Glenveagh National Park.

Spanning nearly 10,000 hectares of the Derryveagh Mountains, Glenveagh National Park is defined by its rugged granite peaks and the deep, silent waters of Lough Veagh. At its heart sits a 19th-century Scottish Baronial-style castle, an architectural anomaly in the Irish wild that once hosted Hollywood icons like Marilyn Monroe. While the Victorian gardens offer a manicured sanctuary of exotic plants and rhododendrons, the surrounding landscape remains untamed. It is one of the few places in Ireland to spot golden eagles soaring above the cliffs or to encounter the country’s largest herd of red deer. Whether you’re hiking the strenuous 8km Glen Walk or cycling through the birch woodlands, the park provides a stark, atmospheric sense of isolation in the far northwest of Donegal.