Things to do in County Cork, Province of Munster: The Best Nature & Parks

May 20, 2022 Enriqueta Cusson

Discover the best top things to do in County Cork, Ireland including Barleycove Beach, Beara Way, Gougane Barra National Forest Park, The Donkey Sanctuary, Healy Pass, Cork Harbour Boats, Birds of Prey Educational Centre, Glenview Gardens & Fairy Trail, Ringfinnan Garden of Remembrance, The Ireland Way Hiking Trail.
Restaurants in County Cork

1. Barleycove Beach

Schull Ireland
Excellent
82%
Good
15%
Satisfactory
3%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 218 reviews

Barleycove Beach

Reviewed By gloriao796

We spent a very enjoyable afternoon at Barley Cove,the beach is pristine, the waves huge just right for surfing

2. Beara Way

Beara Peninsula, Glengarriff Ireland http://www.bearatourism.com/bearaway.html
Excellent
87%
Good
12%
Satisfactory
1%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 214 reviews

Beara Way

Reviewed By Go529321 - Drogheda, Ireland

Wonderful drive great scenery only problem roadside very Narrow with very few passing points or viewing spots where you can stop for photos

3. Gougane Barra National Forest Park

5km West of Ballingeary on R584 to Bantry, at the Pass of Keimaneigh, Gougane Barra, Ballingeary Ireland +353 21 488 2218 http://www.coillteoutdoors.ie/index.php?id=171&rec_site=88
Excellent
84%
Good
16%
Satisfactory
0%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 288 reviews

Gougane Barra National Forest Park

Reviewed By Tianaward027 - Tralee, Ireland

In October 2017 I visited Gougane Barra National Forest Park and it was amazing ???? Definitely a day I will remember forever ???????? Beautiful walks for all levels in a lovely forest setting ????????‍♀️A lovely peaceful place away from the crowd is what we need to destress and enjoy Mother Nature ???? Toilets are spotless and hand sanitizer was provided ???????? A stunning walk up along a beautiful waterfall, with incredible mountain views at the top. There are so many gorgeous waterfalls cascading down the mountains at the top ???? The base of the mountain is covered in the most amazingly thick moss that's like sponge under your feet ???????? We then ate in cronins bar and cafe, lovely food there highly recommend ???????? Highly recommend that everyone visits some time ‼️

4. The Donkey Sanctuary

Liscarroll, Mallow Ireland +353 22 48398 [email protected] http://www.thedonkeysanctuary.ie
Excellent
81%
Good
18%
Satisfactory
1%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 278 reviews

The Donkey Sanctuary

Reviewed By 891heidid

We sponsor a donkey so as we were holidaying in Ireland decided to visit him. The sanctuary is tucked away so we were pleased we had sat nav? Unfortunately when we visited in November the weather was dreadful and we couldn’t walk around the trail as it was closed to prevent damage. However the donkeys were all warm and snug in very deep straw with plenty of food. They were able to walk across the yard and a couple braved the weathe4 to come to the gate. We had a cup of tea and a chat to the lady running the #hop and purchased some beautiful Christmas cards. We will definitely go back when we next visit Ireland @nd hope for better weather!

5. Healy Pass

Adrigole Ireland +353 27 50299 http://www.kenmare.ie/members/healy-pass-circuit/
Excellent
89%
Good
10%
Satisfactory
2%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 262 reviews

Healy Pass

Reviewed By AnnetteMc - Birdhill, Ireland

Stayed at Allihies with my family in September. The trip via Healy Pass is an adventure all of its own. It is fabulous and the views are out of this world.

6. Cork Harbour Boats

Glenbrook Ireland +353 21 484 1348 [email protected] http://www.corkharbourboats.com/
Excellent
100%
Good
0%
Satisfactory
0%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 4 reviews

Cork Harbour Boats

Cork Harbour Boats operate from the historic town of Cobh, which commands panoramic views of Cork Harbour - one of the finest natural and well sheltered harbours in the world.

Reviewed By 545allanb - Portlaoise, Ireland

Great crack out on these. Boats are a little slow but good fun. Great views of Cobh. Lads running it are good, give you a very good run out in the harbor, spike island , docked Irish navy ships.

