Cape Clear Island

With its lonely inlets, pebble beaches, and gorse- and heather-clad cliffs, Cape Clear Island (Oileán Chléire) is an escapist's heaven – albeit one that is only 5km long and just over 1.5km wide at its broadest point. But that's just as well, as you'll want time to appreciate this small, rugged Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking) area, the southernmost inhabited island in the country.