The Long Way RoundNotebook No 60July 2025
The most northerly road in Ireland, almost no one drives.
Collected by Deborah. Read her editorial perspective
On the Inishowen Peninsula, just north of Derry, Malin Head defines Ireland's northernmost reach. Few of your countrymen discover this quiet road, which offers respite from the usual circuits. This is what we seek out for you.
You can complete this driving loop in a single morning, perhaps after a night in Buncrana or Derry. We advise a full tank before you begin, as fuel stations are infrequent once you commit to the route. At Banba's Crown, the expanse of the Atlantic Ocean commands your full attention.
This is the very nature of travel we endorse: solitude as headland after headland appears, leaving you to your own considerations.
The Ireland Edit Way
Cut the itinerary in half, then cut it again. The letter we send before every first visit.
Every hotel change costs you half a day. Luxury, in Ireland, is staying put.
Six questions we apply before booking any room in Ireland. The November test, the dinner-twice test, the landscape-over-room test.
To understand Ireland, stop looking at the castles and start looking at the kitchen table.
From the notebook
Collected notes. A few times each season.