Astelleen Burn Waterfall

Glenveagh National Park / Letterkenny, County Donegal, Ireland

About Astelleen Burn Waterfall


Hiking Distance: at least 8km round-trip (with shuttle); up to 16.2km (without shuttle)
Suggested Time: about 3-5 hours

Date first visited: 2024-07-16
Date last visited: 2024-07-16

Waterfall Latitude: 55.01683
Waterfall Longitude: -8.01285

Waterfall Safety and Common Sense

Astelleen Burn Waterfall is a remote waterfall situated in the Upper Glenveagh Valley beyond the popular Glenveagh Castle.

It’s a big sloping waterfall with volume (according to my GPS logs, it has a 180m cumulative height) as it fed the Owenacoo River just upstream of the Lough Veagh.

Glenveagh_320_07162024 - Astelleen Burn Waterfall
Astelleen Burn Waterfall

Although most visitors to the Glenveagh National Park only bother to visit the Glenveagh Castle, that presents a delightfully tranquil and naturesque experience to be had hiking beyond that castle to get to this waterfall.

That said, just even earning a sighting of the Astelleen Burn Waterfall involves a good deal of hiking because it’s roughly 4km to get from the car park (see directions below) to the castle.

Then, it’s another 3.5km (in each direction) to get from the castle to a rest bench with a nice view of the Astelleen Burn Waterfall.

Nevertheless, the waterfall sits across an open valley so it’s possible to get different views from various vantage points depending on where you’re standing on the trail (it’s really up to you).

Glenveagh_158_07162024 - Sweeping view of Glenveagh Castle and the Lough Veagh. The castle is the primary reason why most people visit Glenveagh National Park
Sweeping view of Glenveagh Castle and the Lough Veagh. The castle is the primary reason why most people visit Glenveagh National Park

Although it’s possible to continue hiking (or biking) even further on the trail, I used the Astelleen Burn Waterfall viewing experience as my turnaround point.

In any case, there’s quite a few options in terms of how short or how long you want an excursion that includes both the Astelleen Burn Waterfall and the Glenveagh Castle to be.

I’ll go through that decision process in the trail description below, which primarily focuses on how I managed to do it, but I’ll bring up the options as they come up.

Hiking from the Glenveagh Car Park to the Glenveagh Castle

From the car park area at the Glenveagh National Park Visitor Centre, I had the option of walking or taking the shuttle bus to traverse the 4km distance to get to Glenveagh Castle.

Glenveagh_064_07152024 - The trail between the Glenveagh Visitor Centre car park and the Glenveagh Castle, which pretty much runs parallel to the service road that the shuttle bus uses
The trail between the Glenveagh Visitor Centre car park and the Glenveagh Castle, which pretty much runs parallel to the service road that the shuttle bus uses

The shuttle bus costed 1.5 euro for each direction or 3 euro round-trip, but it didn’t start running until some time after 9:30am (timed to show up right when the castle opens for the day).

I opted to walk this distance while my wife and daughter waited to take the shuttle bus (we had shown up around 8am).

So in doing the hike, it pretty much followed along the road to the Glenveagh Castle, but it was on a well-developed narrower path that wasn’t on the road itself.

That way, I was never in the way of traffic except for a couple of road crossings and until I was near the castle grounds.

Glenveagh_008_iPhone_07162024 - The apparent swimming area on the shores of Lough Veagh near the Glenveagh Castle as I was hiking the 4km stretch between the car park and the castle
The apparent swimming area on the shores of Lough Veagh near the Glenveagh Castle as I was hiking the 4km stretch between the car park and the castle

I also got to enjoy the views of the Vale of Glenveagh fronted by the Lough Veagh while checking out some interpretive signs talking about aspects of the valley’s climate, fauna, flora, and some history.

By about 3.3km from the car park, I did encounter a part of the lake that appeared to be conducive to swimming, which I’m sure would be inviting on a warmer day.

Anyways, when I got to the castle grounds at around 9:15am, the castle still wasn’t open, but the gardens and the grounds were.

So I used this time to explore a steep ascent up the hillside backing the Glenveagh Castle, which led up to a viewing point looking down at the context of the castle fronting the Lough Veagh lake.

Glenveagh_028_jx_07162024 - Visiting the interior of the Glenveagh Castle after doing the 4km hike from the car park to the castle while the wife and daughter took the shuttle
Visiting the interior of the Glenveagh Castle after doing the 4km hike from the car park to the castle while the wife and daughter took the shuttle

This extra 1.2km detour (600m in each direction) took me around 15-20 minutes or so.

