5 Days in West Cork. The Ireland visitors miss
I'm just back from my summer holidays in Cork and more specifically, West Cork.
This is an absolutely gorgeous part of Ireland. Irish people know all about it but North American visitors don't. 80% of them follow the crowded trail from Blarney to Killarney and miss everything you're about to read about. I didn't hear one single US accent in all my time on this trip.
That's not a criticism, it's an opportunity to take the road less visited. When everyone on the flight home is talking about the same itinerary, you can just smugly nod along wishing you were back in West Cork.
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Day 1: Dublin-Cashel-Cahir-Kinsale-Blarney-Rosscarbery
I left Dublin early in the morning and headed straight for the Rock Of Cashel. It's just 1h40 from Dublin and an easy drive.
Rock of Cashel
The Rock of Cashel is visually spectacular, it's set atop a hill and as you come into the town, there's an area to pull off the side of the road where you get superb photos.
The tour guide was quite dry and I felt too detailed. You gotta figure out your audience. It was mostly Americans with some Euros as well and I'm not sure they needed to know the intricacies of inter-family politics in the 15th century. I drifted off and looked around on my own instead.
Cahir Castle
Just 15 minutes down the road is Cahir. I really like this town. It's very Irish with little tourism, but enough to keep you interested. It has the wonderful Cahir Castle on the banks of the river. The Rock was packed but I had Cahir Castle mostly to myself. I wandered the grounds for an hour, lots of Irish independence history here.
Cahir is lovely town that too many people skip by.
Blarney Castle
It's been 15 years since I was in Blarney Castle. But now I have this website, I need to revisit places and write about them for you!
I parked, walked around Blarney and just found the whole town so touristy, the amount of coaches, the crowds, the Irish music blasting out, the "World's Biggest Irish Shop". I actually felt bad for the staff working there, like actors in a show.
So I left because I don't want to write about it and encourage people to go there.
Yeah, I know it's on every itinerary, but that's because it's famous and then it becomes self perpetuating. More famous, more crowds, more unappealing. A massive skip.
Kinsale
Kinsale has that seaside sailing town vibe. Who doesn't like sitting outside with a drink watching boats bobbing in the harbour?
My favorite part is Charles Fort. a 17th century fort just a short drive or walk out of the town. From it, you get a fantastic view of Kinsale and the bay. I was there on a sunny day when it was at its best.
Kinsale is a good spot to spend a night or two if you want to slow down. Lots of things to around Kinsale. Kinsale is famous for its food scene and this Kinsale food tour is very popular.
Where to Stay in Kinsale: The Trident is right on the water.
Here's my full guide to Kinsale
Rosscarbery
I headed for my accommodation in Rosscarbery. My mother had rented a farmhouse here for two weeks. This was a real working farm in the middle of nowhere. What a place, it was a place to stay, a farm tour, a piece of rural life and more baked good from the owners than even I could eat and I do love my pastries.
Day 2: Leap-Skibbereen-Schull-Crookhaven-Mizen Head
Today was all about Mizen Head, the edge of Ireland with cliffs rivaling the more famous Cliffs of Moher. The drive to its goes through the small villages that make West Cork so loved by Irish people.
After a morning milking cows (really), we set off and drove through the village of Rosscarbery stopping at Drip coffee shop that wouldn't have been out of place in Dublin. People are moving home to these small villages and opening up high quality places.
Leap
We drove the village of Leap (pronounced Lep) which was filled with sunflowers. They just had a festival where you could pick them as a fundraiser for cancer. Leap has a famous Scarecrow Festival in October. I really want to go to it soon.
Skibbereen
We stopped in Skibbereen. This is my kind of place to stay when I travel. Very local. The kind of place where the traditional music sessions are for the locals, not a performance for tourists. I could have spent the afternoon the Antiquity Bookshop & Vegan Cafe, a place that might sound unexpected in rural Ireland, but not really anymore.
I would suggest it as a good place to base yourself. It's central for West Cork and has plenty to offer.
Where To Stay in Skibbereen: The West Cork Hotel
Schull
I could happily base myself here too! Pronounced Skull, it's another small boating community that looks like it's out of a movie, but it's not, it's real. And filled with more excellent places to get coffee & scones. I stopped into the tourist office and ended up chatting to the lady for half an hour. These are the interactions to seek out. They're better than any castles or cliffs.
Where To Stay in Schull: The Schull Harbour Hotel
Mizen Peninsula
We reluctantly left Schull and got onto the Mizen Head Peninsula. It's just a beautiful road with tiny villages and gorgeous scenery. Coming into Killane Bay, you could think you took a wrong turn and were in a Norwegian fjord. I had a hard time keeping my eyes on the road.
