Cork's Great Escapes: Enjoy island life in a luxury bell tent

Fri, 13 Sep, 2024 - 08:14

Breda Graham

Falling asleep to the sound of crashing waves right outside your tent, and waking up to a sunrise over Bantry Bay - just two of the highlights of a stay at Wild Atlantic Glamping on Bere Island.

If I was to try and list all of the things I loved about the site owner Caitríona Hanley has created with such love, attention to detail, and enthusiasm for island living, I would run out of space!

Located on one of the most scenic and peaceful islands off the coast of West Cork, and in my opinion off the coast of Ireland, Wild Atlantic Glamping mixes the experience of camping with lots of luxury touches.

Situated on the east side of the island, it is only accessible via two different car ferry services that run there from Castletownbere (Bere Island Ferries) and The Pontoon (Murphy’s Ferry Service) on the mainland.

Breda visited Wild Atlantic Glamping on Bere Island.

The glamping site of 10 bell tents can be seen on approach on board Murphy’s Ferry Service, and even looks impressive at first glance from the water! A short five minute drive from the pier, the site is right by the sea with views of the bay and rolling mountains.

Upon arrival, I had the warmest of welcomes from Caitríona, who showed me around and gave me lots of recommendations for things to see and do on Bere Island.

The site includes a facilities building with a large communal kitchen, a dining room, outdoor seating area, a barbecue area, and toilets and showers. There is also a washing machine and clothes line to hang up your swimming costume after a dip in the sea, beanbags to chill out on after a day of hiking the many trails on the island, and a firepit to toast marshmallows over.

The kitchen, dining and outdoor seating areas are lovely communal spaces to not only prepare and eat your meals, but interact with and get to know other guests at the glamping site.

Each guest has their own dedicated kitchen shelving area, with plates, bowls, cups, glasses, cutlery, tea towel and a welcome pack, including local produce such as homemade jam, honey, scones, and marshmallows.

The dining space is designed so it can be transformed into a studio for when the site becomes home to yoga or wellness retreats, and the outdoor area is designed to double as a stage area for hosting gigs or weddings.

The site has two communal bathrooms - separate for male and female - which have toilet cubicles and two shower cubicles, and are kept immaculately clean.

Small paths run from the facilities building to the bell tents, lined with lightbulbs to light the way in the dark, making the site look like something right out of a fairytale.

Each bell tent has a sea view with private terrace and is designed with comfort in mind, with comfy beds, blankets, cushions, a cooler box for drinks, a bench, and sockets for charging devices inside.

The facilities main building onsite, with kitchen, dining room, outdoor seating ara and barbecue area, as well as toilets and showers.

The large bell tents have lots of space inside, with two-person bell tents right up to five-person ones to choose from, making the site perfect for a romantic escape, a family getaway, or a group trip.

Bere Island is a hiker’s paradise and I explored its different tracks and trails. Those not to be missed include Ardnakinna Lighthouse, the Rerrin Loop, the walks to the martello towers, and the views from the standing stone.

Guests can also take a tour of the Lonehort Battery, go for a swim at the pier right by the glamping site, or make a picnic to have from one of the many viewpoints across the island.

And a visit to Bere Island isn’t complete without a pitstop at Murphy’s for lunch. It is one of those rare rural shop/post-offices with a restaurant attached, where you can buy a litre of milk, post a letter, and grab some hearty grub or a cuppa all in one place.

A stay at Wild Atlantic Glamping gives guests the unique opportunity to explore island life, friendly locals, beautiful views and pure tranquility - something Caitríona set out to do on her venture, a project that she began working on seriously in 2012.

She had strong ties to the island growing up as her father is from Bere Island and childhood holidays were spent sailing, swimming, kayaking and all things outdoors. Her vision was to create a shared space to allow others to enjoy the simple but special experiences, and she has done just that - and then some!

She researched other campsites and spoke to glamping site owners, in particular David and Elizabeth Ross from Top of the Rock and Sally and Dave in Cape Clear. Caitríona’s cousin Alan Macilwraith (JCA Architects) helped her focus her ideas and figure out how the space and site layout would work, while having minimal impact on the unspoilt area of natural beauty.

Alan created a cardboard model of the site that sat on the shelf of Caitríona’s sitting room for almost 10 years, which she says proved to be a reminder of what she was striving for.

Fast forward to 2021, and she opened the doors of Wild Atlantic Glamping for the first time. Having opened in the pandemic, her first guests were all from Cork, mostly West Cork, and as time went on she had visitors from other parts of Ireland, and has had visitors from the UK, , and The Netherlands.

“It makes me so happy to see people switch off and enjoy what I love most about Bere Island,” said Caitríona, “swimming in the sea, eating freshly caught fish and chips after a hike, post park-run scones with homemade blackberry jam, going to sleep listening to the sounds of the sea, and zipping open your tent in the morning to watch the sunrise over Bantry Bay.”

She also acknowledged the strong, vibrant and ive community of Bere Island and her family, who she says were integral to the set up of the business and continue to her in the day-to-day running of it.

In the last three years, the site has been host to many events, including yoga and wellness retreats, weddings, running camps, concerts, photography and writing workshops, and pop-up restaurants. Caitríona is keen to host more events, including some Bere Island Arts Festival activities later this month.

She is also applying for planning permission to replace some of the bell tents with permanent structures so she can open all year round, and offer winter getaways, a project she said would be on a much smaller scale, and envisions as gentle, slow tourism.

So, if you’re looking for a unique escape (literally, to an island!) and to disconnect from the stresses of everyday life and immerse yourself in nature, then Wild Atlantic Glamping has it all. To book, visit www.wildatlanticglamping.ie.

AT A GLANCE

Cost of Stay:

2-night stay from €250 (see website for various bell tent prices)

Local Amenities and Activities:

Lonehart Battery (10-minute drive)
Ardnakinna Lighthouse (13-minute drive and a walk up to the lighthouse)
Rerrin Village (5-minute drive)
Cloughland Martello Tower (6-minute drive and a walk up to the tower)
Dzogchen Beara Buddhist Meditation Centre (57-minutes including ferry ride) - www.dzogchenbeara.org
Dursey Boat Trips (1 hour and 10 minutes including ferry ride) - www.durseyboattrips.com
Dursey Cable Car (1 hour and 12 minutes including ferry ride) - www.durseyisland.ie

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