Ireland day 1378. Monday 07 July 2025- To Tory Island

Today’s summary	Drove up to Co Donegal for a three-night break on Tory Island. 4h05m non-stop fairly easy drive to Magheroarty from Malahide. Arrived in plenty of time for the 4:30 sailing to the island so got soup and tea in the excellent café by the pier while we waited. Crossing was rough and we just about held it together for the 65 min voyage. Recovering in the hotel room now with a cup of tea and a ginger biscuit. Dinner at 7:30 then probably an early night before starting explorations tomorrow.
Today’s weather	Mild and sunny in Malahide, cold windy and damp in Donegal. Strong to gale force westerly wind. Appx 13c

Today’s overview location (The blue mark shows the location of our route)		Close-up location (The orange line shows where we sailed) (Click button below to download GPX of today’s walk as recorded, or see interactive map at bottom with elevations corrected): Ferry to Tory Island

Commentary

Today we set off on our latest journey of discovery around Ireland. This time it’s a three-night stay on Tory Island, off the north west coast of Co Donegal. It’s the most remote inhabited island in Ireland, apparently.

The drive up to the ferry terminal at Magheroarty was straightforward and quick. It took just 4h05m and we didn’t stop. The road wasn’t too busy (even the usually unpleasant N2) although the weather, which was warm and sunny when we set out, slowly deteriorated as we travelled further north and west. On the other hand, the scenery became more and more remote, wild and impressive.

We arrived at the ferry terminal with plenty of time to spare, so we went into the nearby café and got some soup for lunch while we waited for our 4:30 sailing. Very pleasant.

The ferry journey, though, wasn’t particularly pleasant. The crossing was quite rough and the 65 minutes seemed to take an age. Anyway, we made it in one piece although feeling somewhat green. We’re staying in the Ostán Oileán Thoraí (Tory Island Hotel) and right now we’re calming down with a cup of tea and a ginger biscuit. What a couple of grannies!!

Anyway, dinner starts soon, and we have a video call coming up with Canada, so I’m going to sign off now so we can start planning our adventures for the next couple of days. The forecast is improving, so I’m optimistic for a great stay!

Today’s photos (click to enlarge)


On the mainland, with the ferry behind Val	It would have been quite comfortable if it hadn’t been corkscrewing the whole way across!

We paid a flying visit to this island – Inish Boffin – en route. Added ten stomach churning minutes to the voyage	West Town, Tory Island. Pretty quiet!



Let’s get planning!