Errigal

“Boss mountain, big ego”

Errigal. An Earagail, to be precise. It rises 751 metres above Dunlewey, looking like it’s judging your life choices. It’s the tallest peak in County Donegal and the southernmost of the Seven Sisters. That’s a fancy name for a row of mountains that probably argue about who’s taller. The trail is loose, and the One Man’s Pass is narrow enough to make your knees wobble. The weather here has a mind of its own, so your plans and the clouds might disagree. From below, the white slope is stark and beautiful. Up close, it’s just wind, rock, and you. You’ll see the Derryveagh Mountains stretching out, wild and unbothered. It’s not for the faint-hearted, but it’s worth the wobble. Just don’t tell the other Sisters I called them bossy.

Photo: Patrice78500, Public domain

Then Tom went looking for the oddest places around it.

Stop 2 · Hop back in the car, 5 minutes

Mackoght

“Cheap wine, worse jokes”

Mackoght would bring a bottle of cheap wine and a terrible joke to any party. It’s the life of the gathering, whether you like it or not. Take a mate and argue about what it was for, you’ll both be wrong but happy.

What the record says

Mackoght is recorded as a mountain / peak in County Donegal. Summit height: 555 metres above sea level.

From OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors) n332372857

Photo: Colin Park, CC BY-SA 2.0

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Stop 3 · 10 minutes down the road

Crockfadda

“Top doesn't exist, ha”

Crockfadda has an undefined summit. I love that the highest point on the mountain doesn't actually exist, so you can never technically reach the top. It’s the ultimate cheat for anyone trying to prove they made it.

What the record says

Crockfadda is recorded as a mountain / peak in County Donegal. Summit height: 529 metres above sea level.

From OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors) n332372928

Photo: Colin Park, CC BY-SA 2.0

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Stop 4 · A 10-minute spin away

Crolly Waterfall

“Crying witch, probably”

Crolly Waterfall is recorded as a waterfall in Donegal after rain, which is vague but poetic. We don’t know much else, so let’s make up a legend about a crying witch. Look for the ghost, then pretend you didn't see anything weird.

What the record says

Crolly Waterfall is recorded as a waterfall in County Donegal.

From OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors) n11183455976

Photo: Liamfm, CC BY-SA 2.0

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Stop 5 · Hop back in the car, 30 minutes

Muckish Mountain Cairn

“Stone pile, show off”

Muckish Mountain Cairn is a 22-metre stone pile that practically shouts for attention from the mountain's lower edge. It’s got ruined walls trailing off into the mist, hiding whatever secrets it guards on top. I’d bet good money there’s more buried under those loose rocks than just wind and rain.

What the record says

Marked “Meskanmave” on the 1st edition of the OS 6-inch map, it consists of a cairn of loose stones c. 22m in diameter and c. 5m in height. Its flat top is c. 6m in diameter. A small heap of stones 1m high is piled up on top. From the S edge of the cairn two…

From the National Monuments Service (Archaeological Survey of Ireland) record DG034-002

Photo: Rossographer, CC BY-SA 2.0

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The whole day on one map

See everything else around Errigal →

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