The tip of Mizen Head is more or less an island, cut off by a deep chasm and spanned by a bridge giving access to an old signal station, weather station and lighthouse.
Once manned permanently, the signal station has been transformed into a museum highlighting the peninsula’s important strategic links to transatlantic shipping and communications, including the groundbreaking efforts of Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi, known for his work on long-distance radio transmission.
The “99 steps” that made up part of the original access route have been improved with a series of paths and viewing platforms and there is a full range of facilities at the entrance to the site.
Once you have experienced the wild beauty of the peninsula, projecting out around copper-rich Mount Gabriel, you can head south to explore Ballydehob and Schull, a once-small fishing village turned into a buzzing little resort by the boating fraternity and arts community.
Whilst you’re on the peninsula check out Durrus, a well-known gourmet hotspot, the westerly outpost of Crookhaven and beautiful Bantry Bay, one of Ireland’s most attractive inlets.
Barleycove, West Cork’s finest beach, is rarely disturbed by big crowds and is a fabulous place for youngsters. Access to its golden sands and safe bathing waters is via a long boardwalk and pontoon that protect the surrounding wetlands.