Barnesmore Gap

The mountains of Barnesmore and Croaghconnellagh stand like lofty sentinels each side of the Gap, a short distance north of Donegal Town. This gap was a natural barrier to any invasions from the north - it needed only a small group of men to defend it.

(A view of Barnesmore Gap from the north, with Lough Mourne in the foreground)

(The view driving towards Donegal Town through the Gap)

Glengesh Pass

From Glencolmbcille to Ardara is fifteen miles and for the first few miles, the road is lined on each side with fuschia hedges. Then there follows mile after mile of a lonely moorland drive (apart from many free ranging black-faced sheep, that is), until a few miles from Ardara you come to the Pass, one of the most beautiful and remarkable of Alpine Passes in the county. This pass through The Glen of Swans is 900 feet above sea-level, while on either side are high mountains (Glengesh and Mulmosog) with heights ranging from 1,400 to 1,700 feet.

On the descent from the top of the Glen, you have to negotiate two wild hairpin bends that necessitate a complete turn of the wheel....and of course, the road is only just wide enough to let two cars pass! Then the road straightens out until it joins the main Ardara to Inver Road. The journey down the pass shows no sign of human habitation, and this is probably the longest drive you will take in the county without seeing a solitary cottage.

(View of the beautiful Glengesh Pass)

 

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