Bantry

Ireland

Bantry sits at the head of its bay on Cork's southwest coast, where the Atlantic cuts 30 kilometres inland between the Beara and Sheep's Head peninsulas. Most visitors drive the N71 from Cork city (86km), with the coastal road continuing west to Skibbereen and Clonakilty. The town of 3,300 centres around Bantry House, a Georgian mansion where French ships tried landing 15,000 soldiers in 1796 to support an Irish rebellion, though Atlantic storms scuppered the invasion. The house displays artifacts from that dramatic episode and opens its Italianate gardens to visitors. There's a small aerodrome for private aircraft and scenic flights.