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Placenames and their Amazing Stories in West Cork

3 hours and 30 minutes

Easy

12:00 noon daily – An intimate, luxury experience (max 8). Includes a picnic of local artisan foods & Celine's home baking. Explore Castlehaven through its placenames, unlocking unique insights into its history, culture, and deep sense of place.

Join us for the world’s only daily placenames walking tour, an intimate, luxury experience along a breathtaking stretch of the Wild Atlantic Way. Regularly featured on TV and in the media, this unique tour uncovers the stories etched into the landscape —tales of Gaelic chieftains, Vikings, Normans, and even pirates, each leaving their mark in the toponyms of this historic stretch of coastline.

Placenames aren’t just names—they unlock history, culture, and a deep sense of place. From An Glaisín Álainn(the beautiful little stream) to Beann tSídháin(the peak of the fairies), Castlehaven’s names reveal its landscape, legends, and lost ways of life. Some of the most fascinating names speak of a vanished world of fishing and agriculture. Take Carrig na Saighneoirí, a tiny headland named after the medieval pilchard fishermen who made local clan chieftains like the O’Driscolls and O’Donovans as wealthy as European kings and queens.

To complete this boutique experience, we’ll enjoy a picnic of local artisan foods — West Cork cheese, smoked seafood from Union Hall, and Celine’s our co-Founders home baking —a true taste of the region’s heritage.

This is more than a walk; it’s an immersion in history, landscape, and flavour —an experience not to be missed.

What's included?
  • Parking fees
  • Food & drinks

We provide a picnic lunch featuring local artisan foodstuffs, these include freshly baked scones with Vintage West Cork Cheddar Cheese. We also feature smoked pâté made by our friends in the neighbouring village of Union Hall. We also have hiking poles for those that want to use them and there is free parking at Castlehaven Cross our start/finish point.

Exclusions
  • Bus fare
  • Tip or gratuity

Tipping is not expected in Ireland, but it's a great way to show appreciation if your guide on the day provides an excellent service, a standard tip is around 10-20% of the tour cost. We don't usually do hotel pick-ups or drop-offs but we can recommend local taxi firms in the Skibbereen area. 

Please note
  • Animals or pets allowed
  • Dress code

Short sections of this tour are on trail so sensible shoes with some grip is advised. As a result it is not really wheelchair or stroller accessible. However, we can tweak the route to facilitate groups that need such access. The nearest public transportation is in Skibbereen, which is about 10km away. There are a number of local taxi firms can can drop you to Castlehaven Cross from Skibbereen. We get the occasional well-behaved dog along and they are always welcome, once they are on a leash.

What to bring

  • This tour is follows a rugged section of the Wild Atlantic Way, layers and a waterproof jacket are usually a good idea. During peak summer months sunscreen is also advisable. Short sections of the route are on trail and we advise wearing sensible shoes with some grip. We finish at Castlehaven Stand, some guests hang out there after the tour and bring swimwear along. 

This tour is follows a rugged section of the Wild Atlantic Way, layers and a waterproof jacket are usually a good idea. During peak summer months sunscreen is also advisable. Short sections of the route are on trail and we advise wearing sensible shoes with some grip. We finish at Castlehaven Stand, some guests hang out there after the tour and bring swimwear along.