Silver Strand Beach (An Trá Bhán)

Set at the foot of 175 steps in a horseshoe shaped bay, Silver Strand is one of the true gems of the Donegal coast. A beautiful stretch of pristine sand flanked by sheer cliffs, the water here is a crystal clear turquoise that wouldn’t look out of place in the Caribbean.

Despite being located on the tip of the westernmost peninsula of County Donegal, jutting into the Atlantic Ocean, Silver Strand manages to remain fairly sheltered in its deep-set bay. The sand here slopes gently and remains shallow a good way out making it quite safe to swim on calm days - although as always we advise caution as there are no lifeguards.

It is something of a journey to get to Silver Strand but there’s plenty of other stuff to see in the area. Perhaps top of the list are the Slieve League cliffs which rise over 600 metres (nearly 2,000ft) from the sea below. There’s also the “Secret Waterfall” at Largy, just along the coast from Fintra beach.

In fact the drive itself is pretty spectacular, especially if you take the R230 as it wind through the Glengesh Pass.

Oh, and  this isn’t the only beach with this name in Ireland, there’s another lovely Silver Strand in County Cork