Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [235]
Casey’s Hotel ( 027-63010; www.caseyshotelglengarriff.ie; Main St; s/d from €60/100; ) Old-fashioned Casey’s has been welcoming guests since 1884 and is proud of such past visitors as Éamon de Valera. The 19 rooms have been modernised a bit but are still small. It’s got gobs of atmosphere, though, and the vast terrace is a treat.
Eccles Hotel ( 027-63003; www.eccleshotel.com; Glengarriff Harbour; r €100-140; ) Just east of the centre, the Eccles has a long and distinguished history (since 1745), counting the British War Office, Thackeray, George Bernard Shaw and WB Yeats as former occupants. The decor is blandly modern, but the 66 rooms are big and bright and a pleasant air of nostalgia hangs about the place. Ask for a bayside room on the 4th floor.
Eating & Drinking
Hawthorne Bar ( 027-63440; Main St; bar meals €5-10, dinner €14-20) This agreeable pub may not have changed in about 40 years. Its dining room, the Rainbow Restaurant, serves the same menu in a more formal setting. Sitting on the streetside benches and tucking into Bantry Bay mussels or seafood chowder with soda bread is a fine way to spend a sunny evening.
P Harrington’s ( 027-63021; Main St) This pub has a prime position at the junction of the N71 and the Beara Rd. Settle into one of the comfy outside benches with a pint and watch addled tourists freeze up and bring transport for this region of Ireland to a halt.
Getting There & Away
Bus Éireann (www.buseireann.ie) has up to three buses daily to Bantry and on to Cork (€17, 2½ hours).
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GLENGARRIFF TO CASTLETOWNBERE
The striations of the peninsula’s underlying bedrock become evident as you drive west from Glengarriff towards Castletownbere. On the highest hills, Sugarloaf Mountain and Hungry Hill, rock walls known as ‘benches’ snake backwards and forwards across the slopes. They can make walking on these mountains quite challenging, and dangerous in fog. Take a map (Ordnance Survey Discovery series 84 and 85 cover the area) and compass if venturing into the hills, and seek local advice.
Adrigole is a scattered strip of houses. The West Cork Sailing Centre ( 027-60132; www.westcorksailing.com; The Boat House, Adrigole) offers numerous ways to get out on the water. A half-day on a skippered sailing boat costs €160; kayak rental is €12 per hour.
Hungry Hill Lodge ( 027-60228; www.hungryhilllodge.com; Adrigole; campsites €15, dm €15, s/d €25/44; Mar-Dec) is a well-situated hostel with excellent facilities, just beyond Adrigole village. It’s in a peaceful location; amenities include bike hire, scuba trips, an adjoining trad pub and a nearby minimarket.
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CASTLETOWNBERE & AROUND
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Castletownbere (Baile Chais Bhéara) is a fishing town first and a pause in the road for tourists second. And that gives it a real appeal for those looking for the ‘real’ Ireland. That’s not to say it doesn’t have its popular sights, like a bar famous to millions.
The tourist office ( 027-70054; www.bearatourism.com; Main St; Tue-Sat) is just outside the Church of Ireland. On Main St and The Square, you’ll find ATMs as well as cafes, pubs and grocery stores.
Sights
On a lonely hill 2km from Castletownbere, the impressive Derreenataggart Stone Circle, consisting of 10 stones, can be found close to the roadside. It’s signposted at a turn-off to the right at the western end of town. There are a number of other standing stones in the surrounding area.
Looming offshore, Bere Island is a place that makes Castletownbere seem like the big city. Only 12km by 7km, it has a couple of hundred permanent residents but attracts scores more to summer holiday homes. There are bits of old ruins and some craggy coves good for swimming. A ferry ( 027-75009; www.bereislandferries.com; passenger/car return €8/25; hourly Mon-Sat Jun-Aug, less often Sun & Sep-May) leaves from town.
Activities
Bike N Beara Bike Hire ( 027-74898, 086 128 0307; per day from €15) Can drop off