County Cork is like a big adventure playground. There is so much to see and do, you would have to spend weeks there to cover every inch. County Cork is the biggest County in Ireland after all.
When we visited a few weeks ago, we tried to fit in as much as we could. In a middle of a heat wave it was particularly challenging because it was too hot to walk around for the kids so we kept it relaxed and didn’t rush anything.
Fota Wildlife
On our first day in County Cork we headed to Fota Wildlife Park which is an hour from Clonakilty heading into Cork. Be sure you book well in advanced of your stay, so there is no disappointment. You can book as early as 7 days in advanced of your visit. There are half an hour slots available starting from 9am. I would advise to book as early as you can. A family ticket (2 adult and 2 children) comes in at €49.50.
There are multiple cafes on site where you can grab a bite to eat or take advantage of any of the picnic areas to enjoy a snack. Due to the heat wave the kids were fuelled on Slushies and ice cream and didn’t have an appetite really. The grown ups enjoyed a hot dog at the Mu Cang Chai – Asian Sanctuary which is only open during the Summer I believe. It is setup as a food market style. Here you can avail of wood fired pizza, coffee, ice cream, cold drinks, hot dogs, donuts, sandwiches and slushies.
The park has a one way system in place where social distancing can be followed. We roughly spent over two hours in the park and that was at a slow pace.
As it is a wildlife park, you will occasionally see wallabies and kangaroos jumping around freely. We spotted one as we were coming to the end of the park.
Model Railway Village Clonakilty
If you are staying in the Clonakilty Park Hotel, then the Model Railway Village has to be on your list. Even if you are staying somewhere else in Cork, if you have a train fascinated child (who doesn’t like trains), you have to visit. For us it was literally a three minute drive from the hotel. We had our breakfast in the morning and could head straight down there.
Again this attraction has to be pre-booked on their website. A family ticket (2 adult and 2 kids) is €25. Slots are available every ten minutes. Again to comply with social distancing, they created a one way system. When you arrive, you will be asked if you want to ride on the train that goes around Clonakilty town. This service cost extra. I paid for it because before we left Chloe asked me if there will be a train she can ride on. I wasn’t sure at the time so of course I had to agree to pay for it. The train leaves beside the playground. We went on the train first and then started going through the village after.
The Model Railway village represents the towns of Clonakilty, Kinsale, Bandon and Dunmanway. Each figure is handmade on site at a scale of 1:24. All figures such as the blacksmith, bakers and workers are a replica in the style of the 1940’s. A lot of work has gone into the making of these figures as firing and hand painting is involved in this.
There is also a railway line going through the village which is 500 metres long. The miniature trains are operated by computers on a first come first served basis. It is pretty fascinating. My eldest was walking around the village following the train for ages and was pretending to be on it. The miniature railway has been running since 1994.
The newly added remote control boats (2018) were also a big hit and can be found at Kinsale Harbour’s mini village. You just need a Euro in coins to use it. It actually lasts for a good while. And finally as mentioned above, there is a little playground on the far side of the village overlooking the bay of Clonakilty.
Inchydoney Beach
If you are a person that likes the beach, you will like Inchydoney Beach. Literally only a ten minute drive from the hotel, it is a one way system to get down there. We decided to have a look one evening after dinner. I would not advise to head during the day as it would be too busy and hard to get parked. The roads are pretty tight to get by parked cars. However in the evening time at 8pm it was tolerable. We stayed only for a little bit to get some fresh air and let the kids play in the sand and dip their feet in the sea. The sea was out quite a good bit so we had to walk for a little while to reach it.
It is a blue flag beach so you can go for a swim if you fancy it.
Garnish Island
I’ve heard so many good things about Garnish Island that I decided to book the Garnish Island Ferry one day. It was between Garnish Island and Spike Island really but Garnish Island appealed to me more. It all depends on your interests really I guess. The Harbour Queen ferry departs from Glengariff Pier every 30 minutes. Make sure you arrive 15 minutes before departure and check in at the ticket office located beside the Pier. We got delayed but thankfully made it in time in the end. The boat ride over is less than twenty minutes. An adult ticket is €14 and children over the age of 4 (under 4 go free) is €7.
On the way to the island, the boat circles around Seal Island where you can spot a group of seals. New baby seals are born every year in July. The colony can be up to 250 seals who are residing in Glengariff Harbour every year.
Once you reach the island, you will be greeted by a guide who will bring you through a few health and safety guidelines. Toilets are located at the start of the one way loop.
Your first stop is the Italian Garden. From the gardens you have gorgeous views of the island and its surrounding bay. You can spot even more seals or people in their boats jumping into the sea. The view is really not something you would expect to see in Ireland. It is very exotic.
Continuing on you will get another view point from the temple. Afterwards you can tackle the many steps that will lead you onto the Martello Tower.
The last bit of the tour will bring you into the walled gardens and back to where we started. There are two queues, make sure you check that you are in the correct one for the Harbour Queen to bring you back to the Pier. While waiting in the queue, you can buy some treats or refreshments in the café. The recommended time to spend on the island is roughly 90 minutes. We were there an hour I think and it was plenty for the kids with stops.
Have you visited any of these attractions yet?
