Glengarriff

Ireland

Glengarriff sits pretty on Bantry Bay where the Beara Peninsula meets the Atlantic, making it a grand spot for exploring Cork's coastal drives. The N71 brings you here from Cork city (90km) or Killarney (65km), while shorter hops from Bantry (20km) or Kenmare are handy for day trips. It's where the Ring of Kerry and Ring of Beara routes meet, so you'll find plenty of touring traffic passing through. The mild climate here is something else entirely - palm trees actually grow on Garinish Island just offshore thanks to the sheltered bay. The blue Eccles Hotel on the main street has been putting up visitors since 1745, and George Bernard Shaw himself came here to write.