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Like its southern neighbour, the Rosses, the interior of the Gweedore district is largely desolate and forbidding country and settlements again cling to the shoreline. To the southwest lie the villages of Bunbeg, Middletown and Derrybeg , their cottages sprinkled across a blanket of gorse and mountain grasses. It's a dispiriting kind of landscape and the ruggedness intensifies as it continues up the coast and round the Bloody Foreland to Gortahork and Falcarragh in the Cloghaneely district. Yet surprisingly, there has been significant house-building across the area and it's said to be the most densely populated rural area in Europe. BUNBEG has a gorgeous little harbour, packed with smallish trawlers, half a mile from the village along an enchanting rollicking road. There's now a regular year-round ferry service to Tory Island , and it's possible to negotiate a boat trip from the pier to other, mainly uninhabited, offshore islands such as Inishinny, Inishmaine, Inishirrer, Umfin, Inishfree and Owey. There are summer boat trips (tel 075/31281) to Gola island. The beach further up the coast is approached by taking any track off to the left from the road running north from the harbour crossroads towards DERRYBEG . For accommodation , there are two luxurious hotels in Derrybeg: Ostan Gweedore (tel 075/31177; over GBP130/?165.07) and Ostan Radharc na Mara (tel 075/31159; over GBP130/?165.07). At Bunbeg Harbour, there's excellent B&B at Bunbeg House (tel 075/31305; GBP40-55/?50.79-69.84) with pleasant waterside views from its restaurant. You can also eat extremely well in Bunbeg at Mooney's Restaurant , while nearby Sergeant Pepper's is a good place for kebabs and pizzas. The most popular bar is Teach Hudai Beag , by the harbour crossroads, which hosts a famous Monday night traditional session, sometimes involving members of Altan. Both the Ostan Gweedore and Radharc na Mara hotels hold regular weekend discos . Summer Irish language courses are run by An Chrannog in Derrybeg (tel 075/32188) and also by Teac Jack on the coast road (tel 075/31173; GBP26-33/?33.01-41.90), which also offers courses in music and dancing and has a restaurant and accommodation. At GLASSAGH , about four miles north of Derrybeg, the road climbs abruptly to the Bloody Foreland , a grim, stony, almost barren zone, crisscrossed by stone walls, and so called because of the red hue acquired by its heather from the light of the setting sun. The road turns eastwards at KNOCKFOLA , hugging the side of the mountain, with the bogland and its hard-worked turf banks stretching below towards the Atlantic. You should be able to spot the distinctive shape of Tory Island far out to sea and, at MAGHEROARTY , five miles east of Derrybeg, a road runs down to the pier, where you can pick up a ferry to the island. Nearby are the Teac Coil pub and a grocery store - handy if you're waiting for a boat.
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