Ireland day 1381. Thursday 10 July 2025- From Tory Island

Today’s summary	Returned from Tory Island to Malahide. The ferry journey back was so much better than the way out! Much warmer here in Malahide too. The whole journey took about 5h30m door to door (Val drove) which was pretty good. Having a cup of tea in the flat now and contemplating salad for dinner. Also I think I have shaken off most of the bug that got me on Tuesday.
Today’s weather	Grey cool and windy, but dry, on Tory. Warm, breezy and sunny in Malahide. Moderate south easterly wind. Appx 14c on Tory Island, 24c in Malahide.

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

Commentary

Today we bade farewell to Tory Island and made our way back to Malahide. All in all it was a pretty straightforward journey. At five and a half hours door to door, it’s quite a long way by Irish standards, but compared to some of the 13 hour epic drives we used to make up from London to the north west coast of Scotland, it was easy.

It was especially easy for me, I should add, as I seem to have shed the worst of the bug that was bothering me earlier in the week. Plus the fact that the ferry crossing from the island to the mainland was much much less rough than on the way out. And – even better – Val wanted to drive, so I could put my feet up for most of the journey. Thanks Val!

Tory was grey, cold and windy when we left, but it was at least dry, and there was the promise of some sun later. So perhaps Summer will eventually arrive in time for the weekend up there. As we drove south, the skies cleared and it got warmer and warmer and sunnier and sunnier. By the time we arrived in Malahide, it was fully ten degrees warmer than it had been when we left Tory Island.

Being a passenger today, it meant I could enjoy the view as we pottered along. It’s actually a very scenic drive – especially the northern part through Donegal and the Glenveagh National Park. But all the way it’s very rural and bucolic.

Now we’re back in the flat, with the unpacking done, and contemplating the evening. Probably a bit of the dying stages of Wimbledon to watch (it always feels so sad when it ends) and an easy-to-digest chicken salad for dinner (don’t want to push my luck too far!).

Looking back, it’s been a fabulous mini-break, despite the iffy weather and my dodgy stomach. But Tory island is somewhere we’ve both wanted to visit for some time, and I think we’re both very glad we made the effort to go. It’s wild, bleak, remote and beautiful. But I think that the boat ride alone means that for me, at least, it’s likely to be a once-in-a-lifetime trip.

Today’s photos (click to enlarge)


Looking over the harbour at Tory Island West Town, where the ferry docks, from just outside our hotel front door	A farewell to Tory island

Today’s transport	Back on dry land once again. Looking across to the Donegal mountains from Magheroarte pier, with the beaches of the Dooey sandspit inbetween

Driving south into the Glenveagh National Park. I think the hill on the left is Muckish	What a difference a four hour drive makes! Back in Malahide, and it’s ten degrees warmer

Maid of the Seas!