Galley Cove Beach
Ireland isn't famous for its beaches, but I promise you that when we have sun, there's isn't a beach in the Caribbean as beautiful as ours. We pulled into the tiny Galley Cove Beach. There were some very lucky locals who had just come out of the beachside sauna after their morning swim. Billionaires don't have this quality of life. We got chatting to them (the secret to any good trip) and they instructed us that we had to have lunch in Crookhaven.
Crookhaven
I'm running out superlatives here, but this is a tiny spit of land running out from the Mizen Peninsula. At the end is an unexpected little cluster of restaurants. We initially sat at the busiest & most waterfront restaurant O'Sullivans, but decades of travel experience reminded me to go to the less obvious place and we relocated to a quieter place further back. When they handed us the menu at the Crookhaven Inn and I saw there were just 5 items on it, I knew I was in the right place. Less is always more in restaurants.
Barley Cove Beach
Stunning. Simple as that. A stunningly gorgeous beach. We couldn't stop, it was a sunny day and there was nowhere to park. Remember, this is a remote area but when the sun shines, we go to the beach. I'll come back on a quieter day and revel in it.
Mizen Head
At the very edge of Ireland is Mizen Head. It was a signal station, but its location and the cliffs for me make it rival the Cliffs Of Moher. I even think it's more interesting because of the variety of scenery here.
The waves explode beneath you as you cross its bridge. Then you look through the gap in the cliffs and see the next bay. At the top, you look north and it's a different feel completely, but my word, it's impressive.
Here is my full guide to the Mizen Peninsula
The 90 Minute Day
Look at everything we saw today and it was just a 90 minute drive from home to Mizen. But we took all day doing it. Stopping wherever we wanted, had countless coffees & cakes, took time to chat to locals and follow their recommendations.
This is how to visit Ireland. Not drive all day from famous spot to crowded spot.
Day 3: Baltimore-Sherkin Island-Inchydoney
I was really excited about today. I'd been to all the other places before, if long ago, but I'd heard a lot about Sherkin Island and couldn't wait to visit it in person.
But first, I made daily stop at Drip in Rosscarbery. By now, they recognized me and we talked while the coffee was brewing. This is the beauty of staying in one place. Less packing, more chatting.
Baltimore
Baltimore is a well known boating village in Ireland. You can take boats to Cape Clear Island, the Fastnet lighthouse, whale tours, but we were headed for the much closer Sherkin Island. It's just a 15 minute boat trip away on something of a ramshackle but sturdy boat.
Sherkin Island
The island is home to 150 residents, 50 are Ukranian refugees. That must have been a culture shock for them!
There was a bus at the pier. We asked if they did an island tour and the driver said no, he was just there to pick up an islander to bring her home. The resident heard us talking and said "ah sure, we can drive the long way home and show them the island". It was a lovely gesture by the lady and the four of us had a great auld chat along the way.
Locals, chats & unexpected plans. Do you see the running theme on this trip ?
He dropped us off at yet another Caribbean-esque beach, then we walked the narrow roads to one of two cafes on the island. Had a lovely lunch overlooking the water and walked 2km back to the boat.
I could happily spend a few days in Baltimore. Another sailing & foodie town, more low key than Kinsale. Instead we drove home to the farm but with a little detour for dinner along the way.
Where to Stay in Baltimore: Casey's of Baltimore
Inchydoney Beach
Tonight, we were going to the Dunmore House Hotel overlooking Inchydoney Beach for dinner. The views are ridiculous, but it's more for the food. They grow all their own food on this hill overlooking Inchydoney beach. We walked through the garden before eating. I got the fish and chips. Delicious. The salad alone I could eaten three plates of it.
You should definitely plan a night here. Just imagine waking up to the views and this food for a few days. It's just outside Clonakilty.
Stay here! You'll send me a postcard from reception thanking me. Check availability.
Day 4: Gougane Barra & Rosscarbery Festival
Today we had all sorts of plans, but they quickly went out the window once we got to Gougane Barra. We loved it so much, we just stayed there.
We drove a relaxed hour through the remote back roads of northern Cork to get to Gougane Barra. You could understand why these parts were never conquered and were training grounds for many of Ireland's rebels. This is a Gaeltacht Irish speaking region. Gaeltachts are always geographically remote from the threat of British influence.
Gougane Barra
How do I describe this place? Let's start with its history, Cork's patron saint, St Finbarr lived here as a hermit in the 6th century. I think of hardship when I think of hermit. Not here. This is paradise. His church is in the middle of a lake in valley. It's serene. That's the word I was trying to think of. Utter serenity, even for the non-religious.
It was busy enough, but still very calm. People were respectful of the setting. We walked through the graveyard, considered the lives lived in such an area
We got chatting to a local (que surprise) and he told us the Gougane Barra Hotel had excellent food. This was ten minutes after we had finished an average lunch at the other cafe.
