For travellers, going to extremes can be rewarding – especially if you choose Malin Head, the northernmost point of Ireland. Standing on the raw edge of Europe, where the land crumbles into the ocean, brings sheer exhilaration.
Malin Head also provides a suitably remote and inspiring place to begin a journey on the Wild Atlantic Way.
For visitors to Ireland, this route is a brilliant concept: over 1,600 miles of scenic roads and trails that wrap around the nation’s west coast. The Wild Atlantic Way binds together breathtaking locations along the shore where the ocean reaches Europe – with rich heritage, attractions and activities to enliven the experience.
Malin Head has long been a strategic location: its name is bestowed on the sea area in the Shipping Forecast that encompasses the northern coast of Ireland. A lookout tower, built to defend the island against an attack from Napoleonic France, still peers out to sea. But these days, you’re more likely to see the Northern Lights than invaders.
The location feels a world away from anywhere – yet Malin Head is just a one-hour drive from City of Derry Airport. Malin Head is the top of Inishowen: a spectacular peninsula whose name translates as “Owen’s island”. Just beneath Malin Head you find Ireland’s northernmost beach, Five Finger Strand. Why the name? The dunes backing on to this clean sweep of sand resemble knuckles. It is the first of many glorious seascapes away from the crowds.
Seabirds swoop and circle, but above the beach you can encounter some unexpected companions. The alpaca, a relative of the llama, can usually be found chewing grass nearly three miles high in the Andes of South America. But John McGonagle, the founder of Wild Alpaca Way, cares for a flock of more than 40 of these creatures – who seem to thrive at 55 degrees north. He, along with Fred, Ted, Badger, Ollie and Benjy, took me on a breathtaking coastal walk, where we even took a few selfies together.
Once you leave the drama of the far north coast, driving through the gentle scenery of Inishowen is a joy, with quiet roads leading you to all manner of enticements. “Ireland in miniature” is a frequent description of Inishowen. One natural attraction has only become accessible in the past three decades: Glenevin Waterfall.
In 1993, an American visitor named Doris Russo visited this part of Inishowen and fell in love with the area. The following year, she moved in and discovered the waterfall after a tough hike…
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