By the time I had my fill of this viewpoint, I then rejoined my wife and daughter within the Glenveagh Castle to do some touring of its interior (costing us about 7 euro per adult, though we paid 15 euro for the family).

After having our fill of the castle’s interior, Julie and Tahia then chilled out at the tea room there while I solo’d my hike to pursue the Astelleen Burn Waterfall.

Hiking from the Glenveagh Castle to the Astelleen Burn Waterfall

From the Glenveagh Castle, I continued along the local road further up the Glenveagh Valley past some picnic tables and some historical artifacts.

Glenveagh_270_07162024 - Continuing along the well-established trail alongside Lough Veagh after having gone past the Glenveagh Castle and pursuing the Astelleen Burn Waterfall
Continuing along the well-established trail alongside Lough Veagh after having gone past the Glenveagh Castle and pursuing the Astelleen Burn Waterfall

There was a sign here saying that it was still another 3.5km to get to the Astelleen Burn Waterfall, which meant that I had to go another 7km round-trip.

This hike was mostly flat (or at least the elevation gain/loss was not that noticeable).

Throughout the hike, I was pretty much skirting the southeastern shores of Lough Veagh before things started to get more interesting towards the head of the lake.

At that point (roughly 2.5km from the Glenveagh Castle), I started to hear (and slightly see) some side cascade tumbling towards the head of the lake.

Glenveagh_292_07162024 - Looking across the head of Lough Veagh towards an audible (but not all that visible) cascade tumbling into the lake
Looking across the head of Lough Veagh towards an audible (but not all that visible) cascade tumbling into the lake

Shortly after getting past the head of the lake, I started to see the Astelleen Burn Waterfall in the distance.

There was also a spur trail descending towards some kind of shelter, which I’d imagine would serve as a refuge if the weather would turn foul.

Roughly about 400m beyond the spur trail leading down to the shelter, I eventually got to an opening with a rest bench peering right at the Astelleen Burn Waterfall.

From what I could tell, there was not a sanctioned way to cross the Owenacoo River and get right up to the waterfall’s base, and so I had to appreciate the cross-valley views of the falls.

Glenveagh_317_07162024 - Context of the Upper Glenveagh Trail and the Astelleen Burn Waterfall as I approached the spur with a rest bench and unobstructed view of the falls
Context of the Upper Glenveagh Trail and the Astelleen Burn Waterfall as I approached the spur with a rest bench and unobstructed view of the falls

Although the rest bench and opening in the valley made for a logical spot to check out the falls before turning back to the castle, it wasn’t the only place to get views of the waterfall.

Indeed, I actually kept going for another 200m before I started to notice that the views of the Astelleen Burn Waterfall became more suboptimal.

That said, I did see some mountain bikers keep going along the trail (probably getting all the way to the R254 Road before heading back.

So when all was said and done, I wound up spending 2 hours away from Glenveagh Castle to go this 7km distance.

Glenveagh_023_iPhone_07162024 - Looking back along the Upper Glenveagh Trail from around my turnaround spot before the Astelleen Burn Waterfall
Looking back along the Upper Glenveagh Trail from around my turnaround spot before the Astelleen Burn Waterfall

However, overall, I wound up hiking 12.2km including all my detours while taking the shuttle back to the car park from the castle (but not including the walking within the castle itself).

I guess had I taken the shuttle in both directions, then the hiking could be reduced down to 7km round-trip for just the waterfall.

That said, if I opted to just hike the entire way without involving the shuttle bus, then the total hiking could be as much as 16.2km round-trip (including the detour to the overlook of Glenveagh Castle).

Overall, we all wound up spending about 5 hours away from the car.

Glenveagh_027_iPhone_07162024 - Looking back at Glenveagh Castle and the Lough Veagh in the direction of the upper glen after having returned to the castle after visiting the Astelleen Burn Waterfall. Now we waited for the shuttle to go the remaining 4km back to the car park
Looking back at Glenveagh Castle and the Lough Veagh in the direction of the upper glen after having returned to the castle after visiting the Astelleen Burn Waterfall. Now we waited for the shuttle to go the remaining 4km back to the car park

One thing about this excursion in Glenveagh National Park was that there were lots of biting midges swarming around the car park during our mid-July 2024 visit.

They didn’t seem to be too bad around the Astelleen Burn Waterfall nor around the Glenveagh Castle (maybe it was because I was moving more?), but I’d imagine it really depends on the conditions and circumstances.

And unlike how we do with mosquitoes, I applied Jungle Juice 100% DEET, and it did seem to have some effect against the midges in terms of reducing the incidents of biting, but they still swarmed around my head in the early part of the excursion.

