A rain-splashed camping trip and horse-trek in the mountains may not sound heavenly, yet Thomas Breathnach found Glengarriff to be a haven of serenity

Irish Independent
Saturday August 29 2009

Everywhere is the new everywhere these days. Drogheda is the new Dubrovnik, Bundoran’s the new Bali.

It’s the travel writer’s way of consoling you that, although you may not be able to afford that overseas vacation this year, once the mercury hits 20 degrees in Ireland, a holiday here will stack up to any international hotspot. With that in mind, I’m off to the Beara Peninsula, aka the new Machu Picchu. With conical mountains, folding layers of grassy sandstone and horse trekking, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

A dual carriageway, the Jack Lynch Tunnel and two hours of scenic driving later, through the Lee Valley, the west Cork Gaeltacht and Bantry Bay, we arrive at base camp. Dowlings Caravan and Camping Park, a three-star site 400m from Glengarriff Bay, is our budget accommodation for the weekend. A rate of €25 per night is the damage for two people and my swanky new pop-up tent; a good deal, though I’ve paid less for more at some four-star sites.

Within a minute of setting up, our tent is pitch-perfect on the foothills of the Caha Mountains and Beara is our oyster.

Our first port of call is Urhan Riding Stables, run by Dublin native Cathy Bacon. I’m about to go on my first horse trek in 20 years, and with mountainous terrain and rain clouds on the horizon, I’m feeling a fraction dubious.

Out in the arena, I’m introduced to Tyson, a 22-year-old cob shire. “He’s a real gentleman, so there’s no need to worry,” Cathy assures me. Tyson was just that; placid and astute, he responds to Tyson, Tyrone and every variation of his name I call him while mounting him in the arena.

Cathy instructs us on the riding basics: “Toes up, heals down, shoulders back, chest out and, above all, don’t be passive!” Before we know it, our small riding party was heading for the Mirkish Mountains, with Christy the deerhound in hot pursuit. They say that when you ride a horse you borrow freedom, and there’s certainly an added element of serenity crossing Cork’s remotest terrain 17 hands above ground.

Despite my initial apprehensions, I soon become confident enough to increase our pace to trotting, and I’m sure I broke the canter barrier at some point. The scenery is a sight to behold, and even the onslaught of heavy rain offers another complexion to Beara’s character. Rising high up into Knockgour Mountain, we’re flanked by wild fuchsia and orange montbretia as flocks of mountain sheep graze around us.

Once we reach the brow of our trail, our view descends down into Coulagh Bay and the village of Allihies. A network of sharp, hairpin bends leads us down the mountainside. To our left, then our right, then left again we pass eerie abandoned copper-mine houses which brought so much prosperity to the area in the 1800s. Pastures on the foothills mark the end of our trek and we bid adieu to our equine friends, who go off to graze after their two-hour cardio session. Soaked to the bone but exhilarated nonetheless, we’d caught the riding bug and vowed to come back soon again.

Cathy drives us back to our car in Urhan, blasting on every heating mechanism in her 4WD to dry us out. Then it’s back to Glengarriff, where the hot showers at Dowlings never looked more tempting.

To save the pennies, and take advantage of our fine location, we’re picnicking at camp this evening. We round off our meal with delicious farmhouse cheese, picked up at Bandon farmers market and a fine Merlot picked up at Bandon Lidl.

It’s now time to see what Glengarriff’s nightlife has to offer. With its live music humming onto the drizzled street, McCarthy’s Bar is the most alluring option. Inside, there’s a merry blend of locals and tourists, the latter identifiable by their ‘Guinness-only’ drinking policy and over-zealous toe-tapping during the Fields of Athenry. Our cheery barman rustles us a hot toddy and, as the evening rolls on, the five-piece West Cork Blues keeps the crowd going, belting out the A to Z of Irish pub songs.

We’ve an early start Sunday morning as we’re off to Dzogchen Beara, the Tibetan Buddhist retreat located five miles from Castletownbere. The centre runs under the guidance of Sogyal Rinpoche, an acclaimed Tibetan lama, or teacher. Rinpoche often provides his own mediation classes, but this morning we’re being guided by one of his colleagues, Cormac Boydell.

