{"id":11868,"date":"2026-08-14T22:49:14","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T21:49:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/?p=11868"},"modified":"2026-08-14T22:49:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T21:49:14","slug":"ireland-campervan-trip-rowing-champs-castletownbere","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/index.php\/2026\/08\/14\/ireland-campervan-trip-rowing-champs-castletownbere\/","title":{"rendered":"Ireland Campervan Trip \u2014 Day 11: Coastal Rowing Championships and Castletownbere"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Today we’re heading onto the Beara Peninsula for a few days, but first there’s the All-Ireland Coastal Rowing Championships to take a look at.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\"The\n
Westlodge Hotel and Leisure Centre<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The campervan area at the Westlodge Hotel was quiet overnight\u2014and, TBH, not much busier in the morning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\"Campervans\n
A quiet morning in the Westlodge campervan area<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

After a slow start, we headed down into Bantry on the bikes to wander around the market before the rowing began at 12.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\"The\n
The pond at the bottom of the hotel grounds was now empty<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Bantry Market<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It was fun to wander around the Friday market and see what people were selling. One whole section seemed to be more car boot sale than market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\"Crowds\n
Friday market day in Bantry<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\"Shoppers\n
The car-boot-sale end of Bantry Market<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

There were lots of tool stalls\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\"A\n
Power tools for sale at Bantry Market\u2014DeTable, not DeWalt<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Buggered Sink Not Syncing<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

We also had an errand to run. The sink in our wet room had “developed a fault.” It’s an unusual fold-down arrangement, with no drain hole in the basin itself. You do your sink stuff and then tip it up to drain. It clicks vertically into place with a push latch and, crucially, two magnets. The magnets are in the latch, with two metal discs bonded to the sink that are supposed to keep the sink in sync with it. Sue: I never liked that sink!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\"The\n
Our wet-room sink is a fold-down affair<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The other night, I spotted that one metal disc had come away from its mooring. Then, last night, the second disc came loose. So the sink won’t sync.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\"A\n
The loose magnetic plate from the folding sink<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The errand, therefore, was to visit the Bantry hardware shop and buy some glue. Epoxy seemed the best option, so I bought some Evo-Stik epoxy doing an impersonation of Araldite. That’s this evening’s job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We also bought a couple of self-adhesive hooks. The van is light on places to hang stuff, so we’re going to try them and see how we get on. We don’t want to drill into anything yet, and we accept that sticky hooks may quickly become unsticky hooks, but we’ll at least have tested the locations to see whether hooks work where we stick them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But back to the market\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cr\u00eapes and Galettes<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

We really lucked out with a cr\u00eape and galette stall. The French guy running it was very happy to accommodate a chocolate-and-banana galette. Because his galettes were made with buckwheat, this one was gluten-free. Sue had a cr\u00eape with the same filling. The cr\u00eape guy was also very happy to talk about where we should go in our van\u2014they had one too\u2014and we chatted for much longer than a cr\u00eape should really take to cook. Awesome cr\u00eape and galette, though\u2026 not too much filling\u2014that’s a real art!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\"The\n
A gluten-free galette at Bantry Market<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A Quick Loo Stop with Confectionery<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

I wouldn’t normally make a note about our loo stops. Oh\u2026 OK\u2026 perhaps I would!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This one was amusing. The loos on Bantry Harbour were better than expected. Loos like these in the UK would be something to avoid, but these were relatively clean and had loo paper, soap and water. 4\/10.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The gents also had an open bag of liquorice allsorts strewn across a shelf beside the urinals. Confectionery choice: 8\/10. Confectionery hygiene: 1\/10. You may wonder why it even gets a one. Well, it would have been zero, but they weren’t actually in the urinal!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\"The\n
Bantry Harbour public toilets<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

All-Ireland Coastal Rowing Championships \u2014 Bantry 2026<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n\"The\n
Clubs competing at the All-Ireland Coastal Rowing Championships<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\"A\n
Entrance to the Bantry 2026 rowing event<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\"Club\n
The rowing enclosure on the Bantry waterfront<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

After walking to the end of the quay and entering the rowing area, we wandered through the enclosure and found a coffee van from which we could survey the preparations\u2014and, as it happened, the start of the racing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\"A\n
Our coffee stop above the race preparations<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The launch of the Bantry lifeboat didn’t go entirely without drama. The boat went down the slipway at quite a lick. No problems so far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But there was a film crew on site: drones, tripods and biggish cameras. We later saw evidence that the event was being streamed on YouTube when it appeared on a screen in the hotel lobby. The crew had laid some sort of cable across the lifeboat slipway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\"Bantry's\n
The independent Bantry lifeboat launching during the rowing event<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Twang!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lifeboat took out the cable, and it twanged back towards us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was a fair bit of swearing from the camera team, but it wasn’t obvious which feed the lifeboat had taken out. Clearly, something wasn’t going to work as the film crew had planned that day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\"A\n
A Cork pilot boat passing the rowing course<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The boat numbering went up to at least 62, so we’re guessing each racing boat would be used more than once and that not every boat was at the start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\"Rows\n
Racing boats lined up beside Bantry Bay<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\"A\n
A coastal rowing crew taking its boat to the launch area<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\"A\n
A crew getting ready to race at Bantry<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

