Derrynane is the beach and Caherdaniel, with a little river running through it, is the village. The whole place is staggeringly beautiful. There has been some building in the village in the last few years, but nothing crazy. As property is so expensive here, it’s generally well-cared for. The village feels like a village. There’s no shopping here at all, other than one grocery and a secondhand bookswap in the pub. There is a lovely old-fashioned bar, Keatings, very close to the beach, which is charming, run by an elderly lady, Bridie, who makes homemade lamb sandwiches and serves great Guinness.
You must have a car to get around. There is no bus service, even in summer, although it’s a very popular place. You can access it via either side of the “ring”. It’s accessible by bike but you need stamina. Lots of hills. And you need bravery. No designated cycle paths, greenways, nothing. However, the roads have recently been widened a bit, which has helped. It’s a long way from most cities in Ireland.
The Derrynane hotel is remarkably cheap, and does deals by the week in summer. Rates vary, depending on the month, but rooms sleeping three are €50 a night in July. A set dinner this summer of three courses will be €29. There are two caravan parks, a very small one at Derrynane and a much bigger one at O’Carroll’s Cove. There are plenty of B&Bs. The Blind Piper – the pub in Caherdaniel – does a very good range of food from 12.30 all day, but it’s not cheap – €7 for a small bowl of chowder, deepfried hake, €16.50. It’s a captive market, and apart from sandwiches and soup at Keatings bar, there’s nowhere else to eat unless you go to O’Carroll’s Cove a few kilometres away, so prices are high.
