Just south of Cork is Crosshaven, an area delightfully short of the clog of tourists you find in other places such as the Ring of Kerry and Dublin. Getting there is quite easy as well. This trek is an excellent route to take to see some beautiful Irish countryside and to get out of Cork for a day. If you are feeling adventurous, it is possible to cycle there from Cork. This route prove to be very dangerous to bicyclers. It is more recommendable if you are feeling like a good bike ride to get your bike to Carrigaline first, and then head along the river to Crosshaven. There aren’t any other roads to the town, so you don’t have to worry about taking the wrong route, just ask a local the way to Crosshave
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Crosshaven isn’t a very large town, but is very much a fishing village, that much is obvious from the large number of boats in the estuary in front of it. That is a draw, an authentic Irish fishing village, with none of the exaggerated tourist traps. There is an old church there with a large tower, and a few shops and such to mosey around in, and then you can look around on the docks.
There is also a old castle up the hill facing the Bay of Cork, matching a similar one that lies on the other side of the bay. These two castles were built in the narrowest part of the entrance to the bay, as protection. They aren’t open to the public, but there is an excellent view from there across the bay. You can see Great Island and the town of Cobh, which has a lot of naval history in it. For example, Cobh was the last port at which the Titanic stopped before heading off to its doom. Then, if you circle around the other side of the castle, you have an excellent view of the Atlantic. There are regular ferries heading out of this everyday, immense boats heading off to France or England. To get to the castle, just take a left right behind the Cronin’s pub in the plaza. After trekking up such a long hill, Cronin’s is a great place to stop and have a few pints. It is an excellent little pub, a good place to drink with the locals.
If you are needing to take the bus back to Cork, make sure that you catch the evening buses, the times listed at Cronin’s, because there are no night buses. If you have to put your bike on the bus, prepare to be fleeced, because they might charge you anywhere from 5 to 7 euros.
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