Rathmullan is a wide, and often windy, expanse of sand – a good place for a swim and a bracing walk. Located in Lough Swilly, the beach here starts just at the end of the town, near to the ferry which runs across the Lough to Buncrana.
The beach stretches for a few kilometres and gets more sheltered the further away from the town you go. Toward the far end you will find rocks for shelter. The water here is fresh, but often choppy.
The entrance to the beach near the town has a car park, a children’s playground and ramp access to the sand. And, of course, there is any amount of room on the beach for children to run and play .
We think there are lifeguards here during the summer, but check with Donegal County Council to make sure.
From Letterkenny you take the R247 which runs along the coast to Rathmullan. The main entrance to the beach is located at the end of the town. Just beyond the town, as you head for Portsalon, there is a smaller coast road from where you will find access to the more sheltered parts of the beach.
The pub in Portsalon has a newspaper article on the wall which makes the case for Portsalon being the nicest beach in the world. We aren’t experts on world beaches, but Portsalon is an absolutely beautiful beach and must be one of the nicest in Ireland.
Portsalon seems to have everything – long stretches of sand to walk on, clear water to swim in, plenty of waves for the surfers, sheltered coves when you want to get out of the wind. The beach is divided by rocks into sections, which gives shelter and privacy.
The swimming itself is good, with lovely clean water combined with waves for the more adventurous when it gets windy. All in all this is just a great place to play, rest and swim
There is a decent sized parking area which has toilets and a couple of picnic tables. Lifeguards are on duty during the summer.
From Letterkenny follow the twisty R247 coast road all the way beyond Rathmullan and it will bring you to Portsalon. There are a number of great viewing points along the way which you shouldn’t miss. The one overlooking Portsalon beach is well worth stopping for.
In a county with no seashore, but any amount of lakes, Sheelin is one of Cavan’s attractive lakeside swimming spots.
This particular location is a small harbour type area, clearly designed for anglers and their small boats. While the lake itself might get choppy this area is fairly well protected, so you can swim in a bit of comfort. Along the small harbour wall there are a couple of places where there are steps which lead you into the soft lake water.
As well as a large car park there are a couple of picnic tables and a small grassy area to sit on after your dip.
From Virginia take the R194 toward Granard and Longford. After the town of Ballyjamesduff you will come to a T junction where you turn left onto the R154 toward Oldcastle. You travel on this road for a couple of kilometres where you will come to a right turn onto the L7079 and signposted for the lake.
The day we swam in Ramor it was wet, windy and deserted, so we certainly didn’t see it at its best. This is a large open lake, popular with anglers and boaters of various types.
Access to the water is down a slipway from the large car park and if you like your water choppy , then you are likely to get it in this open environment.
Apart from the good sized car park there are also some seats looking out on the lake.
Lough Ramor is located beside the town of Virginia, just off the N3 which runs between Cavan and Dublin. When you come into the town you will pick up signposts to the lake.
We don’t know of too many swimming spots in Westmeath, so Lough Derravaragh is a decent enough place to get a dip.
This looks much more like a fishing and boating lake but for swimmers there is the advantage of a slipway from the large car park which will lead you into the water.
Apart from the car park we saw a solitary picnic table but there is a rough grassy area to sit on after you have had your swim.