Authorities

The Astelleen Burn Waterfall resides in the Glenveagh National Park near the city of Letterkenny, County Donegal, Ireland. It is administered by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS). For information or inquiries about the area as well as current conditions, you can try visiting the National Parks website.

Glenveagh_001_07152024 - Walking from the car park towards the Glenveagh National Park Visitor Centre since we had shown up too early for the shuttle, and I decided to use this time to hike to the Glenveagh Castle while Julie and Tahia waited for the shuttle to start running
Glenveagh_006_07152024 - Sign pointing left for the visitor centre and bus tickets while it pointed right for the Glenveagh Castle and shuttle stop
Glenveagh_009_07152024 - Looking ahead at the Lough Veagh from the shuttle stop area at Glenveagh National Park
Glenveagh_015_07152024 - Looking towards the peat-coloured mouth of Lough Veagh from near the shuttle stop at Glenveagh National Park
Glenveagh_017_07152024 - Another look towards mouth the Lough Veagh from the start of the hike to get to Glenveagh Castle from the shuttle stop area of the Glenveagh National Park
Glenveagh_032_07152024 - Context of the paved foot trail paralleling the road that the service vehicles and shuttles take to Glenveagh Castle
Glenveagh_034_07152024 - Another look at the context of the foot trail paralleling the road that the service vehicles and shuttles take to get to Glenveagh Castle
Glenveagh_045_07152024 - Context of a rest bench by the foot trail with Glenveagh in the background
Glenveagh_055_07152024 - Continuing along the foot path as the clouds were playing tricks with the morning light at Glenveagh National Park
Glenveagh_073_07152024 - Looking over the service road skirting the southern shores of Lough Veagh as seen from the foot trail between the visitor centre and the Glenveagh Castle
Glenveagh_090_07152024 - Looking back in the other direction towards the mouth of Lough Veagh from the foot trail between the visitor centre and the Glenveagh Castle
Glenveagh_091_07152024 - Another look ahead in the direction of Glenveagh Castle from the foot trail between the visitor centre and the castle itself
Glenveagh_106_07152024 - Getting to a point where the foot trail between the visitor centre and Glenveagh Castle was about to converge with the service road
Glenveagh_113_07162024 - The foot trail and service road converging near the Glenveagh Castle
Glenveagh_118_07162024 - Another look at the foot trail and service road converging near the Glenveagh Castle
Glenveagh_129_07162024 - Finally making it to the Glenveagh Castle
Glenveagh_134_07162024 - Looking back at the context of the area around the shuttle stop right in front of Glenveagh Castle
Glenveagh_139_07162024 - Exploring the garden area of the Glenveagh Castle
Glenveagh_140_07162024 - Checking out more of the garden area of the Glenveagh Castle
Glenveagh_151_07162024 - Contextual look down towards the Glenveagh Castle backed by Lough Veagh from a lookout point behind the castle
Glenveagh_155_07162024 - More zoomed in look at the Glenveagh Castle from the elevated lookout point
Glenveagh_176_07162024 - Looking back at another trail connecting with the lookout behind the Glenveagh Castle
Glenveagh_184_07162024 - Exploring the garden area as I was buying time to meet up with Julie and Tahia at the Glenveagh Castle
Glenveagh_201_07162024 - Exploring the interior of the Glenveagh Castle
Glenveagh_041_jx_07162024 - Exploring more of the furnished interior of the Glenveagh Castle
Glenveagh_050_jx_07162024 - You know you're looking at a fancy place when there are beds with a cover over it, and that was certainly the case at Glenveagh Castle
Glenveagh_253_07162024 - Looking at some kind of relic at the Glenveagh Castle as I was continuing into the Upper Glenveagh in pursuit of the Astelleen Burn Waterfall
Glenveagh_256_07162024 - Context of some hikers also heading into the Upper Glenveagh in pursuit of the Astelleen Burn Waterfall
Glenveagh_260_07162024 - The trail (that is actually a continuation of the service road) skirted alongside the southern shore of the Lough Veagh in the upper glen
Glenveagh_275_07162024 - When I visited Glenveagh National Park in mid-July 2024, there was actually this fallen tree that made for a tricky obstacle to get around, but there were already staff waiting for the right tools to arrive to clear this obstacle
Glenveagh_289_07162024 - Looking across Lough Veagh towards some unseen but audible cascades tumbling down the opposite side of the vale
Glenveagh_295_07162024 - Finally starting to see the Astelleen Burn Waterfall as I was going beyond the head of Lough Veagh in Glenveagh National Park
Glenveagh_301_07162024 - Angled zoomed in look at the Astelleen Burn Waterfall
Glenveagh_304_07162024 - Looking over the Owenacoo River towards the Astelleen Burn Waterfall
Glenveagh_332_07162024 - Some bell-shaped flowers blooming before the Astelleen Burn Waterfall
Glenveagh_346_07162024 - Direct look at the Astelleen Burn Waterfall as I had gone a little further than the rest and viewing bench
Glenveagh_352_07162024 - The trail continuing further up the upper glen of Glenveagh beyond the Astelleen Burn Waterfall
Glenveagh_359_07162024 - Portrait zoomed in look at the Astelleen Burn Waterfall
Glenveagh_376_07162024 - This was the view of the Astelleen Burn Waterfall as seen from the rest bench, which would be the turnaround point of most visitors going beyond the Glenveagh Castle
Glenveagh_380_07162024 - Last look back towards the Astelleen Burn Waterfall in context with the trail going past it
Glenveagh_389_07162024 - Hiking back along the trail alongside the Lough Veagh to return to the Glenveagh Castle after having visited the Astelleen Burn Waterfall. Notice the shelter on the left side, which was a landmark of sorts as well as a place to seek refuge if the weather turns foul
Glenveagh_414_07162024 - Going back along the trail alongside the Lough Veagh en route to the Glenveagh Castle after having had my fill of the Astelleen Burn Waterfall
Glenveagh_420_07162024 - Starting to see other hikers heading up to the Astelleen Burn Waterfall as I was heading back in the direction of the Glenveagh Castle
Glenveagh_434_07162024 - Making it back to the garden area around the Glenveagh Castle


