West Cork Coastline Safari
Cycling Itinerary
Starting from Cork (Ireland's real capital, according to its inhabitants!), the tour brings you through a world of small farms, wild flowers, old world gentleness, warm hospitality, busy harbour villages, and market towns.
County Cork is situated in the South West of Ireland, it is the largest of all the Irish counties and in many ways the most varied. Rich farmlands and river valleys contrast with the wild sandstone hills of the west, and above all there is the magnificent coastline scooped and fretted by the Atlantic into great bays and secret coves, strewn with rocky headlands and long soft golden sands.
Cork, or Corcaigh or 'The Great Marsh of Munster' had its historic beginning in the 7th century when St. Finbarr founded his monastic settlement on what is now Gillabbey Rock. The physical shape of Cork derives from its island beginnings. Water and tides, birds and boys fishing, bridges and Amsterdam-like house-fronts, all cajole the walker and casual visitor to the city. Up to the 1770s Cork was a city of waterways. Patrick Street was seriously damaged in the dying days of the War of Independence but much of the remaining fabric of the city remains as it was in the 19th Century. Cork has many physical qualities, steps, steeples and hidden squares and lanes. Over the years the medieval plot size and street pattern have been retained, despite much of the city being rebuilt in the 18th and 19th Centuries.
DAY 1 CORK CITY
Your travels begin in Cork City. Built on a marsh, the city proper is inter-laced with winding canal and river, which give it a distinctly European air. The River Lee divides the city in two and is perhaps best reflected in the well-patterned architectural development incorporating the best of old and new. Although a busy industrial city, it is also an important shopping centre. The principal streets are lined with fashion houses and department stores stocking quality Irish goods.
Enjoy your overnight stay in a City Centre Accommodation.
DAY 2 CORK TO GOUGANE BARRA 40 miles (62 km)
You can follow backroads along the course of the River Lee to the thriving market town of Macroom for lunch and onto St Finbarr's Hermitage in Gougane Barra this afternoon. Gougane Barra was Ireland's first National Park when it opened to the public in 1966. This contributes greatly to the reputation which Gougane Barra has as an area of wild and beautiful scenery. The magnificent Forest Park covers an area of over 400 hectares (1,000 acres).
The River Lee rises here in Gougane Barra and flows through beautiful scenery to reach Cork Harbour after a distance of approximately 50km. There is a tiny island in the lake at Gougane Barra connected to the shore by a causeway. It was here that St. Finbarr, patron saint of Cork, founded his early Christian monastery, before moving down the River Lee to establish a monastery at what is now St. Finbarrs Cathedral in Cork City.
Enjoy your overnight stay in Accommodation in Glengariff. The name comes from "An Gleann Garbh" - the rugged glen - which is derived from the rugged beauty of the mountains and wooded valleys surrounding the village. Magnificent views of the Caha Mountains and the bulk of Sugarloaf can be seen from the numerous viewpoints along the roads which hug the coastline or wind along the steep sided valleys.
DAY 3 GOUGANE BARRA TO AHAKISTA 30 miles (47 km)
Enjoy the sweeping descent with a vista over the creeks, islands and inlets of Glengarrif and the vastness of Bantry Bay with the Sheeps Head Peninsula. On a fine day in Glengarrif, you will see on the azure-blue, motionless water in the islet-dotted creeks, boats like statues frozen to their moorings. If you are a garden lover, then make time for Ilnacullin, the 15-hectare garden on Garnish Island. This is reached by boat from the harbour and you may enjoy the antics of playful seals on the way. Ilnacullin is an exotic formal garden. Particularly enchanting is an ornate Italiante garden with lily-pond and fairytale pavilions. The island, barren until the early 18th century, was landscaped by Harold Peto. The last sight, as you drive to the head of Bantry Bay, are the Falls of Donermarc, which do not seem so spectacular after what you have already seen.
You can head south to the town of Bantry for lunch. Bantry is a busy market town and seaport at the mouth of Bantry Bay, with a fine raised plaza in its main square, where one may relax before heading for the Beara Peninsula. On the way out, one may again appreciate the rocky ruggedness and view the islands in the bay, including Whiddy and Bere Island, both served by ferries and Dursey, which has a rather unique cable car service.
In the afternoon head out onto the Sheeps Head Peninsula where accommodation for overnight is in Ahakista.
DAY 4 AHAKISTA TO BALTIMORE 36 miles (57 km)
It is possible to cycle around the coast to the village of Baltimore, or else to cycle to Schull and take the ferry, which stops off at Sherkin Island en route to Baltimore. The charming village of Baltimore is situated on the South West coast of Ireland in the heart of West Cork.
It’s an area popular among tourists for its attractive landscapes and its unhurried, peaceful way of life. Baltimore is a picturesque, tranquil village. With its sailing club and two sailing schools as well as 2 diving schools, it is renowned as a sailing and sea sports center. Its safe and sheltered harbor is perfect for beginners. Local industry in this small community is centered upon fishing, farming, knitwear and boat building. The centerpiece of Baltimore is the ruin of the 17th century castle, seat of the O’Driscoll clan.
DAY 5 Rest day in BALTIMORE
A well earned rest day, when you can put your feet up or else explore the local islands. Today, you may wish to to relax in Baltimore or travel to the nearby town of Skibbereen. Skibbereen is a lively, cosmopolitan town is regarded as the hub of the tourism area that spreads out in many directions from it. It is noted for its shops, pubs and restaurants as well as being home of the West Cork Arts Center, where the many artists who inhabit the area show their work and where top touring exhibitions are featured. From Skibbereen there are many options for touring, as the town is gateway to the Mizen Peninsula and other areas of note. Skibbereen is home to the Skibbereen Heritage Centre.
DAY 6 BALTIMORE TO CLONAKILTY 33 miles (53 km)
Cycle on, hugging the West Cork coast as far as Clonakilty, birthplace of Michael Collins. Clonakilty has a thriving musical and artistic community and is also a regular award winner in the national Tidy Towns competition. Several of its pubs are noted for great impromptu music sessions with many big name acts taking part. The town center is home of noted street theater group Craic na Caoillte and impressive Model Railway Village Project depicts many of West Cork’s fine attractions in miniature. Clonakilty is close to many fine sandy beaches and is also noted for its festival and theme weekends. While there, you may wish to travel to the picturesque Inchydoney Beach before arriving at your overnight accommodation in Clonakilty.
DAY 7 CLONAKILTY TO KINSALE 23 miles (32 km)
Continue on the coast road to the village of Timoleague for lunch, home to an old Franciscan Friary. In the afternoon stay on the coast road to the historic town of Kinsale. The very attractive town of Kinsale is just 29km directly south of Cork City. This town has a population of approximately 2,000 people. This historic town has a most important role in Irish tourism. It is also one of the most successful and popular visitor destinations in Ireland. Kinsale has many popular attractions, which include heritage, gourmet restaurants, sailing, deep-sea angling and golf. Kinsale has been designated an Irish Heritage Town. Early settlers in Ireland came to live in the area, which we now know as Kinsale. Indeed the Old Head of Kinsale has been attributed as the site for some of the earliest settlers in Ireland. Later a number of Christian settlements were established in the surrounding countryside.