Take to the Wild Atlantic Way for rugged walks through Ireland’s finest scenery
NEXT time one of the computer giants needs a soothing landscape screensaver, they could save a fortune on design fees.
Just send a snapper to Sheephaven Bay in North Donegal and it will go viral.
The view of the Atlantic waves gently lapping on to the beach at The Downings resort is simply mesmerising.
We were staying in the newly refurbished Rosapenna Hotel which has a fabulous restaurant and balcony rooms looking right out on to Sheephaven Bay.
A tour of the north of Ireland had brought us here — two days in Northern Ireland and two days in the north of Southern Ireland, if that makes sense.
The two stunning hotels we stayed at were in different countries — the UK and Eire — and with different currencies.
But these tourist destinations have a lot in common: Mindboggling coastal scenery and an abundance of great, reasonably priced hotels, bars and restaurants.
There is no border control and you only know when you have crossed from one side to the other when the post boxes go from red to green and the Irish road signs include Gaelic. But the folk on either side are all incredibly friendly and that's one of the reasons why tourism here is booming.
We started our long weekend away with a short flight from East Midlands Airport to George Best Belfast City Airport. Our first billet was the stunning Galgorm Resort & Spa, which is about to be given a 5H rating and is without doubt one of the best hotels in Ireland, north or south.
Set in 163 acres of glorious Co. Antrim, the Galgorm is truly a resort with everything you need within its manicured lawns and gardens.
The concept of the hotel spa has been taken to a different level here with a brand new thermal village. A series of sheltered, scented pathways link to saunas, steam rooms, pools and bracing outdoor hot tubs beside a tumbling river ford.
Part of the complex offers an array of massages and treatments by a team of expert staff, below, and some guests spend their whole stay in relaxing courtesy robes, flitting from one pampering session to the next.
Food-wise, there are three great restaurants — an à la carte one overlooking the river, a bistro serving tasty bar grub and a separate Italian restaurant which was packed with young families hitting the pizza and pasta when we were there.
If that's not enough, there is an elegant conservatory restaurant serving afternoon tea — and it turns into a piano bar next to the new gin bar at night.
Tourism Ireland has cleverly rebranded a 1,200-mile stretch of the Atlantic coast running from roughly the Giant's Causeway in the North all the way down to Cork in Ireland as the Wild Atlantic Way. And it's paying huge tourism dividends, giving trippers from all over the world a definitive way to explore.
The Rosapenna — our second berth on the trip — sits right on the WAW and is a mecca for families and sportsmen, boasting two championship golf courses overlooking the ocean.
The hotel is a stone's throw from dramatic Horn Head — an almost 600ft high rock face scored with ledges packed with guillemots, gulls and puffins, taking in some of the best coastal scenery in Europe.
A bracing walk across the Head takes you past two small sea blowholes called the Two Pistols, then a much larger one, McSwyne's Gun — so called because of the power of the boom when the sea fires up compressed air from the depths. We heard it once and it was awe-inspiring.
No trip to Ireland would be complete without finding a cracking pub and the Olde Glen Bar tucked away in the village of Carrigart is a gem. When you step into the tiny wood-panelled bar with its walls covered with bottles and rustic ornaments, you are immediately transported back more than 100 years.
Fortunately, the kitchen and restaurant are bang up to date and we enjoyed fantastic steak and seafood meals washed down with a pint of Guinness or two.
A travelling pair of fiddle players kept the craic mighty until long after closing time.
And as the taxi took us back to the Rosapenna, the waves were still drifting in under the moonlight on Sheephaven Bay.
GO: NORTHERN IRELAND and REPUBLIC OF IRELAND
GETTING THERE: Flights from East Midlands Airport to Belfast start from £120 return with .
STAYING THERE: Double rooms at the Galgorm Resort & Spa are from £182.50. See . Double rooms at the Rosapenna Hotel start from £85. See.
MORE INFO: Check out for sample driving routes and visit for more holiday inspiration.