Beautiful Ballycotton All to Myself

When I decided to travel to Ireland, I knew that I wanted to get off the beaten path as much as possible. I shied away from places such as the Ring of Kerry and Dingle Peninsula. Although I’m sure they are heavily travelled because of their stunning beauty, I was seeking a path more full of local people and creative food. Once I had settled on stopping at the Ballymaloe House for its food reputation and lovely country accommodations, I decided to explore East Cork further and venture to nearby Ballycotton at the water’s edge, which is renowned as a fishing town.

I caught a ride from the Ballymaloe Cookery School for the 15 minute trek to Ballycotton. Blink and you could miss the charming town center with its few pubs and B&Bs, hillside church, and eye-catching St. Mary’s grotto. The one small road into town forks to dead-end at either the Harbour or the Cliff Walk.

I entered the Inn by the Harbour where I had reservation. The only options were the closed restaurant or the open pub – and indeed I checked in at the bar. The first thing I did was to make a dinner reservation at Pier 26 next door, which came with great reviews – the Inn proprietors lease out the space to the current chef. I was then shown up the stairs to a small, simple room. Who knew I would be so lucky to get a room with gorgeous views of the sea and Lighthouse Island. The room was small, comfy, and extremely clean with small flat screen TV and phone (no hair dryer, much to my dismay) with a double bed and a stunning view of the ocean and Lighthouse Island. It was a beautiful day and I went out to explore and seek lunch.

Ballycotton in October has a lovely sense of isolation that winter brings to harbor towns. Luckily, my stay at Ballymaloe the previous day had slowed my pace. As I made my way toward town, on the mostly shoulder-less road, I came upon the Bayview Hotel and since it sits on the water I decided to check it out for a light lunch. The hotel feels slightly dated, as does their menu, but the lounge has nice comfy couches, friendly service, sweeping bay views, and free wifi and outlets. On a warm day it would be pleasant to lounge with a beer at one of their outdoor tables overlooking the bay.

Satiated and electronics recharged for taking cliff-view photos, I headed up the hill. It was a brilliant sunny, crisp day but I was easily warmed by the walk. The first path I came upon took me down steep winding steps to the bottom of the cliff and I found myself in a sea of dramatic, volcanic jagged rocks and tide pools. The concrete steps and pathway are uneven and treacherous and some railings were loose. I contemplated that had it been raining I probably would not have attempted this potentially dangerous path – but I was glad that the weather had obliged and that I had gotten to experience this geological wonder.

After climbing back up to the path, I continued to walk up the lightly sloping paved road, shared with cars, to the dead-end where the cliff walk begins. Even from high above, the sea has a distinctive briney aroma of cliff grass and volcanic minerality.

Returning to the Inn from my walk, I settled into the pub with a local Franciscan Well on-tap Rebel Red to enjoy the charming space and use the wifi which works well in the pub, but is basically non-existent in the upstairs rooms. A good excuse to sit in the charming pub and soak up the local vibe and watch soccer on the telly.

Before my 8pm dinner reservation I decided to continue where I had left off at the upper cliff walking thinking that sunset would be particularly scenic. And it was stunning. However, I hadn’t left myself enough time to do the entire route as it takes over an hour one way and it would be dark soon. The cliff walk is unpaved with no lighting and skirts the edge, looming over the sea, similar to the Cinque Terre in Italy. In most areas there are bramble bushes that act as a barrier to prevent tumbling into the sea. I saw few other travellers along the path.

I returned back to the Inn to get ready for dinner. Even with few other residents, the Inn’s thin walls don’t buffer the sounds of other guests. It’s an older building, and this one failing can be overlooked because its other charms such as its pub and proximity to the water and Pier 26. Dinner at Pier 26 was wonderful and deserves its very own post. And after a half a bottle of wine, I didn’t even notice any noise upon my return.

The next morning was bright and sunny. The Inn serves a lovely breakfast in the Pier 26 restaurant space with great views out over the water. I had hoped to spend most of the day in Ballycotton and take the recently-commenced harbour tour to Lighthouse Island. But despite the beautiful weather, the boat was unable to run due to easterly winds – which apparently can be a problem even in summer until they better-develop the landing on the island. So, I decided to head to Cork City early in the day.

But first I needed one last walk of the town. The harbor was quiet – it is a pristine place that does not leverage its waterfront views with cafes or tourist gift shops. I turned around and headed the other direction into town to see Ballycotton from a different perspective – the charming homes and the views of the bay. It was a very quiet Sunday morning with only a few cars and no other pedestrians.

Time to leave this beautiful place that I had chosen on a bit of research and a lot of faith. The Inn called me a taxi and I was lucky to get it as the wedding party from Ballymaloe House had cornered the market on drivers. The 30 minute ride back to Midleton was a satisfying way to ease myself out of the countryside. I easily purchased a single ticket from the station machine. In 20 short minutes I would be beginning my four day adventure in Cork City. But when I come back to Ballycotton – and I will – it will be for longer …and perhaps even with a car for more full exploration of East Cork.