7. Birds of Prey Educational Centre

Trabolgan Holiday Village, Midleton P25 HY10 Ireland +353 21 466 1551 http://trabolganbirds.com
Excellent
92%
Good
5%
Satisfactory
2%
Poor
0%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 263 reviews

Birds of Prey Educational Centre

Reviewed By staceymhand - County Dublin, Ireland

Just want to share these amazing photos that was taken by the lovely Samantha Murphy on our little holiday down in Trabolgan holiday village on the 13th August - 17th August and Out of our whole experience and photos of trabolgan these are our favourites ???????? Ravenstone birds of prey was amazing and the mother of the owls, falcons and hawks we seen was samantha murphy she was amazing and captured my children beautifully in her photos ???????????? Such a wonderful experience and the staff in the birds of prey were so wonderful, kind and amazing so thank you Sam & Tish ???????? we will definitely back next summer ????????

8. Glenview Gardens & Fairy Trail

Glen View Desert Enniskeane, Cork P47 AH98 Ireland +353 23 884 7230 [email protected] http://www.glenviewgardenswestcork.com
Excellent
85%
Good
11%
Satisfactory
2%
Poor
1%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 171 reviews

Glenview Gardens & Fairy Trail

Open end of May 2021 . A beautiful 3 acre garden with amazing designs and fun for all the family in West Cork, including a Fairy Fort and Fairies Trail. This 3 acre garden is full of surprises with each garden style flowing into the next. The front garden contains a sunken white garden, an Italianate canal and a Japanese garden. The boundary wisteria walk opens out into the bog garden and woodland area, from where you can continue to the tea house to enjoy a view of the Mediterranean and tropical gardens. Wander over the birch mound, which is surrounded by the wildflower meadow, into the walled kitchen garden to view the seasonal vegetables. The kids will have great fun visiting the Fairy Fort built right through the birch mound or searching for the fairy houses in the Fairies woods. View the Budgies, Parakeets, Finches, Ducks and Chickens in the Aviary.

Reviewed By Livingfortravel101

Recently I took a trip to glenview gardens and had a fantastic experience. It is not only a great trip for garden lovers but also has plenty on offer for kids. From fairy trails, dinosaurs, teddy bear picnics, birds, goats, fish, rabbits and lots of other surprises along the way. I would highly recommend a trip to see the gardens. Unfortunately it was raining for our trip but that still didn’t dampen our spirts. I can only imagine how beautiful it is on a sunny day.

9. Ringfinnan Garden of Remembrance

Ringfinnan, Kinsale Ireland +353 86 864 7028 http://www.facebook.com/ringfinnan
Excellent
88%
Good
8%
Satisfactory
4%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 122 reviews

Ringfinnan Garden of Remembrance

This garden is located in the townland of Ringfinnan, Kinsale, County Cork in the south of Ireland and is dedicated to the memory of the 343 firefighters who lost their live in the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York. This garden of Remembrance was established by Kathleen Murphy in November 2001. Kathleen grew up in Ringfinnan, Kinsale, County Cork which is located in the south of Ireland. Following her training as a nurse in England she moved to New York where she worked as a staff nurse for 40 years in Lennox Hill Hospital. Kathleen always admired the brave and courageous work of firefighters. Following the 9/11 attacks she decided to establish the garden of remembrance in memory to the 343 firefighters who lost their lives on September 11th 2001. Kathleen passed away in March 2011 in New York following a battle with cancer and is buried less than 2 miles from the garden.

Reviewed By bsa819 - Lynnfield, United States

Worth a stop and a chance to remember. We forget how the entire globe was afftected by the events in the US on 9/11

10. The Ireland Way Hiking Trail

Castletownbere Ireland http://www.theirelandway.ie
Excellent
83%
Good
17%
Satisfactory
0%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 6 reviews

The Ireland Way Hiking Trail

Reviewed By drbeatz - Drumcondra, Ireland

Great trail. Some parts of the southern section can be really challenging. I used an app called Hiiker to do it, which was pretty much a 100% necessity as some sections there is little or no signage and it can get a bit confusing. The book is also good. I camped a lot of the Way by asking permission of farmers (mostly ????). I think you need a top-notch tent to do it. I have a Zpacks Duplex tent, and you need that level and quality of waterproofing. I had a groundsheet as well that was a necessity. I used a combination of gators and trail runners, but I was happy enough to get my feet wet in places. I feel like I got pretty lucky with the weather for the most part but equally, I experience the 4-seasons in a day weather the odd time!

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