Great Irish Roads - a series by Bob Montgomery Great Roads Number 15: Rathmullan to Knockalla
On Donegal's Fanad Peninsula lies the pretty town of Rathmullan. It is found along the shores of Lough Swilly, watched over by an impressive battery fort.
Built in 1810 as a defence against a possible Napoleonic attack, the fort marks the start of our journey along the shoreline - and often high above it - to Knockalla.
Rathmullan has two claims to fame from this island's turbulent history.
It was here that Red Hugh O'Donnell was tricked into boarding the ship on which he was taken to imprisonment in Dublin Castle before escaping some years later in his legendary flight across the Wicklow Mountains in the depths of winter.
And it was from Rathmullan that the Earls of Tyrone and Tyrconnell fled in 1607 to France in the journey that would become known in Irish history as The Flight of the Earls.
Eventually finding refuge at the Papal court in Rome, their flight was followed by the systematic plantation of Ulster by settlers from England and Scotland.
From Rathmullan we take the coast road hugging the shoreline of Lough Swilly and with fine views across the Lough towards the Inishowen Peninsula and the town of Buncrana.
Continue to bear along the coast as the bulk of the Knockalla Mountains begins to rise up in front of you. I first encountered these mountains many years ago when acting as a navigator in one of the first Donegal International Rallies. This road - as far as Ballymastocker Bay - was a special stage over which we raced against the clock.
Now the final part of our drive is the road from the heights of Knockalla dropping down to the fine sandy beaches of Ballymastocker Bay. This portion of the road had also been used - running in the opposite direction - as a very fine hill climb, but now in the Donegal International Rally it was a somewhat awe-inspiring finale to the special stage.
As such, it remains imprinted on my memory and it was a joy to gaze - with considerably more time to enjoy the view on this occasion - from the heights of Knockalla towards Portsalon across Ballymastocker Bay.
At the point from which the road begins to descend sharply there is a small car park from which there are magnificent views not just across the bay but also across Lough Swilly towards Dunree Head, the Urris Hills and Aghaweel Hill on the mountainous Inishowen Peninsula.
It's a wonderful end to a spectacular road on one of the most attractive of Donegal's northern peninsulas and a natural end to our journey.
From here there are several other touring possibilities within the Fanad Peninsula: Fanad Head itself; the lovely beach at Ballyhieran Bay or Kerrykeel and Milford on the western side along Mulroy Bay.
As with so much of Donegal, fine roads and magnificent scenery provide an irrestible combination for the touring driver.