On the August Bank holiday, Spuds. (the campervan that we had borrowed to tour Mayo) was still parked outside our house waiting to be collected. It seemed such a waste not to use it again – it was almost begging us to go for a spin! So we set off on Saturday with Rolo, our dog, who has become a very enthusiastic campervanner, not really sure where to go. Waterford city was crowded with families enjoying Spraoi – we stopped for a wander around to look at the acrobats, the dancers and street entertainers. Great atmosphere but the sunshine disappeared, swallowed by drizzle so we bought an umbrella (which were selling like hot cakes or greasy burgers at a festival😁) and ran back to Spuds . We drove out of town towards the Copper Coast.

The Copper Coast lies between Tramore and Dungarvan with probably the most spectacular coastline in the country – stunning beaches, small secluded coves, winding coastal roads, amazing geology and a rich history. It got its name from the 19th century copper mines in the area and was designated an UNESCO Global Geopark in 2015. In the past, we have driven it, cycled it and walked sections of it and each time, we are wowed all other again. The question that we keep asking is why this area isn’t a ‘must see’ destination at the top of people’s lists.

Our first stop was Fenor, a small village known for its boardwalk bog walk (a naturally regenerating fen habitat and a haven for wildlife). There’s also an incredible wood sculpture in the church yard – The Angel of Fenor, carved from a tree trunk. We dodged the rain at Mother McHughs, a cosy traditional pub that was packed with a good-humoured stag party on a pub crawl. Although it was only about 5,30pm, it wasn’t their first stop of the day and the noise level was deafening – dropped dramatically when they left, leaving unfinished pints but their bus was leaving and they had another ten pubs to go.

We parked for the night at the viewing point at Dunbrattin Head, a headland of fossils and prehistoric forts. There should have been stunning views but the rain was running down the windscreen and the wind was buffeting the campervan and it felt strangely like being in a boat out at sea. But it was somehow soothing, we slept well and in the morning (Sunday was a spectacularly beautiful day), the views were revealed as a landscape shaped by fire and ice and sea,

We drove to Ballydowane Bay and after a walk on the beach, we cooked up a breakfast and ate sitting outside the van in the sunshine. Fried eggs never tasted so good! There are wonderful storyboards at the beaches on the Copper Coast and the walk on Ballydowane was described as a ‘500m walk through 460 million years of Earth history when this part of Ireland was a volcano on a deep ocean floor, a dessert near the Equator, a land savaged by ice sheets and glaciers’. Sheer Magic We drove by rugged Ballyvooney Cove under a dramatic headland and on to Stradbally, a picturesque village with a lovely square, brightly painted houses and some thatched dwellings. We wandered around the old graveyard on the hill with the ruined church and ancient gravestones tiling forward – an air of tranquillity on a warm sleepy summer Sunday. The tide was way out in Stradbally Cove, a narrow sandy beach with steep wooded hills on either side and a river flowing at one side down to the sea – it was quite a walk to go for a swim. A field above the beach was full of tents and colourful flags with a big marquee and music playing – the Lithuania Irish Society were having a camping get-together .

We could have headed on to Clonea Strand and Dungarvan but instead we turned back along the coast to Bunmahon. You get a different perspective when going in the opposite direction and the views were even more spectacular if anything. Bunmahon was the centre of the copper mining in the nineteenth century and has a really informative Geopark Visitor Century (we didn’t visit this time but have been there before) and a geopark garden where the rocks are arranged like a walk through time…which seems infinite here. The beach is long and lovely with a boardwalk over the dunes but its mainly a surfing beach – beware of dangerous rip currents. We relaxed in the beer garden in the Engine Room Bar/ Café in Bunmahon and after some food and a drink, we parked Spuds for the night on the hill among the wildflowers above Kilmurrin Strand, another gorgeous beach. We watched the sun go down and the moon come up and marvelled at the comfort and flexibility of travelling in a small campervan like Spuds, the ability to pull in almost anywhere and really enjoy nature -and a glass of wine- in stunning surroundings, truly a 5 star experience.

The following morning after a swim in Kilmurrin beach, we headed on to Benvue Strand, another beautiful beach and on to Kilfarrasy Strand where the storyboard says that ‘the rocks in the cliffs here are folded like pages in a book due to tectonic events’ The landscape is as poetic as the language of the storyboards in this unique area. We really enjoyed our slow, meandering 2 night trip along the Copper Coast. It shows that you don’t always have to travel far – sometimes the most amazing destinations are just down the road.