Seven days of unforgettable hiking in the Donegal highlands
Donegal Camino 2025 takes place from August 31 to September 6
An avid Camino walker, Peggy Stringer found in 2020 that she was unable to undertake her usual Spanish hike due to coronavirus restrictions. Seeing a silver lining in the dark Covid cloud, the resourceful Carndonagh-born businesswoman decided that if she couldn’t visit Iberia, she would instead bring Spain to her native county.
As vice president of the Donegal Association in Dublin, Stringer wanted to ensure that the Association's charity contributions could continue despite the pandemic, which had forced the cancellation of most fund-raising activities.
With five friends, she trekked 160 kilometres in her native county while raising badly needed cash for Cancer Care West. To her surprise, they raised €5,460 and the idea for a major charity event in the Northwest was born.
By adopting the evocative moniker 'Donegal Camino', Stringer acquired an appellation for the project that spoke of purposeful walking through the very best of the unspoiled Donegal outback. With this compelling title, the new event was destined to go from strength to strength.
For the 2021 Donegal Camino, Stringer invited her friend, the Donegal Person of the Year 2015, Deirdre McGlone, to get involved. McGlone brought additional marketing nous to the project since she had, with her husband Marc Gysling, helped establish and later owned Harvey’s Point, one of Ireland's finest hotels. Also, joining the team in 2021 was TV personality Noel Cunningham, a board member for Cancer Care West and the current Donegal Person of the Year.
In its second year, the Donegal Camino attracted about 50 participants and raised €20,000 for cancer support. The event had now established itself not only as an important fundraiser but also as a showcase for the enchanting Donegal landscape.
Since then, it has been onwards and upwards with the Camino 2024 having 735 participants and raising a record €122,000.
Now a highlight of the Irish walking calendar, it draws large numbers of participants to the Northwest each September and has raised a total of €280k for cancer support services with its unique selling point of seven days unforgettable hiking amid the Donegal highlands.
Starting each year from Malin Head, the most northerly point in Ireland, the Camino weaves its way south to Europe’s highest sea cliffs on Sliabh Liag with an itinerary designed to showcase the best of the Northwest including its offshore islands.
One of its strengths is undoubtedly that it is not a linear walk and thus avoids the logistical problems this would entail. Instead, the Donegal Camino offers a series of stand-alone hikes that are changed from year to year to reveal different aspects of the Northwest. Those who have enjoyed the event previously are thus supplied with a reason to return and enjoy a different experience.
The Donegal Camino is designed around a simple premise. Participants find their own accommodation and use private transport to reach the trailhead for the hike. The organisers then request each person to donate €100 to Cancer Care West for each day walked, although this requirement isn’t written in stone. Participants can then choose to join some or all of the walks on offer.
The Donegal Camino 2025 will again raise funds for Cancer Care West Support Centre Donegal.
Delightful 10 kilometre loop walk beginning and ending at Shrove Beach, Inishowen, while taking in magnificent Malin Head and offering views over Loughs Foyle and Swilly.
Still on the Inishowen Peninsula, it is a relatively strenuous but rewarding walk from Leenankeel Beach across the remote Urris Hills to historic Fort Dunree, whose guns once protected the naval anchorage here.
Starting from Strabane Bridge, this low-level trek combines roads with tracks. It leads through the fertile East Donegal farmlands to picturesque Oakfield Park, Raphoe.
Starting at 4.30am, a starlit hike presents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to view a magical sunrise from Errigal’s summit. Alternative walk for inclement weather is the Bridle Path in Glenveagh National Park.
The tradition of visiting an island on the Donegal Camino continues today with a hike around Irish-speaking Arranmore Island. On offer is an easy 16 km circuit along the wild grandeur of the Arranmore Loop.
Today, it is a 13 kilometre section of the 'Appalachian Trail' from Glenties to Ardara. The route follows a quiet road before diving left to join the meandering waters of the Owenea River. Later, it leaves the waterside for Ardara and a complimentary dram at Sliabh Liag Distillery.
Finale hike to Bun Glas, the viewing point for the magnificent Slieve Liag Cliffs. Alternative: an opportunity to view the same cliffs from an ocean cruise.
- Register here for the Donegal Camino
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