Gola Island – a car-free Donegal escape

Overview

Gola sat empty for roughly forty years. The last permanent families left in the 1960s, and it was 2002 before anyone moved back to live; the 2022 census counted about fifteen residents. Part of what draws day-trippers now is that emptiness, and part of it is the rock. The granite sea-cliffs on the west side are rated among the best climbing in Europe, with immaculate stone and remarkable friction.

The island (Irish: Oileán Ghabhla) lies about a kilometre off the Gweedore coast and covers roughly 500 acres. No cars are allowed. A short ferry gets you across in about eight minutes, and from the pier it is all walking or cycling: rolling western slopes climbing to Cnoc an Choillín at 238 ft (72 m), pink-granite outcrops, two white-sand beaches and a small freshwater lake at the centre.

If you have only a few hours, walk up Cnoc an Choillín first for the lie of the land, then drop down to the beaches. Serious climbers come for the west cliffs and little else.

A living piece of history

Long before it became a day-trip, Gola was a working maritime community. Kitchen middens near the central lake point to prehistoric visitors, but the most visible legacy dates to the 19th century. By the 1840s families were farming the coastal soil and running a herring fishery, and the 1846 stone schoolhouse once taught up to 70 children in Irish and English. The island supported its own fishery and school well into the last century.

A memorial stone by the shore, Leac Cuimhneacháin an Asgard, records the island’s link to two of the crew of the Asgard. The 1960s brought the tipping point: the school closed, younger people left for the mainland, and the stone cottages were given over to the weather. A revival in the early 2000s reversed it. Volunteers restored traditional longhouses, brought mains water and electricity ashore, and reopened a seasonal tearoom. No one lives here year-round in the old sense, but holiday homes and cultural projects keep the place from going silent again.

Getting there

• Ferry crossing: The Seod Ghabhla ferry runs from Magherallan Pier, near Bunbeg, and takes about eight minutes (tel +353 (0)87 2474146). Sailings are seasonal and weather-dependent, and outside high summer you need to book ahead rather than turn up.
• Parking and transport: There is parking at the mainland pier. Regular buses link Gweedore to Donegal Town and Derry if you are coming without a car.
• On the island: Vehicles are not permitted. Once off the ferry you cover the island on foot or by bike along its footpaths and old tracks.

Walking and exploring

The Súilóid Oileán Ghabhla (Gola Island Way) is the natural full loop. At roughly 3.5 km it starts at the east pier, winds inland toward Port a Chruinn, and climbs toward the sea-arch Scoilt Uí Dhúgáin, following routes walked for centuries across open bog and past old stone walls. Wear boots you do not mind getting muddy; the bog paths soften quickly after rain.

For the background, stop at An Teach Beag – Ionad Eolais, the island’s small information centre, with displays on island life, the herring fishery and the restoration that brought people back.

Cnoc an Choillín and the coast

Cnoc an Choillín (238 ft) is the best vantage point on the island. A short, unmarked walk leads to a stone cairn at the top, and on a clear day the view runs across the Atlantic, the Donegal mainland and the neighbouring islands. The hill doubled historically as a navigation landmark for coastal traders and as a windbreak for the eastern settlement.

Down at the water, Gola has two white-sand beaches: one broad and open for a swim or a long stroll, the other more sheltered and better for families. Pink-granite cliffs frame the coast, and the freshwater lake at the island’s centre is a quiet spot for a picnic, with birdlife around its shores.

Birds and climbing

Around the lake and the western cliffs you can spot cormorants, razorbills, guillemots, gannets and kittiwakes. Early mornings are best, when the cliffs are quiet and the low light brings out the colour in the granite.

For climbers, the west faces are the reason to come. Routes run from moderate to extreme, first developed in the 1980s and written up by Alan Tees in the Irish Mountain Log. Check conditions locally and climb with a partner.

Staying on the island

• Holiday cottages: Several restored stone cottages take self-catering guests, booked through local holiday-rental platforms or the island association.
• Seasonal tearoom: Open through the summer for tea, scones and light lunches; a reliable warm-up after a coastal walk.
• Facilities: Mains water and electricity reach the restored homes and communal areas, and there are public toilets near the tearoom and information centre.

Practical information

Two practical things before you go. Check tide tables if you want to reach Scoilt Uí Dhúgáin, as the sea-arch is only safe to approach at low water, and book your ferry slot in advance on peak summer weekends. To pair the trip with another island, Arranmore Island is the logical second stop, with its own lighthouse trails and coastal walks.