Sights in Glengarriff
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Garinish (Ilnacullin) Island
The magical Italianate garden on Garinish Island is the top sight in Glengarriff. Subtropical plants flourish in the rich soil and warm climate. The camellias, magnolias and rhododendrons especially provide a seasonal blaze of colour. There are good views from a Grecian temple at the end of a cypress avenue, and a spectacular panorama from the top of the 19th-century Martello tower, built to watch out for a possible Napoleonic invasion.
This little miracle of a place was created in the early 20th century, when the island's owner, Annan Bryce, commissioned the English architect Harold Peto to design him a garden on the then-barren outcrop.
Garinish Island is reached by takin…
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Bamboo Park
Glengarriff's mild, frost-free climate allows this small 12-hectare park to flourish. It has a variety of exotic plants, including palm trees and tree ferns, as well as coastal woodland walks.
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Glengarriff Woods Nature Reserve
The 300-hectare ancient woodland lining Glengarriff's glacial valley was owned by the White family of Bantry House in the 18th century. The thick tree cover maintains humid conditions that allow ferns and mosses to flourish.
The woodlands and bogs are also home to Ireland's only arboreal ant and the rare and protected Kerry slug. If you're lucky (have camera ready so you can share your slug with friends and family), you'll see these spotty cream-coloured gastropods on the lichen carpet munching after rainfall.
There are four marked trails through the reserve, separately covering woodland, mountain, river and meadow, and you can combine them to form one big walk (8.5km, thre…
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