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Beara communities have always relied heavily on fishing; CASTLETOWNBERE , the peninsula's main town, is no exception. Set on Ireland's second largest natural harbour, it's periodically awash with Spanish and Portuguese sailors. To serve them there's a handful of cafes, well-stocked shops, a chip shop and some enjoyable pubs . Essentially, the town serves as a useful place to pick up provisions or rest up if you're travelling through the area. It's also the point of departure for ferries to Bere Island (July & Aug 3-5 daily; by arrangement at other times; tel 027/75009; car GBP15/?19.05 return, foot passenger GBP4/?5.08), which shelters the harbour. The stone circle a mile from town is worth seeing. A coastal walk west from Castletownbere takes you to the ruins of Dunboy Castle - where an Irish and Spanish force was besieged and overcome by the English in 1602 - and Puxley's Castle , the eerie, dilapidated shell of a Victorian Gothic mansion. This was the home of the Puxley family, who made their money out of copper-mining; their story, and that of the mines, was used by Daphne du Maurier in her novel Hungry Hill . The castle itself was burnt down by the IRA in the 1920s, but its setting is idyllic: a placid inlet behind Castletownbere harbour fringed by rich woodlands, with stunning views of the wild mountains - expect to be charged GBP2/?2.54 to enter the grounds. There's a useful tourist information hut on the square (tel 027/70054). For information about private bus services to Glengarriff, Bantry and Cork contact either Harrington's (tel 027/74003), O'Donoghue's (tel 027/70007) or Peter O'Sullivan (tel 027/74168) . There are several B&Bs : options at the west end of town include the pleasant Old Presbytery (tel 027/70424; GBP40-55/?50.79-69.84), hung with some interesting paintings by Allihies artists, and Knockanroe (tel 027/70029; GBP33-40/?41.90-50.79). Murphy's (tel 027/70244; GBP26-33/?33.01-41.90), Main Street (above the cafe) offers decent budget B&B, and at the east end there's Ar d'Teachna (tel 027/70071; GBP33-40/?41.90-50.79), a family home that also has inexpensive single rooms. You can camp at nearby Beara Hostel (tel 027/70184), two miles west of Castletownbere on the road towards Allihies, a clean hostel with laundry facilities and bike rental. The alternative for campers is Berehaven Camper Amenity Park (tel 027/70700), about one mile east of town, a well developed site for tents and camper vans. One of the best inexpensive places to eat is The Old Bakery , West End; serving excellent home-cooked food, it's a welcome refuge on a rainy day with plenty of art books and board games to while away the time. Seafood features prominently on the reasonably priced menu at Niki's , on Main Street. Provisions are available at all hours from MacCarthy's shop-cum-bar - one of the nicest places to drink. There is a laundry on Main Street. Bike rental is available from the Supervalu supermarket. If you want to explore this coastline from the water, try sea kayaking with Beara Kayaks (tel 027/70692).
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