glenties, Ardara and Portnoo are separate. Check for current closures after stormy weather and wear shoes for a possibly damp woodland path. There is no admission gate or formal opening hour listed, but daylight makes the route easier to enjoy and navigate. Bonny Glen's name may be a promise of beauty; its history is the reason to stay thoughtful while you enjoy it.

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Woodland path and small fenced bridge on the Bonny Glen Woods trail · Photo: Donegal Day Out (individual photographer not stated) · Reuse rights not stated by source

What is recorded here

Bonny Glen Wood surrounds Bonnyglen Lough on land that formed part of the Porter estate. Coillte records that local tenants emigrated to America during the Great Famine and that their passage was paid by the landlord. Two short paths circle the lough.

From Coillte bonny-glen-wood

Places near here

Photo credits

Rossographer, Geograph · CC BY-SA 2.0
Maker not stated on source page, www.dreamstime.com
Maker not stated on source page, traveller-eu.ru
Maker not stated on source page, en.wikipedia.org
National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
Maker not stated on source page, yandex.ru
Maker not stated on source page, www.airbnb.co.za
Golfing in Ireland; photographer not stated, Source publisher
Maker not stated on source page, commons.wikimedia.org
Mhdelaney, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Maker not stated on source page, www.pinterest.com

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