Travel expert Simon Calder encourages British holidaymakers to explore Donegal

A leading travel journalist has encouraged British holidaymakers to explore the wonders of Donegal.

Tourism Ireland has unveiled a new partnership with The Independent and Simon Calder to encourage travellers in Britain to consider a holiday or short break along the Wild Atlantic Way.

Tourism Ireland in London invited Calder to come and film at a range of locations along the North-West section of the Wild Atlantic Way. The resulting content – which includes five articles and five videos, as well as an interactive map pinpointing the various places that Simon visited – appears as a specially-created Wild Atlantic Way hub on the travel section of The Independent’s website.

Simon and his crew filmed at a range of locations in the county. He visited Glenevin Waterfall, Lough Swilly, Nancy’s Barn in Ballyliffin and enjoyed a guided Wild Alpaca Way tour at Malin Head.

He stopped off at Buncrana, Glencolumbkille Folk Village, Glenveagh Castle and Glenveagh National Park. Simon and his crew also captured great content at Fort Dunree, Grianán of Aileach, Tory Island, The Crolly Distillery, Harvey’s Point, Hanna Hats of Donegal and McCafferty's Bar in Donegal town.

The articles highlight some of the many things to see and do along the Wild Atlantic Way, with the accompanying videos featuring interviews with locals and breath-taking footage. Simon tells readers all about “why the North-West coast of Ireland has managed to provide inspiration and respite for authors, musicians and movie makers for so many years”.

“Our partnership with The Independent is an excellent opportunity to highlight the wonders of the Wild Atlantic Way – with a special focus on the North-West section – to holidaymakers in Britain,” Julie Wakley, Tourism Ireland’s Head of Great Britain, said.

“It’s a great way of showcasing this part of Ireland to a large audience of potential British visitors – helping us to spread the word about what makes a holiday in Ireland so memorable. We know that the fantastic content captured by Simon Calder will inspire his readers to come and follow in his footsteps.”

The partnership also includes ads on Independent.co.uk, enticing readers to visit the Ireland hub on the website, posts on the social channels of The Independent, as well as the sponsorship of one of Simon’s weekly emails to his readers. In total, the partnership will deliver around 1.4 million impressions. or opportunities to see by potential British holidaymakers.

Tourism Ireland is rolling out its ‘twinning’ initiative again this year, which involves each overseas market ‘twinning with’ a specific region or area in Ireland. Great Britain is twinned with Donegal, so Tourism Ireland in Great Britain is placing a special focus on the North-West in 2023.