Our third day in County Donegal, the day we were returning back home in Dublin. It was making us excited, tired, and elated all at once. Excited to see what this day in Donegal offers, elated because we are going back home after a week and tired for the same reason.

It was almost a week since we started from home to visit our friends, about which you can read in the 1st part of this series posted here on Day 1.

Today we were planning to visit 2 more places before starting back home. Actually, the second one was still optional. We were all tired and still had 4.5 hours to travel before reaching home.

We decided to go as it didn’t make much of a time difference in the entire trip.

“Voila, what a beautiful decision it was to not miss Assaranca Waterfalls.”

Day 3-Silver Strand Beach, Assaranca Waterfall

1. Silver Strand Beach/ Malin Beg

A beach that had a total of 174 steps to get down to. The fact that we would have to climb up the same number of steps on the way back was what we considered a challenge.

“Silver Strand beach has a total of 174 steps to get down to.”

But what do u know, we were excited to climb back and even Bhavi did it all on her own (of course, there was somebody right behind her) halfway before Anish carried her the rest to the top.

The steps were not continuous and there were benches to rest.

“The views while we catch our breath.

Awesome.”

At the start of the steps, there is a gate that should be closed after we pass through similar to the one I had mentioned when we visited Slieve League Cliffs here on Day-2. This is for the protection of livestock so that they don’t get down to the beach.

As it was a very windy day, climbing down the steps became really hard because I was holding Bhavi in my hands as well. She was not letting Anish hold her when we went down. But once we reached the beach, Bhavi immediately got down to business along with Devu.

“Ha, all that sand to eat. Let me start my fun time.”

The Beach

A 20-minute drive from An Sean Ostan in Carrick, Silver Strand beach is also known as Malin Beg/ Malin Beg Walk.

“Silver Strand beach is enveloped by horseshoe-shaped cliffs which definitely provide shelter from the blowing strong winds.”

Silver Strand beach is one of the most beautiful beaches located near Glencolmcille, Southwest Donegal.

“As we descend down to this horseshoe-shaped bay via the 174 steps, we are met with white-soft sands of this secluded bay.”

2. Assaranca Waterfall

A 45-minute drive from Silver Strand beach, Assaranca waterfall in Ardara, Donegal is something that you should not miss if you are in this area. The parking area is right in front of the waterfall so you don’t have to walk much to enjoy this beauty.

“Assaranca waterfall is something that you should not miss for its ethereal beauty.”

The total time we spent near the waterfall was around 5 minutes clicking pictures as the parking was small and we didn’t want to overcrowd. The parking accommodates around 5 cars only. In summer, these spots are sure to get busier though.

Route

The route from Glencolmcille to Ardara,  is narrow and at some places unpaved (some short strips, so it is fine though).

“But just like many of the roads in Donegal, it cuts through mountains and the views,

breathtaking”

Slowing down at curves is the best suggestion like I previously mentioned in my other posts (Day 1, Day 2)as there might be vehicles coming from the opposite direction along with sheep.

ITB: Keep a lookout for wider sections of the road, because at some places where it is narrow and 2 cars cannot pass through at the same time, you might need to backtrack in order for the other vehicles to pass.

Home

The journey back to Dublin was via Sligo and took around 4 hours. We stopped in Sligo for a late lunch at Rugantino, and it was an awesome Italian restaurant. The food there was delicious. When we started the trip to Donegal, it was on Easter and was a public holiday. Almost every restaurant was closed as we passed through Sligo. So we definitely wanted to try something while coming back. There were a lot of restaurants and paid parking lots in the city which made our stop easier.

Even though we were tired after the week-long trip, it was worth seeing so many of our friends, and beautiful places in Donegal as well en route.

“Minds full, hearts happy, time to go through the photos of our trip and pen down the thoughts for all of you to read.”