Mizen Head

The signal station and bridge

The Mizen Head Signal Station was completed in 1909 on an islet at the very tip of the head, built to warn shipping off this notoriously dangerous corner of the Atlantic. Reaching it means crossing the famous arched footbridge spanning a 45-metre-deep chasm — the elegant reinforced-concrete original was replaced in 2011 by a faithful modern successor — and descending the "99 steps" with the sea churning below.

The station now houses a visitor centre telling the stories of the keepers, the Fastnet Rock lighthouse — "Ireland's Teardrop", visible offshore — and Marconi's early wireless experiments on this coast. Watch the water below the bridge for seals, and the open sea for dolphins, whales and gannets; this is one of the best land-based sea-watching points in the country.

Around the Mizen Peninsula

The approach is a destination in itself. Barleycove, just before the head, is West Cork's finest beach — a Blue Flag sweep of dunes and clear water. Nearby Three Castle Head rewards a short farmland walk with the ruins of a 15th-century O'Mahony castle above a dark lake and sheer cliffs. The colourful villages of Crookhaven, Goleen and Schull string the road back east.

Getting there

Mizen Head is about 30 minutes beyond Schull on the R591, and roughly two hours from Cork city. The visitor centre and bridge are ticketed and seasonal — check times in winter. From here the Wild Atlantic Way turns for Sheep's Head, Bantry Bay and the Beara Peninsula, but if you have driven all the way from Malin Head, stand on the bridge a moment: this is the end of the road.