Lough Derg

If you ever find yourself with a spare couple of hours in Killaloe or Ballina, it’s worth the effort to walk the Tountinna Loop and enjoy the incredible view from the Ballina Hilltop Lookout of Lough Derg and the surrounding Irish countryside.

Or you can simply drive to the top, as we did. Still, the drive is not for the faint-hearted, as the road is only as wide as a single car.

It’s very nerve-wracking rounding a blind corner and finding yourself heading straight into an oncoming vehicle travelling in the other direction. What happens next is a battle of wills as to who will relent and reverse backwards to the last possible passing point. This happens often on Irish country roads, and I am now quite used to it.

Anyhow, back to the view. To the left and south, at the base of Lough Derg on the River Shannon, are the twin towns of Killaloe and Ballina. Lough Derg, Ireland’s third-largest lake, stretches to the north covering an area of 118 square kilometres as it touches the counties of Tipperary (where we are standing), Galway, and Clare.

Enjoy the view.


#aerial #dji #drone #loughderg #killaloe #ballina, #TountinnaLoop #ireland #RiverShannon