Cornacahan Hill

Explorer Tom The Lough Head Bridge was already an old crossing when later roads took over. Built around 1770, it had become overgrown and unused when heritage surveyors described it. The single stone arch looks to me like an old storyteller letting the newer bridges do the shouting.

Explorer Tom The Cottages were built around 1895 with paired timber casement windows. I keep wondering if the workers used them to wave at each other across the gap, or maybe just to double-check their reflections. Those little porch steps look like they’re waiting for a very important delivery.

Explorer Tom Hughies in Killybegs is where the locals hang out when they want to feel like kings. The name sounds friendly, but the pints are strong. Ask who Hugh was, bet nobody knows.

Explorer Tom Bay View Hotel looks NNW, which means it’s facing the right way for watching the weather turn. The bay is definitely there, even if the hotel isn’t. Take a wide shot!

Explorer Tom Crownarad stands at 493 metres, towering over its neighbour Fintragh which sits a mere 381 up. That height difference makes Crownarad look like it’s been wearing an invisible hat while Fintragh tries to keep up.

Explorer Tom Fintra gives me a grand view before I reach the sand: the road drops toward Donegal Bay, with dunes and grassy hills behind the shore. There is a lagoon at the far end from the car park. I would let someone else call that steep, narrow road a quick nip down.

Explorer Tom St Catherine's Friary Graveslab marks John Lindsey, who died young at twenty-seven back in 1685. The slab is broken and its coat of arms has vanished, leaving just the incised Roman script to tell his story. It’s a bit sad that the family crest got lost, but the words remain.

Explorer Tom St Catherine's Well in Killybegs was once a famous pilgrimage site, but there’s a daft legend that a Protestant rector tried to fill it up with dirt. The next day, a spring burst into his drawing room, terrifying his wife until he reopened the well. It’s still cleaned for St. Catherine’s Day, sitting beside the ruins of 'Cat Castle' in marshy pasture.

Explorer Tom Cat Castle is named after St. Catherine, but really it’s just a tiny stone corner standing on a hill above Killybegs Harbour. It’s been shrinking since 1355, and now only a 3-metre wall survives. It’s a bit pathetic, sure, but looking out over the harbour makes you wonder what that bishop’s manor looked like when it was whole.

Explorer Tom Balbane Hill offers a whole view of itself in County Donegal, a classic example of the region's rugged beauty.

Explorer Tom Rashenny Point sits near Killybegs, likely offering lovely views of the harbor and the wide, open sea beyond.

Explorer Tom A European Beech tree in County Donegal offers elegant silvery bark and broad leaves, a striking contrast to the native woodland around it.