When it comes to places of leisure and entertainment (see Table 10), it is clear that the pub is the only truly 'local' facility - half of those to whom a pub is a relevant venue live within a mile of one, while most of the rest live within 5 miles.  Almost half of the participants (48) have to travel in excess of 11 miles to get to a swimming pool and if they want to eat out, nearly one third must travel more than 6 miles to the nearest hotel.  More than 2 out of 3 women have to travel over 6 miles to get to a cinema; almost 1 in 5 must travel over 26 miles to see a film on the big screen.  With no buses running later than the evening, and without access to a car or money for a taxi, a regular night out for some Inishowen women can be an impossible luxury.

Socialising within the local community is an important aspect of life for women everywhere - recent local research (Kelly, 2002, Unpublished Dissertation) highlighted the lack of public transport as a significant contributory factor in women's perception of isolation in Inishowen.  Issues of identity and independence are linked to the ability to socialise - being confined to the home and unable to participate in local activities leads to social exclusion and apathy.  Women have much to contribute to the development of life in Inishowen; IWIN is committed to enabling them to play their part and empowering them to take their place in the community.

Other distances to travel are recorded in Table 11 (Education and Culture) and Table 12 (Miscellaneous).  It is clear from these tables why the issue of "Few local facilities" earned the top spot for disadvantages to living in Inishowen.  Where the option "Not relevant to me " was chosen, in some cases this meant that that facility was not available at all in the area, or was not adequate - this became clear with the comments that were provided in relation to recycling facilities, recorded in Section 4.2.