Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [232]
Drinking & Entertainment
Crowley’s ( 027-50029; Wolfe Tone Sq) One of the best bars for music, Crowley’s has traditional bands on Wednesday nights.
Anchor Tavern ( 027-50012; New St) Old salts literally anchor the bar; enjoy a pint and ponder the many old nautical instruments on display – although they may not help you get home after a few.
Getting There & Away
Bus Éireann (www.buseireann.ie) has eight buses daily Monday to Saturday (four on Sunday) between Bantry and Cork (€15.50, two hours). There’s one or two daily to Glengarriff. Heading north to the Ring of Beara, Kenmare and Killarney require backtracking through Cork.
Bantry Rural Transport ( 027-52727; www.ruraltransport.ie; 5 Main St) runs a useful series of circular routes to Dunmanway, Durrus, Goleen, Schull, Skibbereen and outlying villages. There’s a set price of €4/6 one-way/return. Service is not frequent; check the website for details.
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DETOUR: SHIPLAKE MOUNTAIN HOSTEL
Far up a twisting track lies one of Cork’s most unusual hostels. The IHH-affiliated Shiplake Mountain Hostel ( 023-884 5750; www.shiplakemountainhostel.com; Dunmanway; campsite €7, dm €18, d €45-50; Apr-Oct) consists of three brightly coloured gypsy caravans, each with a double bed squeezed in, two dorm rooms in an old stone cottage and a yurt. The owners take their environmental responsibility seriously – the showers use local spring water and you can have the hostel’s own duck eggs for breakfast. They can pick you up from nearby Dunmanway, which has an ATM and grocery shops. Once here, chase the ducks, go for walks (scads of maps and advice available), borrow a bike (free) or gather round the stove in the common room for a good yarn.
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Getting Around
Bicycles can be hired at Nigel’s Bicycle Shop ( 027-52657; Glengarriff Rd; per day/week €15/60).
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WALK: MT SEEFIN
Make time for an exhilarating 1km stride to the summit of Mt Seefin (345m). It’s not challenging, but this is open country, where mist can easily descend, so go properly equipped. There’s a path, but it fades out in places.
The ascent begins at the top of the Goat’s Path Rd, about 2km between Gortnakilly and Kilcrohane. On the roadside is an out-of-place imitation of Michelangelo’s Pietà – follow the track that starts opposite the parking area on the south side of the sculpture. Keep to the path along the rocky spine of the hill until you reach a depression. Follow a path up a short gully to the right of a small cliff and then continue, again on the rocky spine of the broad ridge, to a trig point on the summit. Retracing your steps can be challenging. From the trig point it’s best to keep high along the broad ridge and not drift too far to the left.
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SHEEP’S HEAD PENINSULA
The least visited of Cork’s three peninsulas, Sheep’s Head Peninsula has a charm all its own – and plenty of sheep. There are good seascapes to appreciate from the loop road running along most of its length. A good link road with terrific views, called the Goat’s Path Rd, runs between Gortnakilly and Kilcrohane (on the north and south coasts respectively), over the western flank of Mt Seefin.
Ahakista (Atha an Chiste) consists of a couple of pubs and a few houses stretched out along the R591. An ancient stone circle is signposted at the southern end of Ahakista; access is via a short pathway. The peninsula’s other village is Kilcrohane, 6km to the southwest, beside a fine beach. You can get pub food in both villages.
For more information about the area, take a look at the website (www.thesheepshead.com).
Walking & Cycling
Walkers and cyclists will relish the chance to stretch their legs and enjoy the windswept moors, wild gorse, foxgloves and fuchsias in beautiful solitude. On the Goat’s Path Rd, the steep Bantry–Kilcrohane section requires firm thighs; the Ahakista