Mizen Head's Spectacular In All Kinds Of Weather

Mizen Head's Spectacular In All Kinds Of Weather

Always worth a look!

Fair weather or foul, or even foggy (as it was last Wednesday), spectacular Mizen Head is a must visit if you’re in the West Cork area. 

As with everywhere else, there are Covid19 restrictions in operation and you must wear a mask to gain entry to the indoor areas including exhibition rooms, café (takeout only) and so on. Because of Covid, the seasonal Mizen opening had been delayed and indeed their first day had been the one before our visit. In any case, they had it well organised (sanitisers, distance markings etc) and everything onsite went very well indeed.

Masked on Mizen

Speaking of masks, some visitors, who had decided against the full visit, asked to use the toilet. Two of a group near us had just other one mask between them. So the young lady went first, came out and handed the mask to her partner who then took his turn!

When we arrived it was quite foggy and that had put some people off. But we paid the reasonable fee and enjoyed our visit. We were feeling a little hungry after the two and a half hour drive* from the city. So we took a look at the pretty extensive menu outside and settled on a couple of well made and decently priced toasties.

Dunlough Bay

That set us up nicely to take on the fenced paths (with helpful hand-rails). The one up to the viewing point over rocky Dunlough Bay is the most worthwhile. Another, the first one really, and a much shorter one, gives you a fine view from above over the footbridge.

Then, carry on to the lighthouse itself over the bridge that was opened in 1993. On the way back, be sure and take the short path down towards a viewing point just below the bridge level. Here we saw a couple of seals frolicking in the water below. The final path for us was the longest, down to the rocks, with a view of the arch in the rocks and also quite a view back to the rocky point where the lighthouse stands. Tough enough coming back up!

Toormore

The fog had thinned out quite a bit as we departed and indeed a few minutes later we were passing above the lovely Barleycove beach and here the sun was blazing down and the beach looked very impressive from our viewing point. Car parks were more or less full and there were quite a few people on the sand. It is a large beach though.

Next stop was at the bay of Toormore. We have often seen its famous Altar Wedge Tomb (signposted) but the bay itself is an attractive one with very pleasing views when the sun is out. A notice here says people may have been worshipping in this place some 4,000 years ago. Good spot for a picnic, not there’s any table! 

Go to the last on the left!

On then to Schull. We had intended making a short stop here but the noted holiday village was packed. I made a couple of attempts to find a parking place before deciding to motor on. We were heading for the Celtic Ross Hotel in Rosscarbery, our base for the night. Having checked in, we took a walk by the water, watching the many different seabirds feeding here, before going back for an “excellent” feed ourselves in the hotel’s restaurant. More on that in a later post.

Barleycove beach on the way back from Mizen

* Should have been shorter than the eventual 2.5 hours but a few things conspired against us. We’ve been here at Mizen a few times and never had a problem. But our current Sat-Nav didn’t recognise the name, the fog didn’t help, and crucially the final sign to go left was missing. We went straight on there and ended up in the car park for Three Castles Head (another excellent visit, by the way). On the way back, we found the Mizen Head sign, well rusted, in the briars, the pole itself, with Goleen on top, was standing and in good condition!

The sign for Mizen in the briars. Didn't see it in the fog earlier on

Also on this trip:
Celtic Ross Hotel's A Superb Base for West Cork
Lunch with Chef Ahmet Dede at Customs House in Baltimore

Two Special Days in West Cork. Bantry a Perfect Base

Two Special Days in West Cork

Bantry a Perfect Base

Bantry Library in the morning sun

Just back after two spectacular days in West Cork, two days when the sun shone non-stop. I drove through picture perfect scene after picture perfect scene: the sensational azure blue of the ocean and inlets, the bright yellow of the furze bushes. Just perfect. Lots of brown too, a relic of the winter, yet even that contained the promise of coiled up green waiting to shoot out to enhance and complete the picture in the weeks and months ahead.

First stop was Ballinascarthy, to take a look at the cross-roads memorial to Henry Ford, a full size model of the car-maker’s famous Model T. The slogan for this car, and for the stout of the same name now being sold by Black's Brewery of Kinsale, is: You may have any colour you like, provided it is black! The nailed-down Ballinascarthy model though is not black but a shiny silver. I suppose not too many would stop it were black.

Dunlough Bay

Next stop was the seaside village of  Schull with its lovely setting between Mount Gabriel and the sea. And just by the car park over the harbour, you'll find a cafe called Cois Cuain, perfect for a snack and, a tip, they have fantastic coffee here, Maher’s of course.

