Donegal Cycle Route
Road Cycling Trail · Donegal
Donegal Cycle Route is a 221.2 km challenging waymarked linear route in Donegal, starting near Newtown Cunningham/Donegal town.
Grade
| Activity | Grade | Difficulty | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cycling | Challenging | Challenging | 4 days (at 50km per day) |
Getting there
Starts at Newtown Cunningham/Donegal town.
Finishes at Newtown Cunningham/Donegal town.
- Trailhead coordinates
- 54.65218, -8.11156
- Ordnance Survey sheets
- Sheets 1, 2, 6, 10, 11
The National Trails Register's own latitude and longitude fields are empty for all 1,186 trails on it. This trailhead comes from Sport Ireland's separate Trailheads dataset, matched to this trail on its register ID.
Public transport
Bus Eireann public bus service https://www.buseireann.ie/ from Dublin to Letterkenny and to Donegal. McGinley's private bus service from Dublin to Letterkenny http://www.johnmcginley.com/docs/timetable.pdf
About the trail
The Donegal Cycle Route is approximately 200km from Newtowncunningham to Donegal Town. The route is a section of the trans-national EuroVelo 1 - Atlantic Coast Route running from the North Cape in Norway to Porto in Portugal. From Newtown Cunningham it links eastwards to Belfast following UK National Cycle Network routes which make up the EuroVelo 1 route in Northern Ireland. At the southern end of the route in Donegal Town it joins the EuroVelo 1 routes southwards through Co. Sligo. It also links to the North West Cycle Trail. The Donegal Cycle Route will bring you around the beautiful Donegal coastline and through some of the county's most spectacular landscapes. The route is mostly along quiet and scenic local roads. There are a few occassions where the route has to use sections of major roads although in some cases a parallel segregated cycle path has been developed. We ask cyclists to plan ahead, be aware of other road traffic at all times and to obey the rules of the road, on all classes of road used. To allow you to plan your journey the cycle route has been broken down into 14 Sections. Remember you are in the Hills of Donegal and some sections may be more challenging than others! The maps have elevations profiles of all the stages to help plan your journey. The route will take you into or close to the services and tourist centres of Mountcharles, Inver, Ardara, Dungloe, Loughanure, Crolly, Dunlewey, Creeslough, Glen, Milford, Ramelton and Letterkenny. Look out for signed spurs along the route to the nearby towns of Burtonport, Gortahork and Dunfanaghy. There are also a number of signed cycle loops off the main route for you to explore such as The Dooey Loop in Leitirmacaward, the Maghery Lop in Dungloe and the Bunlin Way Loop at Milford.
Before you go
The Donegal Cycle Route is a section of EuroVelo 1. From Newtown Cunningham the EuroVelo route connects to County Derry/Londonderry and continues eastwards to Belfast. From Donegal town the EuroVelo route continues southwards through County Sligo.
- Waymarking
- White signs with blue text (EuroVelo logo included)
Who manages it
Donegal County Council
Donegal County Council
Conditions and closures change. The operator is the authority on both, not this page.
Elsewhere
Trails nearby
Measured trailhead to trailhead, in a straight line.
- Bluestack Way 189 m away · 64.1 km trail
- Leghowney Loop Walk 6.5 km away · 6.9 km trail
- Ard na Mona Wood 7.2 km away · 1.9 km trail
- Creevy Coastal Walk 16 km away · 4.4 km trail
- Ballyshannon Cycle Hub Loop 1 18 km away · 36.1 km trail
- Ballyshannon Cycle Hub Loop 2 18 km away · 35.6 km trail
Common questions
How long is the Donegal Cycle Route?
221.2 km, recorded as a linear route on Sport Ireland's National Trails Register. It climbs 3,000 m in total. Sport Ireland estimates 4 days (at 50km per day).
How hard is the Donegal Cycle Route?
Sport Ireland grades it Challenging. Grades are set against national criteria, so they are comparable with other registered trails.
Where does the Donegal Cycle Route start?
Starts at Newtown Cunningham/Donegal town. The trailhead is at 54.65218, -8.11156.
Can you get to the Donegal Cycle Route without a car?
Bus Eireann public bus service https://www.buseireann.ie/ from Dublin to Letterkenny and to Donegal. McGinley's private bus service from Dublin to Letterkenny http://www.johnmcginley.com/docs/timetable.pdf.
Who manages the Donegal Cycle Route?
Donegal County Council. They are the authority on current conditions and closures, not this page.
More in Donegal
Trail data from the Sport Ireland National Trails Register, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Trailhead coordinates from the companion Trailheads dataset. Snapshot taken 2026-08-13.