The Three Castle Head

Not having had our fill after Clifden Castle, we added another castle to our road trip: Three Castle Head. Relatively isolated in County Cork, access to the ruins is not easy. It takes just over thirty minutes to climb the barely trodden paths to reach the three towers.

Backpacked, we set off on our escapade. We pass a barely rusted (or not) winch, which must have been used to unload the boats. The view is particularly striking as we gradually gain height. This height makes us appreciate the surrounding expanse of water and grass all the more.

The walk continues and we continue to move away from the car park. We pass several meadows and several gates, which are there to separate the sheep pastures. As we passed, we came across a donation box. To sum up, part of the walk is subject to generosity. We're asking for €3 per person, but let's be clear, no one is going to force you to pay. You can pay more, of course, or less depending on your budget. In the end, it's up to you.

A word of advice: make sure you have good shoes. Although the grass is like a nice green carpet, here and there we have to avoid a few puddles or walk in a bit of mud. No doubt it would be easier in bright sunshine.

The path is barely signposted and from time to time we have to look carefully at the places where the grass has been trodden to make sure we don't make a mistake and make it to the ruins. We made further progress, and there was a surprise: behind a hill, 3 towers could be seen in the distance. No doubt about it, we've reached our destination.

To give you a little context, this castle, built in 1207, is located halfway between the Atlantic Ocean and the artificial lake of Dun Lough. This strategic position has earned it the distinction of being one of the most impregnable medieval castles, although paradoxically it is not known if it has ever been attacked.

Keeping with the legends, according to the locals, the castle is currently haunted! Rumour has it that a white lady will come and tell you that you'll soon die if you see her. And that's all there is to it! Everything's fine for us, we haven't seen her.

To sum up, this outing was a real change of scenery! Walking, isolation, peace and quiet... I'm clearly going to run out of words to describe it. As far as I'm concerned, the mix worked and I have to admit that we turned back reluctantly.