The Astelleen Burn Waterfall resides in Glenveagh National Park roughly a little over a half-hour drive from Letterkenny.

However, since we approached this waterfall from Donegal as well as Londonderry (Northern Ireland), I’ll also describe the driving directions from these places.

Drive_to_Glenveagh_055_MingSung_07162024 - On the R251 Road heading towards Glenveagh National Park
On the R251 Road heading towards Glenveagh National Park

From Donegal, the most straightforward route would be to drive the N13 for about 27km towards its junction with the N13 in Stranorlar.

Then we drove the N13 north for a little over 13km to its junction with the N56 in Letterkenny (heading towards Dunfanaghy).

The N56 then went around the city centre of Letterkenny as it ultimately took us a little over 16km to a well-signed turnoff for the R255 and the Glenveagh National Park.

Once on the R255, we then drove this road for about 6km to its junction with the R251 Road.

Glenveagh_450_07162024 - The car park at Glenveagh National Park Visitor Centre
The car park at Glenveagh National Park Visitor Centre

Finally, we followed the R251 Road towards Glenveagh National Park, where the turnoff for the visitor centre and car park was on the left after a little over 4km.

Overall, this drive took us a little over an hour (though it could be longer due to traffic in Letterkenny).

From Londonderry (or Derry) in Northern Ireland, we’d drive the A2 towards the A40, which we’d then head west on as the road becomes R237 after crossing the border back into Ireland.

Then, we’d continue on the R237 for about 4km or so before turning left onto the N13 Road.

Drive_to_Derry_061_MingSung_07162024 - Inside the city centre of Londonderry or Derry in Northern Ireland, which is also another possible base to visit Glenveagh and other sites in the north of County Donegal, Ireland
Inside the city centre of Londonderry or Derry in Northern Ireland, which is also another possible base to visit Glenveagh and other sites in the north of County Donegal, Ireland

Once on the N13 Road we’d then follow this road for a little over 10km before joining up with the N56 in Letterkenny.

From there, we’d follow the directions as above towards Glenveagh National Park as described above.

Overall, this drive would also take a little over an hour.

For context, Letterkenny is about 35km (over 30 minutes drive) southeast of Dunfanaghy, about 22 miles (over 30 minutes drive) west of Londonderry (Northern Ireland), about 51km (about an hour drive) northeast of Donegal, 91 miles (over 2 hours drive) northwest of Belfast (Northern Ireland), and 236km (over 3.5 hours drive) northwest of Dublin.

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First look at the Astelleen Burn and a smaller cascade from near the head of the Lough Veagh lake


Nearly 720 degree sweep showing the context of my turnaround spot while also checking out the falls from this angle


360 degree sweep from the viewing bench before focusing on the falls towards the end

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Tagged with: glenveagh, national park, letterkenny, donegal, ireland, ulster, dunfanaghy



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Johnny Cheng

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Johnny Cheng is the founder of the World of Waterfalls and author of the award-winning A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls. Over the last 2 decades, he has visited thousands of waterfalls in over 40 countries around the world and nearly 40 states in the USA.
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