Garrettstown – County Cork

Garrettstown is a sandy blue flag beach, located on the R604 and adjacent to Kilcolman Marsh and The Old Head of Kinsale, 7km. Garrettstown blue flag beach is a popular surfing & swimming spot, it is a white sandy beach with dunes in parts, and the beach is accessible by both steps and ramps. 

There is a surf school at the beach providing lessons and equipment hire for surfing, body boarding, and stand-up paddle boarding. There are many beaches, coves, and inlets nearby for bathing and swimming. The selection of outdoor activities is vast in the local area, go horse riding and trekking, take guided and self-guided coastal and country road walks. Explore the beautiful Cork countryside and coastline on foot or by bicycle and there is also a pitch and putt course nearby. 

The Old Head of Kinsale is a headland near Kinsale, County Cork, Ireland. An early lighthouse was established here in the 17th century by Robert Reading. The area is the nearest point of land to where the RMS Lusitania was sunk in 1915. The Old Head of Kinsale is home to a world-class golf course the Old Head Golf Links. 

Garrettstown beach is a short distance from Ballinspittle Village by car and about 20 km southwest of Kinsale. Lifeguards are on duty during the bathing season. Ballinspittle was made famous in the mid-1980s by the Moving Statue when some locals claimed to have witnessed the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary moving spontaneously at the Ballinspittle Grotto. As news of the phenomenon spread, thousands of pilgrims and spectators flocked to the site of the statue.  

Kinsale 12km from Garrettstown has so many options for day trips, take a day out and experience sea angling or deep-sea fishing. Or go sailing, cruising, water-skiing, jet skiing, scuba diving, canoeing, snorkeling, bodyboarding and many more water-based activities are available in Kinsale and the surrounding area. Take a lesson in clay bird shooting, archery or attend a pottery workshop and improve your skills in this craft. Tasting sessions at the world famous Kinsale Brewing company are available on a regular basis throughout the summer period. The nightly ghost tour of Kinsale is a must, lasting just over an hour this walking tour will entertain and educate you on the history of Kinsale and you might even get more than you bargained for! Garrettstown is a great holiday base located on the southern coast of Ireland, in County Cork.