Glengarriff Nature Reserve

Glengarriff Wood is around three hundred hectares of sessile oak on the valley floor and slopes above the village, and it is one of the best surviving fragments of the oceanic oak woodland that once covered much of Ireland's Atlantic coast. Oceanic means mild and constantly wet - the Gulf Stream keeps frost rare here and the rainfall is high, so the trees carry heavy growths of mosses, liverworts and filmy ferns, and the ground is deep in them too. That community is genuinely rare in Europe. The river runs through in a series of pools and small falls with an old stone bridge over it, and several waymarked trails of different lengths climb from the car park, the longer ones reaching viewpoints over Bantry Bay. Rhododendron, an aggressive invader here, has been the reserve's main management problem for decades and clearance work is ongoing and visible.

What you actually see

• The oceanic oakwood - moss and liverwort covering trunks and ground.
• The river - pools, small falls and an old stone bridge.
• The waymarked trails - short valley loops up to longer viewpoint climbs.
• The rhododendron clearance - ongoing management, and its visible scars.

When to go

April to October. It rains often - that is what makes the woodland what it is, so expect wet ground and paths. Spring brings the fresh growth; autumn the colour.

Honest expectations

Wet underfoot in most seasons and slippery on rock and root. Midges are bad on still summer evenings. The longer trails climb steeply. Facilities are limited to the car park.

Nearby

Glengarriff village and the Garinish Island boats are adjacent; the Beara peninsula runs west.