Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [229]
Barleycove
Simply spectacular! Vast sand dunes hemmed in by two long bluffs dissolve into the surf, forming western Cork’s finest beach. Rarely crowded, it’s a great place for youngsters, with gorgeous stretches of golden sand, a safe bathing area where a stream flows down to the sea, lifeguards in July and August, and a Blue Flag award marking the cleanliness of the water. Access is via a long boardwalk and pontoon, which protect the surrounding wetlands from the impact of visitors’ feet. There’s a car park at the edge of the beach, on the south side of the causeway on the road to Crookhaven.
Barleycove Beach Hotel ( 028-35234; www.barleycovebeachhotel.com; Barleycove; r from €80, 2-bedroom self-catering per week €500) is a conundrum: it’s a modern aberration spoiling the beautiful view but, then again, it’s already built. A mere 200m away from the sand, the rooms are simply finished, with beach views, and there’s a bar-restaurant with outdoor seating. Bring ear plugs – the bedroom walls are thin.
Near the beach on the other side of the bay, Barleycove Holiday Park ( 028-35302; Barleycove; campsite €20; mid-Apr–mid-Sep) is an ideally located camping ground with bike rental, shop and children’s club.
Mizen Head Signal Station
Don’t miss Ireland’s most southwesterly point, the Mizen Head Signal Station ( 028-35225, 028-35115; www.mizenhead.ie; Mizen Head; adult/child €6/3.50; 10am-6pm daily Jun-Sep, 10.30am-5pm daily mid-Mar–May & Oct, 11am-4pm Sat & Sun Nov–mid-Mar), a complex built over 100 years ago to help warn ships off the rocks, which appear in the water around here like crushed ice in a cola.
Like many Victorian-era public works, it exudes the pride of the builders. From the visitors centre, you can take various pathways out to the station, culminating in the crossing of a spectacular arched bridge that spans a vast gulf in the cliffs. The views are simply stunning, with spurting plumes of white water in every direction. Beyond the bridge, and at the far point of the outer rock island, is the signal station, containing the keeper’s quarters, engine room and radio room of the Mizen Head Fog Signal Station, completed in 1909 and destaffed and automated in 1993. You can see how the keepers lived and how the station worked, but the real rush (even among crowds on a busy day) is the sense of so much Atlantic beneath vast skies.
Back at the visitors centre is Fastnet Hall, with plenty of information about local ecology, history and the namesake lighthouse Click here. There’s also a modest cafe.
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NORTHSIDE OF THE PENINSULA
Although the landscape is less dramatic on this side of the peninsula, it’s well worth driving along the coast road here for the great views out to Sheep’s Head Peninsula and beyond to the magnificent Beara Peninsula.
Durrus
pop 900
Durrus is a perky little crossroads at the head of Dunmanus Bay and is a popular access point for both the Mizen Head and Sheep’s Head Peninsulas.
Travel a world of plants at Kilravock Garden ( 027-61111; Ahakista Rd; adult/child €6/3; 10am-6.30pm Mon-Sat May-Sep), which has been transformed over two decades from a field of scrag and stone to a feast of exotic plants by one green-fingered couple.
Set in five acres of land, Georgian country house Blairs Cove House ( 027-61127; www.blairscove.ie; r €105-230; Mar-Jan) is centred around an exquisite courtyard. Rooms and self-catering apartments display elegance and style; you might think it belongs in a magazine. The restaurant ( dinner Tue-Sat, lunch Sunday Mar-Oct), in a chandeliered hall, offers a superb set three-course dinner (€56) with local produce given international treatment. Booking is advised.
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DURRUS CHEESE
If we were cows, we would be happy grazing in the rugged green fields of West Cork. Irish bovines must agree, because