LOCATION
Donegal Thatched Cottages are located on Cruit Island
(pronounced “Critch”), Co. Donegal, ten kilometres north of
Dungloe, on the Kincasslagh Road.
Cruit Island is joined by a bridge to the mainland.
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In recent years road access to Donegal has been vastly improved, especially from Dublin, reducing the journey to a comfortable 4.5 hours from the capital. Depending on your location within the city you can either take the M50 onto the West Link and enjoy continuous motorway right past Mullingar or you can take the M1 and enjoy motorway as far as Dundalk before cutting west for Donegal. From Belfast the journey remains about 3 hours. Local roads have also improved but still remain quite bumpy and winding on account of the mountainous terrain and the often boggy foundations. Rather than allow this to frustrate you, it is much better for the visitor to simply see it as part of the quaint charm of this area and something which has helped preserve Donegal from the worst excesses of the Celtic Tiger. You will be amazed at the number and quality of the new cottages which dot the countryside! Safe journey.
ACCESS
Head for Dungloe (“An Clochán Laith”) bearing in mind that
Donegal roads are not the best in Ireland and some road signs
may be in Gaelic!
Entering Dungloe turn right at the tee-junction and again right at the end of the town, just before the petrol station; follow the Kincasslagh road straight ahead for about ten kilometres; turn left at the sign for “Donegal Thatched Cottages”, opposite the Viking House Hotel and follow the winding road down to Cruit Island for about three kilometres.
The cottages are on the left visible from the road.
Donegal self catering thatched cottages
FROM DUBLIN
(a) Route N2 through Northern Ireland via Slane, Carrickmacross,
Monaghan, Omagh, Strabane, Ballybofey, Cloghan (“An Clechán”), Fintown
(“Baile na Finne”), Doochary (“An Dubhcharaid”), Dungloe (“An Clochán Laith”).
(b) Route N4 through Sligo via Mullingar, Longford, Carrick-on-Shannon, Boyle,
Sligo, Bundoran, Donegal, Mountcharles, Glenties (“Na Gleanntai”), Dungloe
(“An Clochán Laith”).
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(c) Route M1 through Northern Ireland via Drogheda, Dundalk, Castleblayney, Monaghan etc. This route is now the shortest route for those with easy access to the M1.
FROM ROSSLARE
. Wexford, Enniscorthy, Carlow, Port laoise, Tullamore, Athlone, Roscommon,
Boyle, Sligo, Bundoran, Donegal, Mountcharles, Glenties, (“Na Gleanntai”),
Dungloe (“An Clochán Laith”).
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FROM BELFAST
(a) Via Derry, letterkenny, Kilmacrenan, Dunlewy, Gweedore, (“Gaoth Dobhair”),
Annagarym (“Anagaire”), Kincasslagh.
Turn sharp right at sign for “Donegal Thatched Cottages” about one mile past
Kincasslagh, opposite the Viking House Hotel.
(b) Via Strabane, Ballybofey, Cloghan (“An Clechán”),Fintown (“Baile na Finne”),
Doochary (“An Dubhcharaid”), Dungloe (“An Clochán Laith”).
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FROM CORK
. Cork, Limerick, Ennis, Galway, Knock, Sligo, Bundoran, ballyshannon, Donegal,
Mountcharles, Glenties, (“Na Gleanntai”), Dungloe (“An Clochán Laith”).
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ARRIVAL / DEPARTURE TIME
You may arrive any time between 3p.m. and 10p.m. If for any reason you are
unavoidably delayed beyond 10p.m. it is most important that you do not disturb
either the occupants of the other cottages, or the local Supervisor.
Your cottage is to be vacated by 11a.m. Please read the instructions in the
kitchen regarding meter reading etc.
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FOOD AND PROVISIONS
It is advisable that you come well stocked with essential foodstuffs, plus fire lighters. Turf is available on-site. Dungloe offers a SuperValu, Lidy, Aldi and The Cope
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KEYS
The key will be in the door with your name posted in the window.
AIR ACCESS
Potential visitors to Donegal Thatched Cottages have two main options if they wish to access us by air. They can fly into Dublin using the airline of their choice and then catch a connecting flight from Dublin to the local Donegal International Airport ( Carrickfin Airport ), which is less than 10 kilometres from the cottages.
Twice daily flights operate from Dublin to Carrickfin, a mid afternoon flight and an evening flight. A car can then be hired locally at Carrickfin, or of course you could hire a car at Dublin airport and undertake the 4.5 hour drive to the cottages.
It should be noted that Icelandic airline Wow are shortly to introduce transatlantic flights into Dublin for 149 euro one way.
The second option to consider is to use London Stansted, Liverpool or Glasgow as your base and fly from there by Ryanair into City of Derry airport.This will leave you about 1.5 hours from the cottages by car, which you can hire at Derry airport. This second option now makes our cottages quite accessible, at reasonable rates, for those living in the greater London area, and for those living close to Liverpool or Glasgow. Even long weekends now become a possibility.
There are also of course the additional options of flying into Knock Airport, Belfast Airport or Belfast City Airport. Each of these airports will leave you with a 3-hour road journey to the cottages.
A final option for those who live close to Glasgow airport is to avail of the four times per week flights from Glasgow directly to Carrickfin airport, just 10 klms. From the cottages.
SEA ACCESS
There are many possibilities for those who wish to access us by sea and take their own car. In all cases you should then click on our “Travel Info” link to get details of the road route from your landing port to Donegal Thatched Cottages. Those coming from Scotland can get a ferry to Larne from either Cairnryan, Troon or Fleetwood. They could also get a ferry to Belfast from Stranraer. Those coming from the Midlands can get a ferry to Dublin from Hollyhead or Liverpool, or a ferry to Dun Laoghaire from Hollyhead.
Those coming from Wales can get a ferry to Rosslare from either Pembroke or Fishguard, and a ferry to Cork from Swansea. For a single website that offers all these possibilities in one location and allows you to compare prices you could visit www.eurodrive.co.uk.
Those coming from continental Europe have a choice of Roscoff to Cork or Cherbourg to Rosslare.