Ardlee
+2 photosAbout Ardlee
Ardlee is a Fáilte Ireland approved 3-star b&b in Letterkenny, on the Donegal coast, listed on Fáilte Ireland’s official register of quality-assured accommodation. It is a smaller, owner-run house of 6 rooms, the kind of place where you deal with the people who actually run it.
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Claim this listingStaying in Letterkenny
Donegal’s largest town, the working base for Glenveagh, Errigal, Fanad and the wild north of the county.
Letterkenny is the largest town in Donegal, built on a hillside over the River Swilly where it opens toward Lough Swilly, and crowned by the 240-foot spire of St Eunan’s Cathedral, which earns it the name of the Cathedral Town. It is the commercial centre of the county, with the shops, restaurants and services the wilder parts of Donegal deliberately lack.
For a B&B in Letterkenny, the town is the anchor for the county’s greatest hits. Glenveagh National Park is about 25 minutes away, the ancient hilltop fort of Grianán of Aileach the same in the other direction, Errigal and Fanad Head are well under an hour, and even Malin Head, the top of mainland Ireland, is a comfortable day trip.
Donegal has no railway, which makes a well-connected base matter more here than anywhere else in Ireland. Letterkenny’s bus links to Dublin, Galway and Derry are the best in the county, and Derry city itself, with its walls and its airport, is around half an hour east.
Things to do near Ardlee
Glenveagh National Park
One of Ireland’s national parks fills the mountains northwest of the town, around a Victorian castle of the 1870s on the shore of Lough Veagh with gardens grown from Chilean and Tasmanian stock. Buses run from the visitor centre to the castle, and the lakeside walk back is the best introduction to Donegal.
St Eunan’s Cathedral
The neo-Gothic cathedral opened in 1901 rises over the town on its hill, its spire visible for miles, with richly carved Donegal stone inside and out. It gives Letterkenny its skyline and its nickname.
Grianán of Aileach
About 25 minutes east, the great stone ringfort of the Northern Uí Néill crowns a 244-metre hilltop with a full circle of views over Lough Swilly and Lough Foyle. The site has been a royal place for millennia, and the rebuilt rampart walk is unforgettable on a clear day.
Mount Errigal
Donegal’s highest mountain rises 751 metres above Dunlewey, a perfect quartzite cone about forty minutes from town, with a well-worn route to the summit taking a few hours return. Its pink scree glows at sunset, and the view runs from the Derryveagh range to the sea.
Fanad Head Lighthouse
Often listed among the most beautiful lighthouses in the world, Fanad stands at the mouth of Lough Swilly about 50 minutes north of town, with tours climbing the tower above a coast of coves and clear water. The Fanad drive itself, by Rathmullan and Portsalon, is half the day out.
Newmills Corn and Flax Mills
Five kilometres west of town, the Heritage Ireland site at Newmills works one of the largest waterwheels in Ireland, a 7.6-metre wheel of 1867 driving the old corn mill on the River Swilly. It is a fine hour of living industrial history.
Malin Head and Inishowen
The most northerly point of mainland Ireland stands about an hour and a quarter from Letterkenny at the top of the Inishowen peninsula, where the Wild Atlantic Way officially begins or ends. Looping Inishowen by Buncrana and the Gap of Mamore makes one of the great Irish driving days.
An Grianán Theatre
Letterkenny’s 383-seat theatre, the largest in Donegal, keeps a year-round programme of drama, music and comedy, backed by a lively pub and restaurant scene along the famously long Main Street. Nights out here need no planning committee.
Getting to Letterkenny
Donegal has no rail service, so Letterkenny’s bus links carry the load: Bus Éireann Expressway runs many daily services to Dublin and Dublin Airport, and a Galway route connects through Sligo. Derry city is around half an hour east, with City of Derry Airport about 45 minutes away and Donegal Airport at Carrickfinn a similar drive west. A car unlocks the county, and the town sits at the junction of its main roads.
Booking Ardlee direct, and what the rating means
A real, assessed b&b
Ardlee holds a 3-star b&b rating under Fáilte Ireland's National Quality Assurance Framework, assessed against the bedrooms, bathrooms, breakfast and welcome rather than self-declared. It's an independent signal you can trust before you book, separate from any platform's own review score.
No fees, no middleman
Ring the owner, or use the contact details on this page, and arrange the stay with the house rather than through an app. No booking fee added to your bill and no commission taken from the owner, so the room rate you agree is the room rate you pay.
A better stay, direct
Owners answer the questions a booking platform never will: whether the room at the front is quieter, how early breakfast can be served, or where to park for a few days. Speaking to the house directly is how B&Bs in Ireland were booked for decades.
Still deciding where to base yourself? Browse more B&Bs in Donegal.
Check availability at Ardlee
Send the owner the details of your stay and they will come back to you directly. No booking fee, no platform in between, just Letterkenny on the other end.
Ardlee, common questions
Where is Ardlee?
Ardlee is at Gortlee Road, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal (Eircode F92 HC56). Give the Eircode to your sat-nav to find the door.
How do I book Ardlee?
You contact the owner directly, by phone or the enquiry form on this page. DirectBnB adds no booking fee and takes no commission, so you arrange the stay with the house itself and pay the room rate with nothing on top.
What star rating does Ardlee have?
Ardlee is a Fáilte Ireland approved 3-star b&b under Fáilte Ireland's National Quality Assurance Framework, and guests rate it 4.1 out of 5 across 34 Google reviews.
How many rooms does Ardlee have?
Ardlee has 6 rooms. As a smaller, owner-run house it is worth booking ahead, particularly in summer and over weekends.
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