Beara essentials in Castletownbere
We have both stayed in the beautiful four-star waterside Berehaven Lodge, just outside Castletownbere.
Colin stayed there while filming Neil Jordan’s Ondine in 2009. I spent a weekend there with my wife and three kids, nine, seven and 17-months, earlier this month to sample the delights of the peninsula which is already reaping the benefits from its inclusion on the Wild Atlantic Way.
Well-known for its walks and pristine beaches — think Allihies, Garnish, Eyeries and Ardgroom on the northern side — we focused our attention on the southern side which has enough on offer to pack a weekend.
Based in one of Donal and Joan Kelly’s 15 luxury self-catering lodges overlooking Berehaven harbour and Bere Island, we were greeted on arrival by Louise, bearing freshly baked cookies, who showed us to our modern, well-appointed and spotlessly clean three-bedroom lodge, which could sleep six comfortably.
Its spacious kitchen has a double fridge freezer, a double oven, a microwave, and the utility room had a washer dryer and sink. The living area has a satellite TV and DVD players, and several board games.
With a garden area and a deck with garden furniture to the rear, the kids wanted to move in — permanently.
The complex has a small playground, ideal for young children, and its own seafood restaurant, Roan Carrig, run by chef John Byrne.
The dining area is functional, but boasts wonderful views from the deck outside.
The wait staff are courteous, helpful and attentive, and I can recommend the chowder and the steaming loin of cod. It had been landed earlier that morning in Castletownbere — Ireland’s busiest whitefish port — and was served sitting on a bed of puréed cauliflower, sprinkled with polonaise topping, and drizzled with truffle oil and baby capers.
The complex also has a stoney beach area and its own pontoon — the White Rock on navigation charts — which opened last week to its first yachting enthusiasts who had dinner reservations in Roan Carrig.
It was from here that we were collected on an overcast Saturday morning by Glen, a skipper with Bere Island Sea Safari. We sped off in the 12-seat Ocean Runner rib westwards, passing some magnificent shore-side properties, including Neil Jordan’s West Cork bolt hole.
Glen cut a sharp turn right, taking us under the bridge from Castletownbere’s busy whitefish port to Dinnish Island, flashing past a fleet of trawlers, before he opened the throttle and set a course to the western tip of Bere Island where we explored a sea arch just under the island’s lighthouse.
We headed out into Bantry Bay, the rib slapping waves and sending spray flying over our heads, as we cruised around the exposed outward side of the island.
We rounded the Roan Carrig lighthouse, and buzzed the Bere Island car ferry before being delivered salt-caked and wind swept back to the resort’s pier.
Chased by cormorants and seagulls, it was a thrill a minute hour-long ride — one of the highlights of the trip.
After a fine lunch in the busy Copper Kettle restaurant in the square in Castletownbere, and a quick visit to the famous McCarthy’s Bar (another thing ticked off the bucket list), my wife enjoyed a well-earned hour of relaxing acupuncture with Joanna Riddell, while I hit the road, visiting the partially developed hotel at Dunboy Castle and its woods.
I popped in to the magnificently sited Dzogchen Beara buddhist retreat centre, which delivers around 10,000 bed nights a year to the locality, before finally reaching Dursey Sound, home to Ireland’s only cable car. The views along the way are simply breathtaking.
On the Sunday, we visited Tír na Hilan to enjoy a morning pony trekking session with Julie and Annie O’Neill at Lios Larra Stables.
The mother and daughter team were great with us city slickers — putting us all at ease on calm animals, and leading us on a wonderfully relaxing trek along deserted country roads to an elevated point which offered spectacular views of Berehaven harbour.
After an afternoon drive up the Healy Pass, one of the most magnificent mountain passes in Ireland, it was time to head home.
We packed a lot in to a day and half and only scratched the surface. With weekend festivals in all the villages right through the summer, and Bere Island still to explore, Beara, we’ll be back.
* We stayed as guests of Berehaven Lodge just outside Castletownbere. www.berehavenlodge.com
Explore the peninsula’s rugged coastline, Bere Island’s sea caves, and if the weather is right, take a white-knuckle ride out into Bantry Bay for a sea tour around Bere Island. Boat hire is €60 for half an hour or €100 for an hour. Groups can split the cost. Contact Sean by phone or text to 086-859 5701, or check out www.sea-safari.com
Lios Lara Riding Stables are 10 minutes from Castletownbere. All the riding safety gear is supplied. Find Lios Lara Riding Stables on Facebook or call Julie on 086-172 1279, or 087-9461453 to make an appointment a day ahead.
Chinese medicine specialist Joanna Riddell, originally from London but now living on Bere Island, works from a tranquil treatment room above the Loop de Loop Healthstore just off the square in Castletownbere. Contact Joanna on 027-75973 for an appointment. Prices range from €30 to €50.
The 220-kilometre way-marked walking and cycling route winds its way around the Ring of Beara, taking in the Caha Mountains, and some of the region’s most spectacular coastal routes. The Eyeries to Ardgroom section and scenic Ballycrovane Harbour, and the Allihies to Dursey route, are particularly stunning. More details on www.bearatourism.com
The museum charts the history of the phenomenal copper mining industry in the area at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, and how it changed the landscape and its people forever. Prices and opening times on www.new.acmm.ie
