I ended up Googling which episode Clara left and watching from the one after that. I love her actress but the character was unlikeable for me, too. Bill's era is pretty good imho, and I'm working myself up to the next doctor because I'm slightly dreading it after all the bad stuff I've heard. I did watch the specials with David Tennant because anything with Donna Noble is always, always mandatory for me.

If you liked 10 and Donna, you should absolutely consider watching the specials.