Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [220]
Getting There & Away
There are eight daily buses Monday to Saturday and seven Sunday to Cork (€11.50, 65 minutes) and Skibbereen (€8, 40 minutes). Buses stop across from Harte’s Spar shop on the bypass going to Cork. Note the alternative way to Kinsale on the R600; see the boxed text, Click here, for details.
Getting Around
MTM Cycles ( 023-883 3584; 33 Ashe St) hires bikes for €10 per day. A nice ride is to Duneen Beach, about 13km south of town.
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CLONAKILTY TO SKIBBEREEN
Picturesque villages, a fine stone circle and calming coastal scenery mark the less-taken route from Clonakilty to Skibbereen. Rather than follow the main N71 all the way, when you get to Rosscarbery, turn left onto the R597 at the far end of the causeway (signposted Glandore); or, even better, take twice as long and freelance your way along narrow roads near the water the entire way.
Drombeg Stone Circle
On an exposed hillside, with fields sweeping away towards the coast and bothered cattle braying in the distance, the Drombeg stone circle is superbly atmospheric. Its 17 uprights once guarded the cremated bones of an adolescent, discovered during a 1960s excavation. The 9m-diameter circle probably dates from the 5th century AD, representing a sophisticated Iron Age update of an earlier Bronze Age monument.
Just beyond the stones are the remains of a hut and an Iron Age cooking pit, known as a fulachta fiadh. Experiments have shown that its heated rocks would boil water and keep it hot for nearly three hours – enough time to cook hunks of meat. Generally quiet, there’s usually a few vestiges of private rituals held here.
To get there, take the signposted left turn off the R597, approximately 4km west of Rosscarbery.
Glandore & Union Hall
pop 250
The pretty waterside villages of Glandore (Cuan Dor) and Union Hall burst into life in summer when fleets of yachts tack into the shelter of the Glandore Harbour inlet. A tangle of back roads meander across the area; you should, too.
Union Hall, accessible from Glandore via a long narrow causeway over the estuary, was named after the 1800 Act of Union, which abolished the separate Irish parliament. The 1994 film War of the Buttons, about two battling gangs of youngsters, was filmed here.
There’s an ATM, post office and general store in Union Hall and food is available in both villages. Union Hall has the most choice, with a deli, coffee shop and several pubs, two of which have fantastic waterside terraces.
SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES
Delightful Theresa O’Mahoney runs the Ceim Hill Museum ( 028-36280; adult/child €4/2; 10am-7pm) from her farmhouse off Castletownshend Rd. The small collection of Iron Age bits in the ‘Independence’ room are worth a glance if you’re passing.
You can splash round the coast with Atlantic Sea Kayaking ( 028-21058; www.atlanticseakayaking.com; Union Hall; half-day trip €50; year-round), which offers many tours and classes.
Two outfits offer whale and dolphin tours year-round from Reen Pier, about 3km beyond Union Hall. Prices average €50/30 per adult/child for half-day cruises.
Whale Watch West Cork ( 028-33357; www.whalewatchwestcork.com)
Whale Watch with Colin Barnes ( 086 327 3226; www.whalewatchwithcolinbarnes.com)
SLEEPING & EATING
Meadow Camping Park ( 028-33280; meadowcamping@eircom.net; Rosscarbery Rd, Glandore; campsites €17; Easter & May–mid-Sep) This small idyllic site, in a garden filled with trees and flowers, is 2km east of Glandore on the R597 to Rosscarbery.
Ardagh House ( 028-33571; www.ardaghhouse.com; Union Hall; s/d €45/70; ) You’re soon made to feel part of the family at this restored farmhouse by the harbour. The rooms, many with sea views, are bright and sunny, and there’s a garden. The house itself is a bit of a star, having made an appearance in War of the Buttons.
Shearwater B&B ( 028-33178; www.shearwaterbandb.com; Union Hall; s/d €50/70; Apr-Oct) On a small hill about 500m from the centre of Union Hall, rooms are comfy and there is a large terrace with killer views.
Bay View House ( 028-33115;