Belfast to Donegal

Is it too much traveling to try and drive from Belfast to Donegal and see the Giant's Causeway in a day? If not, can you recommend an itinerary with a B&B or hotel somewhere midway?

Thanks,

Canadian Traveller

It is too much. Especially this time of year when it gets dark pretty early. And it depends where in Donegal you want to go. It's a big county.

Go from Belfast via the Antrim Coast Road to Ballintoy, book Whitepark House (www.whiteparkhouse.com), a lovely B&B, enjoy the Giant's Causeway and surroundings at leisure and head off to Donegal the next day.

I think it depends how far into Donegal you want to go. We did the reverse Donegal - Giants Causeway - near Belfast. We started from near Buncrana and were done by 5:00 with a long hike above Giants Causeway and some meandering on the drive.

Exactly what I would have asked. Where in Donegal?

It´s not too much, I´ve left left Baltinglass (West Wicklow) driven via Dublin spent time in Belfast, Been to Giants causway and Carrick a Rede rope bridge and ended up in Kilcar Co. Donegal in one day,That was a long day But Belfast to Wherever in Donegal via Causway is no big deal.

If I were doing that drive from Belfast to the GC I would choose to drive slowly along the North Antrim Coast and not rush things. It's a slow road but exceptionally beautiful. There are some really pretty villages along the way too. Too good to miss in my opinion and much better than the fast drive via Coleraine, especially for someone who might not be in that area again. Get out of your car and walk a little too and take in those breathtaking views across to Scotland. Unforgettable!

Hi, thanks for the advice. We're driving to Ardara, Co. Donegal to the little B&B, The Green Gate.

Not too much, as long as you set off early so you don't lose the light. Go with #5, heading for Larne and the coast road from there. Aim to be on that road by 9am, and you'll be fine. And have a decent map of Donegal handy, if you're going to navigate in the dark!

By my reckoning, if you take the coastal road northwards from Larne, your total drive time will be about 5 hours from Belfast to Ardara via the GC. That's not including any stops by the way. So it boils down to how much time you want to spend at the GC and how much you linger along the coast. As Owains points out, it's probably not a good idea to arrive in Co. Donegal after dark so, yes, an early start is imperative.

Some people only spend an hour or so at the Causeway and think it is O.K. but quite uniform. Others spend four or five hours and think it is an amazing wonder, which it is though it is also uniform too, and often windy and maybe rainy in autumn and winter as these isles are. Three to three and a half hours is a good time to spend as the walk along the causeway is an enjoyable natural exposure and takes a while.

Sounds likes a bit of a long drive to me. We did Ardara (we stayed at the Green Gate as well) to Buncrana and that was a moderate day in mid-summer. GC is interesting, but we found it way too touristy for our liking. We enjoyed the cliff walk more than the Causeway
Sunset at the Green Gate B&B was amazing, but it's probably setting behind the hills now instead of over the ocean. Regardless, you want to get ther early enough to enjoy it.
There's also a thread about the Green Gate a few pages back you might want to read up on.