Kinsale
Written: Jun 23 '00 (Updated Jun 23 '00)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Good Food, Homey Feel, You Can See The Sea
Cons: A Little Touristy
|
|
|
| elemnt97's Full Review: Cork City |
Cork city is somewhat inland from the coastline, making a day trip to the south of the city necessary in order to catch a glimpse of the sea. If you've got some extra time in Cork, want to see the ocean and grab a good meal in a restaurant, then the sea-side village of Kinsale will be worth the trip.
The village itself is about a half-hour to hour drive south of the city. Consult your LP for exact directions, but there's really only one road leading out of town so it should be hard to miss. Alternatively, the Bus Eirrean (sp?) runs coaches to Kinsale about twice daily from the Cork station. Once you're in downtown Kinsale (again, hard to miss), you shouldn't have any trouble finding your way around as maps of the town are scattered throughout the kitschy pedestrian zone.
As you might deduce from the fact that maps are laid out, Kinsale is a bit of a touristy spot. It is not overrun however, due to its relatively remote location for most foreign visitors. This means most of the tourists there are from Ireland itself, creating ample opportunity to meet and greet the Irish, even if they're not all from County Cork.
The village is chock-a-block with B&Bs and finding a place to stay shouldn't be hard if you have the pounds. In terms of budget accommodation, I would refer you again to the LP, but I stayed in a hostel behind a gas station on the road out of town once. It was surprising lovely, and if you've never shared a single-wide mobile home with five tourists right next to some above-ground gas tanks before, you're really missing out. I apologize for not remembering the name off hand, but when I was there the bright yellow sign that said "Hostel -->" was enough to get my attention. Look for it next to a gas station and you'll be in the right place.
Reputed as Ireland's culinary capital, Kinsale is also a great place to get a meal. This is undoubtedly due to the French influence (via the ferry to Cork from Brittany), creating a local cuisine that is in some ways reminiscent of California cuisine in its fusion style. If that's not your taste, there are ample restaurants serving traditional Irish fare that is prepared in a fancy way. It's still remarkably good, and tasty. Be prepared to spend much more for food in Kinsale than in the rest of the republic, due to its reputation (it nears if not surpasses Temple Bar prices).
I have visited Kinsale in both the summer and winter and both times it rained. This is not unusual for Ireland of course, but I would suggest packing for stormy weather in the winter. Being close to the sea, Kinsale is subject to what the Irish call "lashing" or fierce wind-driven rain storms that seem to come from nowhere and then disappear in a few hours. You never know when they're coming, so it's best to be prepared at all times. The wind can be ferocious, even in summer. A good sweater/jumper should do the trick in the winter to keep warm.
Overall, Kinsale is a wonderful little town that offers splendid food and a bit of authentic Ireland in close proximity to Cork. Certainly worth a day trip if you have a car over an overnighter if using the bus.
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
elemnt97
|
|
Location: Berkeley, CA
Reviews written: 26
Trusted by: 19 members
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.