This month my husband and I had 5 days off and spent it exploring county Wexford, Waterford and Cork. So I thought I'd share with you my itinerary for this beautiful part of the world! It is worth mentioning that at present we live in Belfast, but if you don't live on the Island, then it is best to fly into Dublin and hire a car to explore these beautiful counties. We went at the end of May/start of June and were fortunate enough to get beautiful weather, but weather can vary a lot in Ireland - so it is worth packing for every season!
CO. WEXFORD
First off, on your journey down to Wexford, it is definitely worth paying a visit to 'The Happy Pear' café in Greystones, Co. Wicklow - the food there is all vegan and tastes amazing. It's also in a perfect location to break up the journey.
Kilmore Quay - a quaint village with thatched houses and a small harbour. It has a lovely beach and a beautiful walk around the dunes and on the beach - you can find details to this walk here.
Hook Head Lighthouse - we started this walk at Slade harbour and walked along the peninsula to the lighthouse. The views are beautiful and you can see right across to the Dunmore East cliffs. You can also coordinate your visit when the lighthouse is open to go inside it (it was closed when we were there) and they have a café and toilets. More information on the walk here.
Comeragh Mountains - a beautiful national park which is the perfect hiking spot. There is so many beautiful hikes to do in this area. We only stopped in it on our way home from Cork and did a short walk to Coumshingaun Lough.
These things are all that we personally did, however there is so much more to see in Co. Wexford. For more ideas of what to do visit www.wexfordtrails.ie .
Accommodation: We stayed in an airbnb close to the Wexford/Waterford Border so we were ready for the next day!
CO. WATERFORD (we did all these items in a day but you can spread it out over a couple of days if you want a more relaxed visit)
Waterford City - spend an hour or 2 wandering round Waterford city. Waterford is a Viking city with lots to explore as well as lots of boutiques and independent shops. Personally we just walked round the city and admired the exterior, but if you are looking for more to explore then click here.
Dunmore East Cliff Walk - about 25 minutes drive from Waterford city, this cliff walk is an easy trail with stunning views. The walk was a distance of 4km (although you can do longer along more of the coast line), so took us about an hour to complete.
Rathmoylan Cove and Killmurren Cove - 2 beautiful coves to stop off and have a short wander round (or a swim if you are brave). The drive along the Waterford coast line has lots of stopping points. We didn't stop at all of them but these were a couple of the most recommended.
Tra na mBo - a hidden gem of a cove with incredible views of the copper coast and a lone stack of rocks. If you don't stop at the above cove's, you definitely need to stop at this one! It is best to park your car for free at the beach car park at the bottom of the hill before walking up.
Ardmore cliff walk - a 4km loop walk along the beautiful cliffs of Ardmore and through the quaint town.
Goat Island, Ardmore - a small beach with more gorgeous rock features, 5km away from Ardmore
Food Options - we went to Whitehorses in Ardmore which was delicious food but on the slightly more expensive side. Other recommendations we got (but didn't get a chance to try were: 'And chips' in Dungarvan, 'Seagull Bakery' and 'Mezze' in Tramore and 'Azzurro' in Dunmore.
Accommodation: After dinner we then travelled an hour down to Cork and set up base in Cork for the next 3 nights.
CO. CORK - CORK CITY AND 30 MINUTES AWAY(We spread these attractions out over 1-2days!)
Cork City - we spent half a day walking round Cork City, it has your city vibes with your big shops but also loads of great cafes and places to eat. The buildings are 2 canals that run through the city make it something special. We stopped for lunch at 'Naturally Nourished' which was delicious! Head to this link to find more attractions you can do whilst in Cork city. Another attraction very close to Cork city is Blarney Castle and gardens however we didn't get the chance to visit.
Cobh - A 30minute drive from Cork city which is well worth seeing. This town is well known for its beautiful colourful houses, stunning cathedral and its Victorian harbour.
Rocky Bay Beach - a beautiful sandy beach which is secluded and perfect for a relax or swim.
Nohoval Cove - an incredible rocky cove where you can go in swimming but my main advice would be to take the short 10-15 minute walk up the hill to get an incredible view!
Kinsale - a quaint colourful town which is known for its restaurants and good food. We did the 'Scilly walk' while we were there in the evening which took about an hour - it was an easy walk and you got to admire the harbour and the 2 forts the town has to offer.
Kinsale Head - 20minutes drive on from Kinsale you have the incredible Kinsale Head. You cannot get right down to the lighthouse as its a private golf club, however you can park your car on the side of the road and wander down to get a good view.
CO. CORK - WEST CORK (Spread these attractions over 1-2 days!)
Incheydoney Beach - a beautiful beach which is a great way to start your morning, there is also a coffee van there which serves fab coffee!
Drombeg Stone Circle - a small stone circle from the 5th century AD which you can stop off on your drive to have a look! The visit shouldn't take you more than 10 minutes!
Glandore - a quaint town that you drive through along your West Cork route. We parked the car up and just went for a short 10minute stroll along the harbour.
Lough Hyne - a beautiful lough in West Cork, with loads of activities to do around it . We did the Knockomagh wood summit to get a beautiful view of the lough and the West Cork coastline. It is a short but very rewarding hike with a clear path, so I would recommend it!
Baltimore Beacon - Baltimore is another quaint town in West Cork, often known for the place you can get a boat out to go whale watching! We headed straight to Baltimore Beacon with the thought we could whale watch from the land (note - we didn't see any whales haha!)
Mizen Head - a must do if you have got this far in your road trip! Although the drive is long because you are going so far south, the experience is well worth it. This is a paid attraction but it offers incredible views, a museum, multiple short walks to see the Mizen head bridge and different angles of the coastline. I would allow 1-2 hours for this. They also have a café and toilets here too.
Barley Cove Beach - on your way back up from Mizen Head, you must stop at Barley cove beach. It is one of the most beautiful, with white sands and curving cove and water. Definitely check it out.
Skibbereen - Skibbereen is one of the main towns in West Cork, so this is your best bet for food and drinks in this side of the county! For dinner, we went to the West Cork Hotel which served delicious food!
If you have more time in West Cork, one of the things we didn't get to see was the Beara Peninsula or Bantry which you may wish to pay a visit too!
Happy Travelling!
Ruth xxx