Local Interest

Nature & Surroundings:

Beaches, Woods and Walks

Inch Beach is a beautiful sandy beach in East Cork and it’s only 15 min. walk from the Hideaway.
It’s an ideal beach for surfing and the Swell Surf School is located there and you can rent all the gear you need for surfing and stand up paddling.
They also organise surf lessons, surf camps and other activities for groups or 1 to 1.
At Inch Beach there’s also an easy cliff walk that leads to Power Head with stunning views of the bay and of the Ring of Cork.

Guileen is an old fisherman village that you can reach within 30/40 min walk following the country road (easy difficulty) or when it’s low tide you can reach it also via Inch beach (medium/high difficulty). Guileen is more of a rocky beach and has also a lovely pub, the Guileen Arms where you can quench your thirst after your walk (please note pub is not always open, check in advance with them!).

Further West on the coastline you can reach the stunning Lighthouse in Rochespoint that overlooks all the natural harbour of Cork.
Nearby there’s also Whitebay, a beautiful sandy beach.

If you’re travelling more on the East costline from the Hideaway there’s a series of small beaches that culminate with Ballybranegan Beach,
a beautiful stretch of sandy beach that’s about 1km long! Further east you will find Garryvoe and Ballycotton.

For a more detailed list of beaches in our area check these links:

1) https://eastcork.ie/beaches
2) https://www.ringofcork.ie/things-to-do/?_listings_types=beaches

If you like walking or cycling in the woods, 5 min drive from the Hideaway there’s Rostellan Woods with a few short and easy trails.
Closer to Midleton you can go to Ballyannan woods with lovely views of the estuary.
For longer walks a cycles you can go to the Glennbower Woods in Killeagh, about 30 min drive from us.

For a more detailed list of woods and walking trails in our area check these links:

1) https://eastcork.ie/woodland-walks
2) https://www.ringofcork.ie/things-to-do/?_listings_types=walks-and-trails
3) https://www.alltrails.com/ireland/county-cork–2
4) https://corkwalksandhikes.com/en/

Outdoor & Family Activities

At Inch beach only 15min walk from the Hideaway there’s the Swell Surf School that has everything you need for surfing or coastering.
You can rent out all you need and they organise surf camps, groups and 1 to 1 lessons and exursions.
Only 5 min. drive from us in Rostellan the East Cork Outdoor Adventures caters for a great variety of water and land based eco activities like:
kayaking, snorkelling, archery tag, tree climbing and more.

Within 30min drive you can reach Fota Wildlife Park and its stunning gardens with an incredible variety of wildlife biodiversity,
the Titanic Experience in Cobh or spend the day visiting Spike Island one of Ireland’s oldest fortresses and formerly the world’s largest prison.

If you’re looking for some more action, wether it’s with your family or friends, the Fota Island Adventure caters for a great variety of bushcraft and waterbased activities like combat archery, obstacle course, field games and more.

For the younger families, but nevertheless still great fun and experience, there’s Leahy’s Open Farm in Dungourney where you can get up close and personal with plenty of animals, with special petting and feeding times.

If you love the sea there’s some very interesting trips you can organise either with the Ballycotton Sea Adventures or with the Cork Harbour Boat Hire.

For a more extensive list of outdoor and family activities in East Cork please visit:

1) https://www.ringofcork.ie/things-to-do/
2) https://eastcork.ie/do-see

Food & Drink

The Pubs:

If you’re looking for the most authentic Irish country pub experience search no more: Poc ar Buile, located in the village of Ballinrostig (20 min walk from the Hideaway), is an incredible pub that will wrap you in cozyness and comfort. The hospitality and the quality of the drinks goes beyond immagination and they also offer a shuttle service to the Hideaway if organised before hand. Usually live music is on Sunday’s afternoons. Unmissible!

Within 5/10 min drive you can find the Guileen Arms or the Schooner in the village of Whitegate.
In Rostellan you ca find Rosie’s, a very friendly gasrtro pub on the coast road to Whitegate.

These would be the closest pubs to the Hideaway but there’s more options in Midleton and Cloyne within 20 min drive from us.

Here’s a more extensive list of pubs:

1) https://eastcork.ie/drinks-entertainment
2) https://www.corkbeo.ie/culture/food-drink/visit-best-pubs-east-cork-16075840

Restaurants:

Rosie’s gastro pub is the closest restaurant from the Hideaway.
In Cloyne you can find Harty’s tapas bar and restaurant that’s about 10/15 min drive.

In Midleton there’s surely more dining options with a variety of styles
Our favourite restaurant at the moment is Ferrit&Lee, excellent food and service.
Nevertheless in midleton other places like Sage, The Farmgate, San Marco, Surf&Turf, Finin’s, The Granary are only a few of the many eatires in Midleton that are also part of FEAST, the food festival in East Cork that showcases some of the best foods and recepies in our area.