Bantry House & Gardens

After golf at Bantry Bay we decided to head for Bantry House & Gardens. I had picked up a leaftlet at the club and it seemed foolish to miss such a magnificent looking place while we were in the area, especially on a day like today.

The house did not disappoint. You get a nice glimpse of the house through a giant copper beech tree as you approach from the car park. The house has been owned by the Sheslwell-White family for a long time and descendants of the original family still live there so not all of the house was on show. What you could see was well worth the €10 entrance fee. It’s one of those self-guiding houses. You get a few sheets with information about each of the rooms you visit. It was good enough but I’d still prefer the option of a guided tour. It was also nice to be able to take photos throughout the house (something which is generally discouraged elsewhere) and since it wasn’t very busy the rooms were empty and there were no humans to mess up the nice photos!

The gardens were equally spectacular set as the were on a series of terraces at the back of the house accessed by climbing 106 steps. The view back down to the house and out into the bay from the top of the steps was stunning. A real treat for the eyes on a day like today. At the foot of the steps there’s Wisteria Circle – a 200 hundred year old ring of wisteria surrounding a fountain with a sort of formal garden layout around that. There was also a lawn tennis court and a sunken garden with a fantatic display of tulips.

On top of all that your admission fee gained you entrance to the Armada Exhibition which described the story of Wolfe Tone and the 1798 armada. Some great models and displays (if a little heavy on the text!).

A very worthwhile place to visit. Restoration work continues in the house and gardens so it’s bound to even better value for money in years to come.