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Inch Island Walk

1.99 miles (3.2 km)

Open Streetmap This walk visits Inch Island in Lough Swilly in County Donegal. The island is a great place for scenic walks and includes a wildlife rich nature reserve which is great for birdwatching.
This walk on the island takes you along Inch Lake to the bird hide and the Western causeway. You can start off from the Inch Lake car park and picnic area on the south eastern part of the island. From here you can pick up footpaths heading south west along the water to the causeway. On the way you can enjoy lovely views over the surrounding countryside and look out for a variety of birds. Look out for species such as greenland white fronted goose, whooper swan and greylag goose.
To continue your walking on the island you could try the 8 km looped walk in the the Inch Wildfowl Reserve. The site includes two car parks, seating, viewpoints and a number of bird hides open to the public. This circular trail heads around the lake edge and offers glorious views of the surrounding agricultural landscape and wetlands. Click here for more information on the walk.

Inch Island Open Street Map Open Streetmap - Mobile GPS Map with Location tracking

Further Information and Other Local Ideas

The island is located just west of Londonderry where you could try the historic Derry Walls.
To the north there's the Mamore Gap to explore. There's a good cycling and walking trail taking you through the Gap with great views of the surrounding hills and the Inishowen Peninsula. Near here there's also Malin Head, the most northerly point of mainland Ireland. The scenic spot is also well known as a filming location for the Star Wars movies.

Cycle Routes and Walking Routes Nearby

Photos

Bird hide at Inch Lake - geograph.org.uk - 3669381

Bird hide at Inch Lake

Western Causeway, Inch Lake - geograph.org.uk - 3669353

Western Causeway, Inch Lake

Swans on Inch Lake - geograph.org.uk - 3669387

Swans on Inch Lake

Inch Lake - geograph.org.uk - 3669361

Inch Lake

Ardnamoyle Townland - geograph.org.uk - 1030695

Ardnamoyle Townland. Zooming NNW for a closer look of the Swilly

View north-west from Grianán Ailigh - geograph.org.uk - 3549443

View north-west from Grianán Ailigh

GPS Files

GPX File

Inch Island.gpx (On Desktop:Right Click>Save As. On Ipad/Iphone:Click and hold>Download Linked File)