After visiting Inishowen Peninsula, we drove to Glenveagh National Park, located in northwest Ireland in the county of Donegal. We got stuck in bad traffic outside of Letterkenny and then again while driving through Letterkenny, so we were delayed. Our destination was Glenveagh Castle, and getting here required driving through some of Glenveagh National Park.
Glenveagh Castle
We were rewarded with wonderful views of Glenveagh National Park while we drove along. We had perfect and sunny weather. The area reminded me a little bit of Dartmoor in England with mountains and boulders.
I got several photographs out of the car window. We were all a little tired, though, as we got up very early in order to explore Inishowen.
We finally arrived at the Glenveagh National Park visitor's centre late in the afternoon. The visitor's centre was just about ready to close, and the visitor centre is where the tickets to the castle should be purchased. The walk to the castle from the visitor's centre is 4km (one way), and there is no closer parking. It closes fairly early, and the last bus back is 5:45. I would not have minded walking it, at least one-way, as the views are excellent and we had beautiful weather. Perhaps if we had had more time, we could have walked this. The bus tickets and castle tickets need to be purchased separately, and we boarded the last bus to the castle just in time.
We admired the lovely views over the lake from the bus windows, and after approximately ten minutes, the castle came into view. We got off the bus to start our tour of the castle, which was the last one of the day. A couple of other small groups also joined the tour, so we were not the only ones in the group.
Glenveagh Castle is built on the edge of the lake, and it was constructed in the early 1870s in the Scotish castle style. It was built by John George Adair who had made a fortune in the USA, and he wanted the castle to be grander than Balmoral Castle in Scotland. He used the grounds for hunting deer and was responsible for the beautiful gardens (developed out of the moorland by a specialist gardener from Kew Gardens in England), but Adair was not well-liked and there were many disputes over hunting and land.
The castle and gardens were left to the Irish nation in the early 1980s by the Henry McIlhenny, who purchased the castle in 1937. A lot of the decoration of the interior of the castle was decided by him. A common theme throughout the castle is a "hunting" theme, and there's many deer antler furnishings. Unfortunately, we were unable to get photographs of the interior of the castle because they were not permitted.
The castle was used as a guesthouse by many Hollywood stars, such as Clark Gable, Charlie Chaplin, Greta Garbo, and Marilyn Monroe. We were shown the nice room at the top of the tower where they were likely to have stayed during their visit.
After the castle tour, we had a few minutes to look around the castle's gardens. What was saw was beautiful, and we all wished that we had just spent the time enjoying the gardens instead of entering the castle to do the guided tour.
The gardens were so beautiful. I loved the rhododendrons, which seemed to be everywhere. By the time our tour had finished, the clouds had come overhead and the sun was hidden.
I still managed to get some good photographs of the castle and its lakeside views (over Lough Veagh). In the image below, the swimming pool of the castle is seen. This swimming pool is actually a heated swimming pool, and if I remember correctly about what the tour guide said, I think it is the first of its kind.
Swimming pool at Glenveagh Castle
I walked around the castle walls, taking photographs at different angles and looking for hidden areas in the garden.
One area out the back of the castle contained rows of statues.
Near the front of the castle contained a small trail which opened up into castle grounds, filled with bright and beautiful flowers and exotic trees.
Another garden toward the back of the castle was the vegetable and plant garden for the castle's use. Unfortunately, we did not get too long to look. I would recommend that the gardens be enjoyed above a tour of the interior of the castle. Sure, the interior of the castle was nice to do if time permits. We all wish that we had just stayed and enjoyed the gardens in the beautiful weather.
We made sure that we did not miss the last bus back, as otherwise it would have been a long walk back for us. (To walk 4km, it would take an hour on average.) We enjoyed the lake views on the bus's return journey.
I hope that you have enjoyed these photographs. I must state that this is a castle that will stick with me for some time due to its gardens and lakeside location. The setting is so picturesque; it's a little oasis in moorland.
Leave a comment