We felt no desire to leave and just stayed here for a few hours. The joys of no itinerary. Find a place that speaks to you.
Like any place, it's best in the morning, so I'd recommend staying at the hotel here. Gougane Barra at dawn must be majestic. I'll tell you soon, because I'm going back for sure.
Check availability at the Gougane Barra Hotel.
That was it. We went home after that. A short day, but it was day 4, you get tired on this trips. It's an overload of roads, sights, maps, foods, scenery, photos. Build in time for down time. It'll make the whole trip so much better.
Castletownshend
The Castle Hotel, Castletownshend
This was actually my favorite experience of the trip. Our hosts had told us about a pub with good food here. Mary Ann's Bar was superb. Didn't look like much from the front, but go in and be prepared for a surprise. Excellent food.
We walked to down the pier and met an old man sitting there. He was 82 and told us his life story. He hadn't strayed far from this one street village. But we were captivated by him. Steven Spielberg couldn't have held our attention anymore.
And we saw the most fabulous hotel that we wanted to check into immediately. Book it right now. It only has 7 rooms and is like a Disney movie, but in a good way, not a Blarney way.
I'll let the reviews tell you everything, but I've never seen a hotel with a 9.7 rating on Booking ever. Check Availability at The Castle. Base your trip around a night here!
Rosscarbery Festival
After some apple tart & a nap at the farm, we went into Rosscarbery Village for dinner. It's a lovely village. Strong in history for such a tiny place.
I'd passed O'Callaghan Walshe's window a few times and saw it was expensive and only open a few nights a week. That's a very good sign. We tried, but it was booked out. As was everywhere else. It was a Thursday night. Turns out the Rosscarbery Festival was taking place. We had no idea.
We got a mediocre dinner elsewhere and by the time we drove back through the village, it was hopping! We tried not to wake up the cows when we got home much later than planned.
Day 5: Bantry & Sheep's Head
Bantry on Friday is market day. One of the biggest in the area and we planned for this. And then the gloriously empty Sheep's Head Drive for the afternoon.
Bantry
Bantry is the biggest town in the region. This is a true Irish town, an excellent place to base yourself. Big enough and central to everything on my trip and the Ring Of Beara too.
Friday is market day and we had a nice morning tasting the local food. More baked breads, tarts and pastries. It was fruit season, so we got all varieties of berries. There was musicians playing. And it was all for locals, like they've going here for probably hundreds of year. This isn't a tourist market.
I had planned on going to Bantry House but it was closed for a wedding. That turned out to be a good thing though because it meant more time on Sheep's Head Peninsula.
Where to Stay in Bantry: The Maritime Hotel
Here is my full Bantry guide.
Sheep's Head Peninsula
You've heard of the Ring of Kerry right? Everyone has and everyone goes. That's why during the Summer they tell you to drive it anti-clockwise, or maybe it's clockwise, I can never remember. But I don't care because I never go there in the Summer. It's way too busy.
Now imagine you had a drive with similar scenery but you had it all to yourself. A drive so empty, you could take a nap in the middle of the road. That is the Sheep's Head Loop. And no one knows about it. No one. Even my Irish friends don't know it. I seriously had to think strong about whether to mention it here. But you've been good enough to read this far, so you deserve to know about.
I was giddy driving it. I'm a grumpy grown man and I was giggling in disbelief at this place and just how empty it was. In the first 30 minutes, we saw two cars.
I could write too much about it here, so instead, read my full guide here.
But trust me on this one, if you come in the Summer, skip the busy loops and come here. Mizen, Sheep's Head and then the Ring of Beara. Leave Ring of Kerry & Dingle to the rest.
Day 6: Warren Beach-Dublin
It's time to go home. Sadly. I said farewell to the cows, the dogs, my hosts and my mam. But I had one more spot I wanted to see. I spotted in on Google Maps and it was right in Rosscarbery.
Make that two spots, I stopped in at the Drip and they were genuinely sad to see me go. Get coffee every morning in the same place is good way to meet people in a new place.
Warren Beach
It should be called Wow Beach. It's in Rosscarbery and has a sauna, yoga on the beach, pitch & putt golf, a cliff walk and yes, a beach. Yet another beautiful beach, one that made those loud waves sounds. I was sorry to only discover it on my last time. I wanted to buy a camper van and park up here for the summer.
Dublin
Four hours later I was home in Dublin. A car full of jams and a phone full of photos that I have to edit down to just a few to share on here.
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Tips From This Trip
- You can see so much in one small area of Ireland
- The famous places are overdone.
- Talk to locals!
- Leave room in your itinerary for the unexpected
- Take time for slow afternoons & naps
- Talk to locals!
- Don't change hotels every night
- Vary driving days
- Talk to locals!
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