Leaving Lauragh behind and continuing along the Ring of Beara, you will be treated to views across Killmackillogue harbour and once the road curves around, Ardgroom Harbour will come into view where any second now you will see a small sign welcoming you to Co. Cork.
Ardgroom epitomises the colourful west Cork villages dotted around the county; neighbours must take it in turns to see who can have the brightest painted house! There is one pub, The Village Inn serving food in the evenings and as you enter the village, Harrington’s post office/shop/cafe and petrol station serve fresh local food on local potter Marianne Klopp’s designs.
While many pass through Ardgroom as part of the Ring of Beara, it is worth detouring onto the backroads to get a sense of the area and explore the local harbour and areas of historical significance such as the Stone Circles that are more prevalent in the south west of our island than elsewhere.
About 5 kilometres on the coastal side of the village, signs for the Pulleen Loop Walk caught my eye. With the weather in my favour I was in the mood to see a little more!
Parking up at Cuas Quay, there is a walk description, map and yellow markers guiding you along the path. (I should add here that I just followed the yellow markers along the coastal path but, to do the proper looped walk, you should begin a few more metres inland!)
The biggest surprise for me was discovering the sea caves towards the start of the path. Now these are so cool! As you walk down the path, you’ll see a tall hedge and a little gap in this hedge will bring you right in front of the caves which are just outstanding to experience. The swell of the sea as it fills and ebbs, the echo of the water as it rises and falls in the caves, the sound of the waves lapping off the stones and particularly on the evening I visited, the concentration of honeysuckle perfume filling the air was just heavenly.
Following the path up and over the caves, the outer side of the caves come into view along with views across Kenmare Bay and down towards Lambs Head near Caherdaniel on the Ring of Kerry.
The yellow markers are clearly laid out and will guide you towards Dogs Point, where you can enjoy views back across Ardgroom Harbour and towards the mountains of Beara. This walk took me about 1 hour 10 minutes with lots of stops to ooh and aaah over the scenery of the area!
Finishing the walk, you could aways pop back in to Harrington’s for a nice coffee or continue along in the direction of Eyeries where you will be enjoying views such as the one above of Cleanderry Harbour.
Eyeries is a great little village with a vibrant community spirit, you can read on below…