We continued west - we weren't taking the direct route to Bantry! Soon we were passing through Ballydehob and then lovely Goleen, heading for Mizen Head, Ireland’s most south-westerly point. A temporary cloud changed the light just as we arrived but the visit was brilliant. If you go out to the lighthouse - there is a reasonable fee - be sure and take the fenced path (with helpful hand-rails) up to where you can see the spectacular Dunlough Bay, probably even more spectacular on a bad day.

Model T

Time then to head to Bantry, via Durrus. Our base was the Maritime Hotel. And an excellent place it is, with very courteous staff, from reception, to bar to breakfast. Comfortable spacious rooms here, all with a view over the harbour. And breakfast is good. There is a hot buffet but here it is regularly refreshed. And you have the usual juices, meats and cheese too, and breads of course. No shortage at all. The long low rise hotel has its own underground car park and that, with a lift up to reception, is very convenient. Recommended.

There was a still an hour or two left of the afternoon and the regular Friday market was winding down as we strolled up the huge impressive square where statues of St Brendan and Wolfe Tone stand.

Barleycove, on the way to Mizen Head

We were heading for the Evans sweet shop (great photo here by Nicolas O'Donnell), a shop that is one hundred years old. We joined the small queue. The woman just ahead of us was buying hard liquorice sweets for “a suck” that night. Then three young girls were next but they very courteously indicated that we should be take their place in the line. We declined but, seeing the kids were possibly still making up their minds on what sweets to buy, we did take up the option.

After a lovely chat with Jennifer who has been here for many years, we decided to buy some clove rock cubes.  “They are very fresh,” she said. And so we left with  a small bag, nostalgia for just a euro. We should probably have bought more as she had a great choice of old time sweets including Bon Bons, Raspberry and Custard, Pear Drops and more.

Market in the square in Bantry

Dinner, and a good one it was, that evening was in the Fish Kitchen. They are building their craft beer list there and we sampled a few and, later, across the street at Ma Murphy’s Pub - you go through the grocery store to get to the bar - we enjoyed some draft Green Bullet by the Mountain Man. Back in the lovely bar at the hotel, with a singer (Neil Young and JJ Cale songs mainly) on duty, I had a very impressive bottle of Galway Hooker Pale Ale. Great label design on that one.

The morning was cool enough as I strolled out to the pier and had a chat with a guy stacking full fertiliser bags in readiness for the Whiddy Island ferry. Then we drove off up the road to Manning’s Emporium in Ballylickey where Andrew told us of their plans for the season ahead, exciting plans too with an expanded restaurant service (serving local produce) and Culture Kitchen tours on the horizon with Val Manning as guide (should be fun!). We’ll bring you more details shortly when arrangements are further advanced.

Nostalgia for a euro

After the coffee, it was back to the car and on the road west. More of the spectacular blue water as we passed through sunny Glengarriff and headed for Adrigole and the Healy Pass. We stopped halfway up the winding road and immediately a car that had been behind us pulled in and the man got out and asked us if we needed help.

Healy Pass

Copper mines reminder

We didn't, we were just going to take a few photos. But then quite a chat ensued and question after question followed and I reckon he found out more about us - ages, children, and more - than any internet investigator would. The elderly man, a local sheep farmer, was also volunteering info about himself and we enjoyed the chat. Soon, he was back in his car and speeding up the windy road, leaving us well behind!

At the top, we paused again, this time for quite a while to drink in the amazing views of the mountains, the lakes and the sea inlets beyond. Amazing place. Then we dropped down into Kerry for a while before turning left on the Ring of Beara Road and back into Cork. And one word of advice. Do take that windy, up and down road that hugs the coast and do stop and enjoy the views.

 We passed through Eyeries and Allihies (above) and their colourful houses. Near Allihies, you’ll see remains of the copper mining industry and there is a museum and cafe in the village (it opens from April). And, of course, that amazing blue was out there to our right all the time, the frame changing from bend to bend. Our final stop was in Castletownbere itself and here we walked along the pier where many large fishing boats, not all of them Irish, were docked.

Ring of Beara

 Time now to begin the journey home, retracing our steps back to Ballylickey and then taking the road that takes you through Céim an Fhia, Ballingeary, Inchigeela and its lakes, past Toonsbridge and its famous buffalo and dairy/shop, past the magnificent Gearagh and onto the Macroom-Cork road.

Boats in Bantry

 Hunger was setting in now and we turned left to Macroom and the Church Lane restaurant. We had a lovely early dinner here and saw that they too have craft beer on sale, including one from the local 9 White Deer Brewery. Irish craft beer is certainly on the up.

About forty minutes later, we were back in the city after a brilliant two days in the west!

Our Bantry base

See also: Bantry's Fish Kitchen

Schull’s Café Cois Cuan