Silver Strand, Malin Beg

Silver Strand sits in a sheltered horseshoe cove at Malin Beg, near the south-western tip of Donegal, enclosed by grass-topped cliffs on both sides with a narrow opening to the Atlantic. From the clifftop car park a concrete stairway of around 170 steps descends to the sand - which is the filter on the visit, since everything you carry down has to come back up. The cove faces roughly south-west and the enclosing headlands take most of the swell, so the water inside is calmer than the open coast, though there are no lifeguards and currents run out through the mouth. Rossan Point and the Slieve League cliffs are along the coast to the east, and a signal tower stands on the headland above. The beach is small enough that a couple of dozen people fill it, and August afternoons do exactly that.

What you actually see

• The horseshoe cove - enclosed by cliffs with a narrow Atlantic opening.
• The stairway - around 170 concrete steps from clifftop to sand.
• The signal tower - Napoleonic remains on the headland above.
• The scale - small enough that it feels full with a few dozen people.

When to go

May to September. The steps are slippery in wet weather. Mornings are quieter; the beach is small and fills on August afternoons.

Honest expectations

Around 170 steps each way, which rules it out for limited mobility and makes carrying gear a real consideration. No lifeguards, and currents run out through the cove mouth. No facilities beyond the car park.

Nearby

Glencolmcille is north-east; Slieve League and its cliffs are east along the coast.