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The Mizen Head Peninsula is a beautiful, remote finger of land poking its way west, offering superb sandy beaches and cliff scenery, getting wilder the further west you go. It's an area rich in archeological sites , from Bronze Age wedge graves contemporary with the first copper mining of Mount Gabriel, through Iron Age and early Christian ring forts, down to medieval castles - pick up a copy of the leaflet Antiquities of the Mizen Peninsula from the tourist office in Cork city if you want to locate these sites. Finally, while out exploring, be aware that great care should be taken at the Mizen cliffs , as the land ends abruptly and without warning. The most spectacular scenery along this stretch of coast is at Mizen Head itself - sheer, vertiginous cliffs, with an offshore lighthouse linked by a little suspension bridge, and accessible if you visit the Mizen Vision heritage centre (mid-March to May & Oct daily 10.30am-5pm; June-Sept daily 10am-6pm; GBP2.50/?3.17). Standing at this exhilarating spot it takes little effort to imagine the great number of ships that have been wrecked in Dunlough Bay to the north. A walk round to Three Castles Head brings in sight the curtain wall and two turrets of an O'Mahoney stronghold, one of twelve that were built along this peninsula in the fifteenth century. The setting makes this one truly spectacular. The whole of the peninsula's wild and empty northern coast, in fact, is one of sheer cliffs and stupendous views - an impossible route for hitching, but great for those with transport. The south coast of the peninsula is more travelled, with small towns at BallydehobSchull and Crookhaven , and lovely sandy beaches . The best of these is the long and sandy strand at Barley Cove , whose rolling breakers make it a favourite with surfers . Highland and Harbour offer pony trekking through this wild, beautiful countryside (tel 028/35416). The only public transport along the peninsula is run by Bus Eireann as far as Goleen.
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