Top 5 - Mizen Head Peninsula
Pretty yachting harbours, Atlantic blue water, tiny coves, cliffs, sandy beaches…
Got that picture in your mind? For most of us, this is what comes to mind when thinking of West Cork. The Mizen Head Peninsula in the southwest of Ireland is the perfect place to check all the boxes and have an amazing time.
While I’m still working on a long blog post about the Mizen Head Peninsula and my recommendations, I thought I’d share my Top 5 with you. With many of you planning your staycation 2021 right now, I can highly recommend spending some time on the Mizen Head Peninsula.
So here are my Top 5:
1 Mizen Head Signal Station
Mizen Head is beautiful at any time. You might be lucky to spot whales but even if they aren’t around, the relentless waves and beautiful rough cliffs are worth it. Not to forget the views you get from up there. Follow the path over the famous bridge linking the two islands and explore the lighthouse / fog signal station with its exhibition of earlier days. Memories of past times are strong and alive here at Mizen Head and you can’t stop thinking about how life was like back then.
2 Barleycove Beach
Barleycove is one of the best and finest beaches I know. Its golden sands, sand dunes and blue water are definitely worth a visit. Make a stop there on your way to Mizen Head or spend a whole day at Barleycove beach swimming and building sand castles - it’s all possible here. It’s family friendly with a safe bathing area thanks to a stream flowing down to the sea. Enjoy your beach day!
3 Cape Clear Island and Fastnet Lighthouse
Cape Clear is both the southernmost inhabited and southernmost Gaeltacht island. There’s a great storytelling festival every September (Cape Clear Island International Storytelling Festival) which brings people from all over the world to West Cork. Beyond Cape Clear you can see the imposing Fastnet Lighthouse. It is known as Ireland’s tear drop. For many emigrants to the new world, this was their last sight of their home land.
4 Crookhaven
Crookhaven with its sheltered location is a beautiful little fishing village. It’s peaceful there and the area is filled with history - smuggling, battles, shipwrecks, Spanish galleons, miners, soldiers, emigrants… you can’t help but wonder what the land has seen.
5 Whale Watch West Cork
Who can say no to whales and dolphins? Right. If you’re in West Cork, don’t miss your chance to see them. I can highly recommend checking out Whale Watch West Cork in Baltimore and spending some hours out on the sea with them. Baltimore itself is a beautiful town. It has a lively quayside and is dedicated maritime. It is the ferry port for the islands of Sherkin and Cape Clear and can get quite crowded in summer.
Sounds amazing, doesn’t it? If you’re in love with West Cork, why not check out my blog posts about West Cork - My Top 5, The Beara Peninsula and Bantry.