2 Best Sights in County Cork, Ireland

Glengarriff is the gateway to this 137-km (85-mile) scenic drive that circles the Beara Peninsula on R572. One of the main attractions is the Beara Way, a 196-km (120-mile) marked walking route that takes in prehistoric archaeological sites. Dursey Island is a birder's paradise that you reach by cable car. From Dursey Island, head for tiny Allihies, the former site of a huge copper mine, celebrated in its own museum. The area is now the home of several leading Irish artists, some of whom invite studio visits (watch for signs). Continue along a breathtaking coastal road to Eyeries—a village overlooking Coulagh Bay—and then up the south side of the Kenmare River to Kenmare.

Jutting into the ocean like a bony, accusatory finger, this 28-km-long (17-mile-long) peninsula is 4 km (2½ miles) at its widest and is the place to go way off-grid in West Cork because of its restricted access on two minor roads. With a network of 20 looped trails, the most famous being the 88-km (54½-mile) Sheep's Head Way, the ocean is never more than a short hike away. Views of the neighboring peninsulas of Mizen and Beara unfold further into Sheep's Head, along with hairpin bends, cliff-side walks, castles, deep valleys, blowholes, and wide-open bays. A small shrine dedicated to the 329 lost souls aboard an ill-fated Air India aircraft back in 1985 provides a somber respite along the way. At the southerly tip is Bernie's Cupán Tae, a stalwart of Irish hospitality for decades, offering freshly baked scones and sandwiches that taste all the better after a hike in the fresh sea air.