Donegal sits at the top of Ireland like a secret the rest of the country has been keeping. The cliffs at Slieve League are three times the height of the Cliffs of Moher and see a fraction of the visitors. The beaches at Maghera and Narin are among the finest in Europe and are often empty.

This is a county of contrasts: the wild headlands of Horn Head and Malin Head, the sheltered inlets of Donegal Bay, the blue-stacked mountains of the Bluestack range, and the Gaeltacht villages of the Gweedore peninsula where Irish is still the first language and the music sessions run late.

The town of Donegal itself is compact and handsome, built around a diamond-shaped market square and a well-preserved castle. But the real Donegal is found on the roads that lead away from it — the ones that narrow to single track and end at a pier, a beach or a view that makes you understand why people never leave.

Bella Via designs journeys that combine the dramatic coastal scenery with the quieter pleasures — a stay in a restored farmhouse, a morning on a deserted strand, a visit to a tweed weaver whose family has been at the loom for generations.

Donegal is the Ireland that most visitors never find. We will make sure you do.