Once named the second-most beautiful beach in the world by British newspaper the Observer, this tawny-coloured Blue Flag beach is a supremely fine place to while away the hours. It is indeed stunning as you drive round the high headland on the R268 and it rears into view, but put the brakes on – there's a viewpoint you can pull into to take mesmerising shots.
© makasana photo/Shutterstock
Ballymastocker Beach
Top choice in County Donegal
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
15.89 MILES
On the northernmost tip of Malin Head, called Banba's Crown, stands a cumbersome 1805 clifftop tower that was built by the British admiralty and later…
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18.51 MILES
The 12 murals that decorate the gable ends of houses along Rossville St, near Free Derry Corner, are popularly referred to as the People's Gallery. They…
14.25 MILES
The towering headland of Horn Head has some of the Wild Atlantic Way's most spectacular scenery, with dramatic quartzite cliffs, topped with bog and…
19.85 MILES
This Blue Flag beach is great for swimming and windsurfing. You can wander its gorgeous length and get lost in the grassy sand dunes, and there's a fun…
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18.66 MILES
The best way to get a feel for Derry's layout and history is to walk the 1.5km circumference of the city's walls. Completed in 1619, Derry's city walls…
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18.65 MILES
Standing just outside the city walls, the neo-Gothic Guildhall was originally built in 1890, then rebuilt after a fire in 1908. Its fine stained-glass…
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17.77 MILES
The English painter Derrick Hill bought this 1828 mansion in 1953, providing him with a mainland base close to his beloved Tory Island. Sumptuously…
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18.62 MILES
Head straight to the 5th floor of this award-winning museum inside a replica 16th-century tower house for a view from the top. Then work your way down…
Nearby County Donegal attractions
2.81 MILES
Fort Dunree is the best preserved and most dramatic of six forts built by the British on Lough Swilly following the 1798 uprising of the United Irishmen …
6.2 MILES
This remote and attractive beach is excellent for a walk and for views over Lough Swilly.
7.35 MILES
Walk 500m from O'Doherty's Keep (turn left and stick to the shoreline) to find squat Ned's Point Fort (1812), built by the British.
7.63 MILES
At the side of O'Doherty's Keep is the manor-like Buncrana Castle, built in 1718 by John Vaughan, who also constructed the bridge. Wolfe Tone was…
7.71 MILES
At the northern end of the seafront, the picture-perfect early-18th-century, six-arched Castle Bridge leads to these tower-house ruins originally built by…
7.74 MILES
This splendid beach on the Rosguill Peninsula is a joy, full in the face of the mighty Atlantic. It's generally OK for swimming, but don't enter the water…
7.75 MILES
This lovely forested park area by the River Carna is very picturesque, with a path leading along the riverbank and lovely views.
8.29 MILES
Dating from 1508 and facing the water, this ivy-cloaked priory was plundered in 1595 and then used as a barracks; in the early 17th century it was…