Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [236]
Sea Kayaking West Cork ( 027-70692, 086 309 8654; www.seakayakingwestcork.com) Will take you out for a paddle for €45 per half-day.
Sleeping & Eating
Rodeen B&B ( 027-70158; www.rodeencountryhouse.com; s/d €45/70; Mar-Oct) A delightful six-room haven, tucked away above the eastern approach to town. The musical-instrument-filled house has stunning sea views and is surrounded by gardens full of crumbling Delphic columns. Flowers from the garden grace the breakfast table, and there are home-baked scones with honey from landlady Ellen’s bees.
Jack Patrick’s ( 027-70319; Main St; mains €8-20; noon-3pm) Run by one of the top local butchers – the shop is next door – this simple restaurant is just the choice if you want to get out of your shell and have some meat. Steaks and chops and other meaty mains, like bacon and cabbage, are on offer here.
Olde Bakery ( 027-70869; Castletown House; mains €13-21; 5.30-9.30pm daily, plus noon-4.30pm Sun) One of the best restaurants in town, the Olde Bakery serves hearty portions of top regional seafood to locals who won’t settle for seconds – unless it’s a second helping. A few tables out front are just the place to be on a long evening.
Taste ( 027-71842; Main St; 9.30am-6pm Mon-Fri, 10am-5pm Sat) A wide range of local foods, including creamy Milleens cheese, are on offer. There are creative sandwiches to take away from this inviting shop just off The Square.
Drinking
McCarthy’s Bar ( 027-70014; Main St) If you’re carrying a copy of the late Pete McCarthy’s bestseller, McCarthy’s Bar, you’ll be excited to see the front-cover photo sitting in three dimensions on Main St. McCarthy’s is a grocery as well as a pub, so if you fancy a tin of peaches and a can of corn (check the sell-by date) to go with your Beamish, you’ve come to the right place. There’s frequent live music and a wicked wee snug inside the door.
Getting There & Away
Bus Éireann (www.buseireann.ie) has up to three buses daily to Bantry and on to Cork (€19; 3¼ hours). Check signage at the bus stop on The Square for occasional private buses along the peninsula or ask at the tourist office.
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DURSEY ISLAND
pop 60
Tiny Dursey Island, at the end of the peninsula, is reached by Ireland’s only cable car (adult/child return €4/1; 9-11am, 2.30-5pm & 7-8pm Mon-Sat, 9-10am, 1-2.30pm & 7-7.30pm Sun year-round, plus 4-5pm Sun Jun-Aug), which sways 30m above Dursey Sound. In a perfect photo op, livestock take precedence over humans in the queue. The later times shown above are for returning only; bikes are not allowed.
The island, just 6.6km long by 1.5km wide, is a wild bird and whale sanctuary, and dolphins can sometimes be seen swimming in the waters around it. There’s no accommodation, but it’s easy to find somewhere to camp.
The Beara Way loops round the island for 11km, and the signal tower is an obvious destination for a short walk.
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NORTHSIDE OF THE BEARA
The entire north side is the scenic highlight of the Beara Peninsula. A series of roads, some single-lane tracks, snake around the ins and outs of the weathered, rugged coast. Boulder-strewn fields tumble dramatically towards the ocean and it’s blissfully remote – your only company along some stretches are flocks of sheep and the odd sheepdog.
Allihies
This edge-of-the-world village has dramatic vistas and plenty of walks, where you will get lungfuls of bracing air.
Copper-ore deposits were first identified on the far Beara in 1810. While mining quickly brought wealth to the Puxley family who owned the land, it brought low wages and dangerous, unhealthy working conditions for the labour force, which at one time numbered 1300. Experienced Cornish miners were brought into the area, and the dramatic ruins of engine houses replicate those of Cornwall’s coastal tin mines. As late as the 1930s, more than 30,000 tonnes of pure copper were exported annually, but by 1962 the last mine was closed.
You’ll see the most mine ruins along the R575 north