Ballylickey

Ballylickey is situated at the very heart of magnificent Bantry Bay, midway between Bantry Town and Glengarriff on scenic route N71. West Cork has become known throughout the world for its stunning scenery, its unspoilt environment and the genuine warmth of its welcome.

Ballylickey epitomizes all these special qualities and being outside the busy "Tourist Trail" is surely West Cork at its most natural and it is a charming place to visit, and an ideal base for a holiday in West Cork.

At Ballylickey the visitor has no shortage of places to stay. One can choose from several homely, welcoming B & Bs and guesthouses, hostels and a wide choice of self-catering accommodation. If camping or caravanning in Ballylickey is your thing, there's the excellent award-winning park at Eagle Point.

South west of Ballylickey is the beautiful Sheep's Head Peninsula and Goats Path while just five minutes away, to the north-west is the magnificent Beara Peninsula, with all its ruggedness, mystery and the dominant feature of fabulous Hungry Hill.

Circumnavigating either of these peninsulas is a delightful afternoons drive from Ballylickey, each turn in the road brings something new - a delightful fishing village - a fabulous vista - a charming lunch stop, and all the while the omnipresence of magnificent Bantry Bay. Bantry town is just five minutes away and has some excellent craft shops. Here too is incredible Bantry House, home of the Earls of Bantry since 1739. Five minutes away in the other direction are the rare Italian gardens of Garnish Island at Glengarriff.

Ballylickey caters for a great variety of outdoor pursuits at every level of experience. So if your interest is in outdoor activity - walking, angling, golfing, water sports, be you expert or beginner, Ballylickey has it all. For the walker, Ballylickey offers a base for some of the finest walking country in Ireland. From ambling in quiet county lanes to strenuous hikes in the rugged Caha or Sheehy mountain ranges, Ballylickey offers these and everything in between. Hill walking is well catered for in the well-planned Sheep's Head Way, while the Beara Peninsula and fabulous Gougane Barra offer hours of trekking and variety of scenery and topography.

Golfers are spoiled for choice in the two nearby courses of Glengarriff and Bantry Bay Golf Club. Both courses are scenic in the extreme, Bantry Bay Golf Club offering an eighteen hole parkland course and Glengarriff a tough, hilly nine holes, There's also an excellent Pitch & Putt course just a mile away.

Ballylickey is blessed with several angling facilities right on its doorstep. There are good seasonal opportunities for sea angling in the bay and the Coomhola and Ouvane rivers, both of which flow into Ballylickey, offer excellent salmon and sea trout fishing. In addition, there are several inland lakes stocked with rainbow and brown trout all within a few minutes of Ballylickey.

At the end of an active day there are still many things to do in Ballylickey. You can visit one of the local pubs, some of which have traditional music and Irish dancing in the evenings, enjoy a pleasant pint and exchange yarns with the locals.

If you like to dine out you have a wide variety to choose from. From traditional pub grub to haute cuisine in award winning restaurants. The choice is yours and the variety and quality absolutely superb.