Fanad Head Lighthouse

Fanad Head is the point where Lough Swilly opens into the Atlantic, and a lighthouse has stood there since the early nineteenth century, established after a wreck on the rocks below persuaded the authorities that a light was needed. The white tower and its keepers' houses sit on a low cliff with sea on three sides and long views along the Donegal coast in clear weather. Tours climb the stair to the lantern and out onto the balcony, where the drop and the wind are both immediate. The keepers' cottages have been fitted out as accommodation, so the station is lived in rather than abandoned.

Highlights

• The lantern room - the working light and its optic at the top of the stair.
• The balcony - an open gallery with the cliffs and the mouth of Lough Swilly below.
• The keepers' houses - the station buildings, now let out as accommodation.
• The headland - low cliffs, stacks and the Atlantic running past the point.

When to go

Tours run through the year with far more departures in summer and a thin winter schedule, so book ahead in July and August. Calm, clear days are worth waiting for, since the balcony is unpleasant in a gale and low cloud closes the view entirely. Long summer evenings suit the drive out along the peninsula.

Practical notes

It is a long way out on a narrow peninsula road, and the round trip eats most of a day if you are based inland. The tower is climbed on a steep stair with a guide and is closed in bad weather, so a trip can end at the gift shop. The headland is fully exposed and the wind is constant.

Nearby

Ballymastocker Bay, Portsalon and the Fanad coast road loop back towards Letterkenny.

Key facts