I visited Glenveagh National Park in Donegal for the first time recently. It’s the second largest National Park in Ireland; full of rugged Derryveagh Mountains, lakes, woodland and a castle which was originally built as a hunting lodge in the late 19th century. How this was only my first visit at this point, I do not know!

We had been in Donegal for a lovely AirBnb cabin break and decided we would take a little detour to Glenveagh on our way back home. Our hosts recommended a great driving route to get there.

The drive was quite something, but we were even more blown away by the view when we arrived at the park. It was one of those beautiful days where the clouds were so dramatic that they didn’t quite look real. We could have been anywhere in the world. What a day for exploring!

We set off in the direction of the castle, alongside the lake. We walked further into the mountains and the views became more dramatic with every step we took. The walk was about 3.5 km and should have taken around 40 minutes at a casual pace. We were in no hurry though.

Days like these are magical and just when we thought it couldn’t get any better we found a small, isolated patch of pebbly land right next to the lake where we could dip our toes.

We met no one else there. We just had ourselves and the wonderful sound of the water to break the peaceful silence. It turned out to be a bit of a sun trap there too, so we ended up spending most of the afternoon on this little piece of paradise.

It was an ideal moment to grab my pencils and sketchbook.

Hannah did some more exploring and foraging while I was sketching. She gathered some lovely pebbles and driftwood to take home.

We could have stayed there all day, but time was ticking on and we needed to get back home to prepare for work the following day. We still managed a quick visit to the castle, gardens and cafe though. It would have been lovely to spend a bit more time exploring the grounds, but we were both happy to have prioritised our walk and the little spot next to the lake.