Hi.
We (wife and I) are looking to rent a house in Cork or Kerry for a week in thje middle of September. Just wondering if anyone can suggest a good base. Basically, we would like somewhere that of itself is worth staying in but within reasonable driving distance of the Ring of Kerry (we did the Dingle peninsula last year) and attractions of West Cork (and would welcome info on what those attractions are!) for a couple of day trips.
Thanks very much.
Gernerd
Kenmare or Bantry would be the most central for what you are looking for. Kenmare is nice, but quite expensive, Bantry is more of a 'regular' town. Glengarriff is also very well located, although its small and touristy.
West Cork is lovely to explore - the main attractions are the very nice towns such as Clonakilty, Baltimore, etc., and some wonderful walks and drives along all the peninsulas. The Beara Peninsula is particularly impressive. If you like food its worth getting a specialist food guide such as the Bridgestone guide as West Cork has lots of little specialist food producers and good little restaurants, often in odd little places, so you need to hunt them out.