Kinsale Area
 

We will be touring near Kinsale in September. We hear the town itself will be crowded re a festival and wondered what sights within 50 kilometers of Kinsale might be worth seeing (not the Ring of Kerry). If you could suggest a B&B or two in that area that would be great.

Please: personal experiences not websites.
Thanks!

Personally, I would head west towards the Mizenhead Peninsula. You also could choose Sheep's Head and the Beara Peninsulas. The coast drive is very beautiful and there are several pretty towns to settle into. Schull and Baltimore are both attractive harbor towns. There have been recommendations before on West Cork on this site. To sit in the plaza in Baltimore during a sunset is a wonderful thing. Anywho, I will begin my trip in Skibbereen this September and work my way up the coast with definite stops in Baltimore and Beara. There is so much to see in West Cork. Good Luck

Powell, The entire coast from Kinsale to Mizen is wonderful. You can try towns like Glangore, Skibbereen, Castletownshend (go to Mary Ann's for lunch), to name just a few. The Mizen Peninsula is beautiful and uncrowded. You can drive the "Ring of Sheepshead" :-) and not see a soul on the north coast. From Baltimore you could catch a ferry out to the islands there. A boat trip out around Fastnet would probably be astounding though might be stomach turning in anything other than very good weather. If you have an unlimited supply of money, you could play golf at the Old Head of Kinsale. I drove that coastline in May and I've vowed to come back. I thought Glandore would be a beautiful spot to use as a jumping off point for SW Cork. No B&B recos for Glandore though.

I stayed in Crookhaven at the Galley Cove B&B and it was nice. The town is a wonderful out of the way fishing village with the prototypical fisherman's bar (O'Sullivan's) and the Crookhave Inn, which serves fabulous food in a quaint unassuming way for reasonable prices.

If you travel that area, you must read McCarthy's Bar, a fine tail about the travels of PJ McCarthy. Quite a bit of it is based around that area of Ireland. It is very funny and also has some value as a travel guide, though not precise on locations. Once you read about a place, you'll have to research it.

Hope this helps!

Bill

Thanks for the great information.

I agree with the above poster McCarthy's Bar is a must read if your going to Ireland and the Kinsale area. By Pete McCarthy "Never Pass a bar that has your name on it"

Powell,

Kinsale is a beautiful little seaside town but my impression is one of there being more visitors than locals. Reaction was, during our last drive through there in an early May, in the attempt to stop, was one of "ack!". You can probably tell that crowds aren't my favorite thing. Still think it's worth being there, of course.

The suggestions for a westerly drive down the coast are good ones. Beautiful scenery. If you're looking for a more peaceful in-town day trip experience, I'd recommend Cobh, just on the east side of Cork, on Great Island in Cork Harbor. It's about 40km, passing south of Cork and through a tunnel.

Cobh is a bit bigger than Kinsale, but doesn't feel like it. We stayed several days there and will likely again on any southern Ireland itinerary. Things to do there:

- The Queenstown Experience, which is a little exposition in the old train station on the waterfront about Irish emigration and the departure of the Titanic, whose last port of call was Cobh.
- A walk up the waterfront areas and admire the old buildings facing the harbor.
- St. Colman's Cathedral, which looms over the town and is beautiful inside.
- Barryscourt Castle, just on the mainland before heading down to the island.

The restaurant in the small Watersedge Hotel (where we stay) is called Jacob's Ladder. It's right next to the Queenstown Exhibit. We enjoy the food there and actually waited to eat there once we got back from day trips. It's a bit pricey but very good seafood and steak dishes. Their menu is online.

If you go to Cobh from Kinsale, you can take the ferry, but be careful which one you go to. One takes you to France.

Bill