The retreat is perched high on the cliffs overlooking the Atlantic and the meditation room has prime vista of the whole area. Having skipped breakfast, the initial fear is that our grumbling stomachs might offset the atmosphere of unbridled solitude, but fortunately they keep at bay.

Once we’ve all assumed the lotus position on our cushions, Cormac begins the session. In simple language, we’re first told about the benefits of meditation for Buddhists, and how it can ultimately lead to nirvana, a state free from all suffering.

The three 10-minute meditation sessions focus on serenity and personal insight. Cormac encourages our eyes to be kept open and forward-looking, in order to embrace our external environment. The state of tranquillity we soon achieve through the breathing exercises is only heightened by our dramatic location on the periphery of the country. My mind becomes lost in the lulling Atlantic.

All zenned out, we hunt for a full Irish and make tracks for Allihies, a psychedelic trip in its own right. The village, with its immaculately kept streets and buildings, painted in the brightest colours of the Dulux catalogue, resembles the set of Balamory. At any moment, I am expecting a wacky children’s TV presenter to emerge from a purple cottage and tell me that today we are all going to learn the alphabet song.

Not waiting around to tempt fate, we move on and stumble across Veronica’s B&B overlooking Coulagh Bay.

The olde-worlde dining room doubles up as a gallery displaying fine art, by Veronica’s husband, of the local area. A freshly garnished Irish breakfast more than hits the spot (especially for a mere €7), and Veronica has a mammy-like quality, ensuring we’ve enough to eat.

It wouldn’t be a trip to Beara without taking a boat trip in Glengarriff Bay and going seal watching. Unlike in some areas of the country, where seals as viewed as pests, in Glengarriff the benefits of seal tourism to the local area is recognised by all.

Our journey begins at the jetty by Blue Pool, a tiny inlet amid forestry and drooping arbutus trees. The main purpose of Blue Pool Ferries is to take passengers to the Italian gardens on Garnish Island, but we’re content to sit back and seal-watch. The common seal’s population in the bay now stands at about 400 and is still growing, according to Tony our skipper. The 20-minute round trip takes us close to a number of seal-basking points, without sticking around too long to disturb the animals. Local legend has it that some seals have the souls of drowned mariners, and it certainly gives them a greater air of intrigue as they stare back at you.

Black, silver and tan, some of the seals sun themselves on the rocks, while others bob in the waters and fish for mackerel. With their big brown eyes and playful nature, they can’t help but remind me of my obese labrador.

As check-out at Dowlings beckons, our weekend draws to a close. Just as I am realising that taking down the pop-up tent requires an engineering degree, the heavens begin to open. I think of the local man in the pub last night who told us: “If you’ve the weather fine, you’d live on a crumb down here in Beara.” But standing in the fresh rain, I looked at the mountains and thought, ‘There’s a lot to be said for Beara on a bad day, too’.

– Thomas Breathnach

Beara – need to know

GETTING THERE

Glengarriff, the gateway to Beara, is a 90-minute drive from Cork City, or four-and-a-half hours from Dublin. Distances on Beara itself are quite protracted, so keep the fuel tank topped up. Petrol stations are few and far between on the peninsula, and as mobile coverage is poor, this is one place you don’t want to get caught on empty. See www.bearatourism.com.

STAYING THERE

Dowling’s Caravan Park (027 63154, €25 per tent) is centrally located for discovering the Glengarriff area. Other camping options further down the peninsula include Hungry Hill Lodge in Adrigole (027 60228, €18 per tent) or O’Sullivan’s Campsite in Allihies (027 73002), which sits on the dunes of Ballydonegan beach. See www.camping-ireland.ie.

If you fancy a roof over your head, Veronica’s B&B (027 73072) in downtown Adrigole has charming en suite rooms, where Veronica will be happy to brew you up a cup of tea on arrival. Rates from €30pps.

EATING AND DRINKING

The best rule of thumb in all the villages of Beara is to follow the sound of live music — though you’ll often be tied between a number of venues.

Situated between the pink Garda station and woollen mills, The Martello (027 63860) restaurant in Glengarriff brings a touch of trendy modernity to the village. Seafood and fish are a speciality with tempting scallops, monkfish and sole on offer.

Check out their four-course early-bird menu for €28.

Also read: Boston Globe – Unruly, nationalistic, seafaring vast County Cork