Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [166]
Parkswood ( 051-380 863; www.parkswood.com; Passage East; s €95, d €160-180; Easter-Nov; ) Storytelling evenings and themed food nights are among the events that take place at this rather pricey but commendably eco-conscious four-room B&B situated on 6 acres on the River Suir. Breakfasts and table d’hôte–style evening meals (€25) are sourced from the gardens, including homemade jams and eggs fresh from the resident hens. Hosts Theresa and Roger can also arrange bike hire for guests (€20 per day).
Bay Cafe ( 051-383 900; Dock Rd, Dunmore East; mains €7-11; 9am-6pm) With harbour views so good there’s a whale-watching guide stuck to the window, this artsy cafe serves interesting twists on local produce like mackerel pâté on homemade brown bread, and Scandinavian-style open-faced seafood sandwiches.
Drinking & Entertainment
Toe-tapping trad sessions take place on Tuesday nights year-round at the butter-yellow corner pub Power’s Bar ( 051-383 318; Dock Rd, Dunmore East). It’s nicknamed ‘the Butcher’s’ after its former incarnation as a meat and grocery store.
Summer regularly sees live music in full swing at the Spinnaker Bar ( 051-383 133; Lower Dunmore East), filled with rustic maritime artefacts. Its excellent locally caught seafood (mains €18 to €28) makes its kitchen one to watch.
Getting There & Away
BUS
Suirway ( 051-382 209; www.suirway.com) buses connect Waterford with Dunmore East and Passage East.
FERRY
If you’re going to travel between Counties Waterford and Wexford along the coast, you can cut out a long detour around Waterford Harbour and the River Barrow by taking the five-minute car ferry ( 051-382 480; www.passageferry.ie; 7am-10pm Mon-Sat, 9.30am-10pm Sun Apr-Sep, 7am-8pm Mon-Sat, 9.30am-8pm Oct-Mar) between Passage East and Ballyhack in County Wexford. Single/return tickets for pedestrians or cyclists cost €2/3 and for cars €8/12. Return tickets are valid for an unlimited time.
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TRAMORE
pop 9200
In summer the seafront spread out below the steep town of Tramore (Trá Mhór in Irish, meaning ‘big beach’) is a whirl of fairground rides, amusement arcades, sand castles and fast-food outlets galore. (In winter, it’s considerably quieter.)
Tramore’s eponymous wide, 5km-long beach is capped by 30m-high sand dunes at the eastern end, and is a premier surfing spot. Local activities companies are successfully developing the area as an ecotourism destination, aiming to curb damage inflicted by the beach-going hordes.
The tourist office ( 051-381 572; www.tramoretourism.net; Railway Sq; 10am-5pm Mon-Sat mid-Jun–Aug) has a free brochure detailing six walks around town, and can also point you in the direction of the area’s megalithic tombs and standing stones and the town’s beautiful Holy Cross Church (1860).
Sights
Tramore Bay is hemmed in by Great Newtown Head to the southwest and Brownstown Head to the southeast. Their 20m-high concrete pillars were erected by Lloyds of London in 1816 after a shipping tragedy: 363 lives were lost when the Seahorse mistook Tramore Bay for Waterford Harbour and was wrecked.
Some of the best views of the heads extend from the delightful, sheltered swimming spot, Guillamene Cove, where a sign dating back over 60 years decrees that the beach is for ‘men only’ (it no longer is, of course).
Atop Great Newtown Head, the Metal Man, a 12ft sailor made from iron in 1819. In white breeches and blue jacket, he points dramatically seawards as a warning to approaching ships. It’s one of four made from the same mould – another is in Rosses Point, County Sligo, but the other two are missing. Legend has it that if a girl hops around the base of the statue three times on one leg, she will be married within a year.