Barleycove Beach

Barleycove sits near the western end of the Mizen peninsula, the most south-westerly point of the Irish mainland. The sand behind it is thought to have been thrown up by the tsunami that followed the 1755 Lisbon earthquake, which struck this coast hard, and the result is a large dune system now designated a nature reserve. Getting to the beach involves crossing a marshy lagoon area, which is done on a boardwalk and a floating pontoon bridge that rises and falls with the water - an odd approach and part of what people remember. The dunes are protected and fenced in places, with marram grass holding the sand and terns and other birds using the area. The beach is wide, west-facing and takes the full Atlantic; there are rip currents, and lifeguard cover is limited to the high summer months at the main section only.

What you actually see

• The dune system - a protected reserve, thought to date from the 1755 tsunami.
• The pontoon bridge - the floating crossing over the lagoon.
• The beach - wide, west-facing, taking the open Atlantic.
• The Mizen setting - near the south-western corner of the mainland.

When to go

May to September; lifeguards cover the main section in July and August only. The pontoon can be closed or damaged after storms.

Honest expectations

Rip currents in the surf, with limited lifeguard cover. The dunes are a protected reserve - stay on the marked routes. The walk in from the car park takes ten minutes, which surprises people with heavy beach gear.

Nearby

Mizen Head is west; Crookhaven and Goleen are on the same peninsula.