Study ranks Bluestack Way and Mamore Gap in the top 20 drives

A study which analysed the latest data available from TripAdvisor ranked two Donegal Drives in the top 20. 

The study also analysed key metrics such as drive ratings, the number of Instagram-tagged posts, average sunshine hours, route length, elevation and drive time. Each route was then given a final score out of 600 to determine where Ireland’s most scenic drives are located.

Donegal’s Bluestack Way ranks 14th with a score of 283 and Mamore Gap comes in at 20th with 221.8 out of 600.

The Bluestack Way is the only route in the entire top 20 to hold a perfect 5.0 rating on TripAdvisor. This 50km drive winds through the Bluestack Mountains, a landscape of glacial lakes, cascading rivers and vast empty moorland that feels genuinely untouched. With just 1,865 Instagram posts to its name, it remains one of the most underrated drives in the country.

Rounding out the top 20 is the Mamore Gap, a 20km route that climbs to 263 metres through the Urris Hills on the Inishowen Peninsula, offering sweeping views across Lough Swilly and the Atlantic beyond. With a 4.8 TripAdvisor rating and a drive time of just one hour, it is one of the most efficient ways to experience the wild, elemental character that has made Donegal one of Ireland’s most celebrated driving destinations.

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Kerry takes the top three places on the list with Ring of Kerry, Dingle Peninsula, and Ring of Beara, while Waterford’s Comeragh Drive and Wicklow’s Military Road take fourth and fifth, respectively.