That atmosphere of being neither island nor mainland in Inishowen extends to little Inch Island, a gently domed green hummock in the throat of Lough Swilly. Inch lies tethered to the western edge of the isthmus by two straight, slim embankments. ‘Built by the Londonderry & Lough Swilly Railway in the 1850s,’ remarked Andrew Speer, regional manager of the National Parks and Wildlife Service, as we stood on the long-disused Letterkenny railway line, looking across the water to Inch. ‘Much to our benefit today – not mention the birds.

Before the railway arrived, the broad collar of land between Inch and the mainland was all sloppy, marshy tidal slobs. But once the railway company had run their two embankments out to the island, the entire area was drained and reclaimed for farmland, with the basin between the banks used as a lagoon for receiving overflow at times of flooding. Lagoon, marsh, wetlands, grasslands – what could be more perfect for over-wintering geese, for whooper swans and nesting gulls, for ducks and grebes and wading birds? Nowadays the whole damp, fascinating complex of habitats is managed by the NPWS as a wildfowl reserve of international importance.

Walking the old railway line on this cloudy, showery morning, we looked out on the lagoon where mute swans sailed among fleets of black and white tufted duck. Dog rose and buttercups, angelica and vetch brightened the shaggy verges of the path, deliberately kept jungly to break up the outline of walkers and prevent the birds being scared away. ‘Whooper swans in winter by the thousand,’ said Andrew. ‘Huge rafts of scaup and coot. Greenland whitefront and greylag geese. We’ve kingfishers and a good population of otters – and more than enough black-headed gulls, as you can see …’

The gulls were fighting and screaming above an islet in the lake, their harsh, throaty voices like spoilt children squabbling. Below them on a long stony spit a line of cormorants stood in black silhouette, wings held out crooked at the elbow to dry in the stiff breeze. Beyond the birds rose the low whaleback of Inch, a ruined cottage on its shore. North up the lake the view sharpened and steepened dramatically into the peaked profile of Scalp Mountain, while further south the modest ridge of Greenan Mountain was crowned by the distinctive pillbox hat of Grianán of Aileach, the Temple of the Sun, great stone-built stronghold and symbol of O’Neill power in Donegal.

Once he’d set the framework for us, Andrew had to go. But we were lucky enough to have born-and-bred local historian Dessie McCallion to walk on with us, filling in the picture with gentle humour. Dessie pointed landwards with his twisty briar stick, indicating the flat green fields cut off from the lagoon by the tall bank of the Letterkenny line. ‘I remember in the 1950s everything reverting to woodland and marsh because the farmers couldn’t agree who was responsible for keeping the drainage ditches clear. Then it was drained and ploughed and intensively farmed. Now the whole estate is going organic – and it’s amazing how the birds go for the organically grown grass when they’ve got the choice.’

At the western end of the railway path we turned out along the Farland embankment. Its narrow wall separates the smooth waters of the lake from the choppy tides of Lough Swilly, where the gaunt ruin of Inch Castle looms on its promontory. Dessie plucked gorse flowers, releasing rich coconut smells. ‘As a girl my mother would bring these home, boil them up and bottle the water to use as hair conditioner. They only had Sunlight soap for shampoo in those days! Blondes used the blossoms, dark-haired girls the shoots. I wonder how many would know about that nowadays.’

One day soon the embankment path is to be extended across Inch Island to complete a circuit for walkers. For now, you have to turn back at Inch’s shore. We lingered before we did, looking along the wetland margin of the island, a haze of creamy white, blue and pink – meadowsweet, pyramidal orchids, forgetmenots, buttercups …

- Christopher Somerville, Irish Independent - Walk of the Week Aug 2011

Overview A purpose built walking trail through Inch Wildfowl Reserve. The route follows in part an old railway embankment.

Location & Access Inch Island Accessed from N13

Distance 4kms
Time Needed 2 – 3 hrs
Grading Easy
Height Gain Negligible
Trail Surface Gravel Paths

Features
· Easy Access
· Excellent path
· Stunning views
· Excellent wildlife

Landscape
· Estuary
· Sloblands
· Farmland

Trailhead Parking at Farland Point and Inch Level

Waymarkers and signage
· The Reserve is signposted from the N13 although the walks are not highlighted.
· No waymarkers

Elevation & Climbing Negligible

Trail Surface Gravel Paths

Points/Features of interest
· One of Ireland's premier wildlife sites and designated as an SPA
· Local history (railroad)