Inchydoney Beach

Inchydoney was an island, and the name still says so, but two causeways built across the estuary tied it to the mainland and it now sits five minutes from Clonakilty. A grass-topped headland called the Virgin Mary's Bank divides the sand into two Blue Flag strands, both wide, gently shelving and lifeguarded in high summer, which makes them among the more family-usable beaches on this coast. The surf is consistent enough for a long-established surf school, and the beach hosts one of the busier learner scenes in West Cork. A hotel and spa above the strand introduced seawater thalassotherapy here in the 1990s. Because it is the closest good beach to Clonakilty and easy to reach, it is the one that fills - August weekends see the car parks overflow. Rip currents run either side of the headland and the estuary channel at the eastern end is deceptively strong.

What you'll find

• The two strands - split by the Virgin Mary's Bank headland.
• The causeways - the roads that ended the island's isolation.
• The surf school - a long-running learner operation on the beach.
• The estuary - the channel at the eastern end, and its birds.

When to go

May to September; lifeguards cover both strands in July and August. Weekday mornings are far quieter than August weekends, when the car parks fill by mid-morning.

Good to know

Rip currents run either side of the headland, and the estuary channel is stronger than it looks. Very busy in summer with limited parking. Facilities are seasonal outside the hotel.

Nearby

Clonakilty is inland; Galley Head and the Seven Heads are along the coast.