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| We could have easily stayed put at Sleepy Hollows and much of that is down to the effort, enthusiasm and positive energy of the proprietors |
I want to quash the notion that everyone in Donegal has a
beach in their back garden. But I can’t.
It seems that on every bend of the road, and Donegal roads
have lots of bends, there is some sort of shoreline, foreshore, headland,
point, strand, seashore, seaside, cove, trá
or beach.
No surprise then that Donegal
has the longest coastline in the country of over 1,100 km, constituting close to
a massive one fifth of the entire Wild
Atlantic Way. All that’s before you start throwing in the significant
offshore islands, the likes of Tory and Arranmore
for good measure.
When you hit Bundoran
in the south you still have a good two hours drive ahead of you before you
would make it to the further reaches of the north of the county, and that’s
providing you stick to the main roads and don’t stray off the beaten path and
take the scenic route.
You have your motorhome and you think you are going to do
the dog and divil in two weeks and
cover the entire ground. Big mistake. That’s not going to happen.
In this regard Donegal is a bit like California. The amount
of people I know who hired an RV, hit the Pacific Coast Highway for a fortnight
with great plans to surf and see all the sites and they end up behind the wheel
driving solid for two weeks with very little daytime downtime to show from
their dream holiday.
The secret is to accept that you are not going to take it
all in, or anything like it, at the first attempt or in one go. Donegal is best
enjoyed at a slow pace, a little at a time with lots to bring you back, to look
forward to and enjoy when you revisit.
It’s vital therefore to have a good base, a cosy spot that
you can relax and repair, and from where to head off for your adventures and
activities. Donegal is such a sprawling and dispersed county, largely covered
by country roads across its rural landscape and peninsulas. I suggest it is best
to divide up your itinerary and strategically base yourself accordingly. We are
just back from a 16 day stint based across four different campsites in the
county, all with their own unique and distinct offering, which will be covered
in a series of blogs over the coming week.
Even though I’ve been going to Donegal for quite a while
there are still lots of locations on my wish list. Having a good base is vital,
especially if you plan to use it as your hub for daily excursions on foot, by
bike or in your vehicle.
One such base has got to be Sleepy Hollows. It’s a great spot.
Donegal is blessed with an abundance of fantastic camping
and campsite options and for my money, Sleepy
Hollows is right up there as the best wee campsite in Donegal.
I can’t claim credit for discovering Sleepy Hollow, as my
prompt came from another motorhome enthusiast (Maree Donovan) who posted a
tempting review on the online forums. So I had to check it out for myself.
Sleepy Hollows was
every bit as impressive as had been suggested. A snug site, nestling in
woodland with a river running through it. The set-up is old school with a real
camping feel, the real deal, an authentic campsite atmosphere with tents and
eco-friendly campfires. The entire footprint of the facility has a strong environmental
bent using only green bio toilet fluid and a range of camping options available
from under canvas, to caravan and campervan hardstands and a cosy chalet for
rent.
It’s a magical spot. The only sound is that of silence and
while it’s unusual for a Donegal camping site not to be at the seaside, the
coastline is never far away (nearest spot 3 km) and just a few minutes stroll
down the road is the famed Leo’s Tavern, the
hallowed musical home place of Clannad
and Enya, (which also serves up a full
food menu and I can personally vouch for their superb seafood chowder!) in the village of Crolly,
(Croithshlí as Gaeilge).
We could have easily stayed put at Sleepy Hollow and much of that is down to the effort, enthusiasm
and positive energy of the proprietors, Nicola and Ian. They seemed to be
constantly on hand, working so hard to keep the place in ship shape, the
toilets and showers spotless in their rustic setting. The campers’ kitchen too
was fully fitted out and operational and Sleepy Hollow sets an example as to
what can be achieved in terms of services and facilities with some elbow
grease, enterprise and a bit of co-operation and common sense. So hats off to
them on that front also.
For the world of me I can’t understand how shutting down showers and toilets is supposed to be in the best interests of public health and hygiene? In some ways I think it’s a bit of a cop out on the part of some sites and I don’t see any corresponding reduction in their charges accordingly.
For the world of me I can’t understand how shutting down showers and toilets is supposed to be in the best interests of public health and hygiene? In some ways I think it’s a bit of a cop out on the part of some sites and I don’t see any corresponding reduction in their charges accordingly.
Important to note, though, that while Sleepy Hollows is pet friendly (and there were lots of well-behaved
mutts about), it is an adult only site, so no children.
If there is a drawback to Sleepy Hollows, well, it has to be
the midges. While this bugs some more than others, the site is prone to them
and they would eat you alive. The ever so helpful and obliging Ian is upfront
about this on your arrival and has a solution to hand in the form of the fairly
effective Smidge spray for a tenner. (I have my suspicions that he has the franchise and is the North
West distributor for the stuff!!). There was also talk of otters and deer showing up in the still of the dusk but it was only the midges who made an appearance.
The Sleepy Hollows folk also have a generous supply
of citronella incense to hand and are equally generous with the fresh
ingredients from their abundant herb patch for those with a culinary flare and
fancy adding rosemary to the roasties just like your granny did for some home
cooking.
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| Lots of herbs for the campers who fancy themselves as chefs. |
The charge per night for a motorhome hard stand with
generous green space adjacent is €25 including electricity (EHU) and 24/7 hot showers. For the other rates and options you’ll find them on www.sleepyhollows.ie and I do like the
way they also give a concession for single occupancy.
Like I said, the best wee
campsite in Donegal. Furthermore it opens all year round.
Sleepy Hollow is an ideal staging post for numerous
activities and trips. Dungloe is
just down the road and nearby also is Burtonport
and the ferry for Arranmore. A trip
up to the Fanad Head Lighthouse is
highly recommended for the scenery alone.
Also within half an hour are the villages of Gortahurk and Falcarragh and just off the road in Falcarragh is the stunning 5km Drumnatinny
Beach and Ballyness Way walking
trail.
The beach is spectacular, pristine and car free with
landmark bearings left and right for Tory
Island and Horn Head.
It is
served by a small car park, which fills up quickly from early morning, is
popular with the highly regarded Dunfanaghy based Narosa Surf School, while the Sleepy
Hollows people give a big shout out to their friends at Selkie Sailing (0862223328), who offer a range of activities from
surfing, kayaking and sailing. On certain days the car park is served by the
popular Mountain Melts who do a
brisk business for their coffees, savouries and cakes.
For those with an interest in angling there is fishing at
both the River Crolly and the Ray River at Falcarragh, but they are
both controlled fisheries and a permit is required.
Another campsite option convenient to this general locality
is Concreggan Mill near Dunfanaghy
(which we reviewed previously) is under new ownership and I’m hearing
only good reports. You can check out our blog here: http://www.vanhalla.ie/2018/11/dunfanaghy-and-weekend-you-never-want.html
Sleepy Hollows is
the first of a series of blogs from Vanhalla’s recent excursion to Donegal with
others to follow in the coming days from Rossnowlagh,
Killybegs and Downings. So if
you are interested in this part of the world you can keep an eye out for those.
Any questions, queries or feedback don’t hesitate to shoot
us off a message. Safe camping...
