Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [430]
On the northernmost tip, called Banba’s Crown (Fíorcheann Éireann), stands a cumbersome cliff-top tower that was built in 1805 by the British admiralty and later used as a Lloyds signal station. Around it are unattractive concrete huts that were used by the Irish army in WWII as lookout posts. To the west from the fort-side car park, a path leads to Hell’s Hole, a chasm where the incoming waters crash against the rocky formations. To the east a longer headland walk leads to the Wee House of Malin, a hermit’s cave in the cliff face.
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WASHED-UP TREASURES
Beachcombers will find more than empty shells along the Inishowen Peninsula. The area is renowned for its post-glacial strandlines, and its raised beaches continue to rise from the Ice Age. As a result, the beaches are littered with semiprecious stones: cornelian, agate, jasper and more. Good hunting grounds are the beaches along the northern coast of Malin Head, near Banba’s Crown and Ballyhillin.
The stones make unique souvenirs, and you can buy these local treasures artfully polished and made into pendants, bracelets, earrings, brooches, candleholders and other quirky and beautiful items at the workshop of jeweller and craftsperson Petra Watzka at Malin Pebbles (opposite) in Greencastle.
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Several endangered bird species thrive here. This is one of the few places in Ireland where you can still hear the call of the endangered corncrake in summer. Other birds to look out for are choughs, snow buntings and puffins.
The Plantation village of Malin (Málainn), on Trawbreaga Bay, 14km southeast of Malin Head, has a pretty movie-set quality. Walkers can head out from the tidy village green on a circular route that takes in Knockamany Bens, a local hill with terrific views, as well as Lagg Presbyterian Church (3km northwest from Malin), the oldest church still in use on the peninsula. The massive sand dunes at Five Fingers Strand, another 1km beyond the church, are a dog’s dream.
SLEEPING & EATING
Sandrock Holiday Hostel ( 074-937 0289; www.sandrockhostel.com; Port Ronan Pier, Malin Head; dm €12, linen €1.50; ) The cinematically changing view from this IHH hostel – above a rocky bay on the western side of the headland – will take your breath away. Seafood can sometimes be bought straight off the boats out front. Inside you’ll find 20 beds in two cosy dorms, musical instruments and laundry facilities. Bike rental (per day €10) is also available for nonguests, though you’ll have to leave a deposit.
Malin Head Hostel ( 074-937 0309; www.malinheadhostel.com; Malin Head; dm/d €16/44; Mar-Oct; ) Owner Mary’s great-great-grandfather built this farmhouse, which she’s turned into a charming 20-bed IHH hostel. You can buy fruit and veggies straight from Mary’s organic garden, eggs from her hens, and even carrageen moss (seaweed used as a gelatine substitute). Recipes for cooking up crab and lobster are stuck to the kitchen’s fridge. If your batteries need recharging, ask Mary for a reflexology treatment (€35). There’s a shop nearby and local buses stop at the hostel. No credit cards.
Malin Hotel ( 074-937 0606; www.malinhotel.ie; Malin; lunch mains €12-19, dinner menu €32.50; lunch & dinner; ) From the village green you’ll first spot the old pub, but look beyond it and you’ll also see a modern, boxlike hotel behind. Designer wallpapers adorn the lavish rooms (single/double from €90/150), and the pub-restaurant serves up good Irish standards. There’s weekend entertainment.
DRINKING
McClean’s (Malin) Easily spotted by the petrol pumps out front, this treasure of an old-time pub has the best craic in Malin and often has live music.
GETTING THERE & AROUND
The best way to approach Malin Head is by the R238/242 from Carndonagh, rather than up the eastern side from Culdaff.
Lough Swilly ( 074-912 2863) operates two buses Monday to Friday, three on Saturday, between Derry and Carndonagh (