At the captains’ briefing, I’d guess there were around 30 captains and therefore about 30 clubs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\"Rowers\n
The pre-race captains’ briefing<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The event announcer was, I must say, doing a good job of keeping everyone in order. She certainly wasn’t taking any prisoners. The competitors gave the impression that Mary was a force of nature: they were clearly told which toilets to use and that every race would start on time!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\"The\n
Keeping the rowing programme running to order<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Then they began getting ready for the first race, which appeared to be for under-18 women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\"A\n
A crew moving into position for the first race<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

And then they were off\u2026 However, boat 53 made the first error of the day and decided to turn at the first buoy rather than the second\u2014oops!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\"Several\n
The first crews racing across Bantry Bay<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Some people were watching\u2014though not as many as we thought there might be. Perhaps they were all watching on YouTube!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\"Spectators\n
Watching the coastal rowing from the shoreline<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

And there were some winners\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\"A\n
A crew racing towards the finish<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Quite a few people had tried to explain what was going on. We accosted two participants while having coffee and found out that most races covered a 1,500-metre course\u2014750 metres out and 750 back. There would be different distances for juniors and for the senior men’s race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sue also got talking to some under-21s who had travelled from Antrim. They explained a bit more to her, particularly about polishing their seats with furniture polish so they could slide more easily and avoid blisters on their bums. She also spoke to a Dutch family who wanted to know whether they should visit Cardiff or Bristol on their way home\u2014Bristol, of course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the excitement of the rowing, we headed back to the hotel on our bikes\u2014after popping into SuperValu again, of course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The hotel campervan area had grey- and black-water disposal and a drinking-water tap. Even though we were due at a campsite that night, it never hurts to sort out the wet stuff in case plans don’t work out as hoped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Beara Peninsula and Castletownbere<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We were on the road again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting through Bantry was a bit of a pain because of the rowing traffic. Cars were parked in just about every conceivable space along the road into town. With the market on as well, it was busy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The scenery was every bit as fantastic as the previous stretches of the Wild Atlantic Way, but we didn’t stop much and the weather was grey, so I didn’t take many pictures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then we reached Castletownbere and parked on the harbourfront next to three other vans. We seemed to be slightly in the way, but everyone else had parked there and there were no signs saying we couldn’t, so we locked the van and went exploring again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We wandered around, had coffee and a slice of coffee-and-walnut cake at a caf\u00e9 specialising in Colombian coffee\u2014most of the menu turned out to be gluten-free\u2014and bought a birthday card and stamp so we could send it back to the UK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\"O'Donoghue's\n
O’Donoghue’s Garage in Castletownbere<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

When we got back to the van, it hadn’t been clamped or towed, which is always a bonus. We then set off for tonight’s stop, Berehaven Golf Club.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Berehaven Golf Club<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We eventually reached the camper park at Berehaven Golf Club, near Castletownbere, and settled in among the other vans overlooking the shore. What a view from the golf course!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\"Green\n
The coastal scenery on the way to Castletownbere<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\"Campervans\n
The camper park at Berehaven Golf Club<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Electric hook-up! Yay!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Roy, His Flat Battery and His Fish<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

As we were eating our dinner\u2014baked potatoes, tuna and beans\u2014a guy popped his head into the van and asked whether we had a car jump-starter power pack. His car battery was flat, and so was his own jump pack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After tea, I dug ours out. It was flat too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I wandered over to see Roy, and he tried starting his car again with the last of the charge in his pack, but no luck. We agreed that I’d charge mine overnight and see whether I could help in the morning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With that in hand and the washing-up done at the building beyond the clubhouse, we decided to bimble over to the golf clubhouse for a pint. Two pints of Guinness and a bit of the European Athletics Championships from Birmingham.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then Roy came over to our table to say that someone was going to pitch up (no pun intended\u2026 well, if you know me, that never happens; of course the pun was intended) with an industrial jump starter in the morning to get him going.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But we got talking, as you do over here. We talked about the wreck in the harbour, which you can clearly see poking out of the water from the clubhouse (a delight for the local diving club), probably even at high tide. We also talked about the mussel farms, where mussels grow on ropes suspended below the surface, and oyster farming, where mesh bags are commonly held above the seabed on trestles and turned periodically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Roy told us he was fishing from the end of the promontory\u2026 even though he doesn’t eat fish. He lives in Cork and thought the fish we’d seen the kids pull from the River Lee the other day would have been mullet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He was trying to catch mackerel from the quay, so we went down to the shoreline to see what he was up to, along with the two pints of Guinness he’d taken to his tent “for later”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\"The\n
The view from Berehaven Golf Club<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As Roy cast his lines, he was sure he was getting a nibble or two. After covering a few more topics, we said our farewells and left him, in the dusk, to his night fishing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, about two minutes after we’d walked the 100 metres back to the van, Sue heard Roy shouting for his new best friend: “John! John!” He appeared with a sea bass in his hand that he wanted to give us for breakfast. I don’t really eat fish, and Sue didn’t want to gut it, so we declined. Sorry, Roy!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\"Roy\n
Roy and his freshly caught sea bass<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

That’s been quite a day of excitement\u2026 so I’ll leave you on a cliffhanger: will Roy get jumped in the morning and will the sink stay sync’ed?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

J<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A lively morning at Bantry Market and the All-Ireland Coastal Rowing Championships, followed by a drive onto the Beara Peninsula and an evening with Roy, his flat battery and an unexpected sea bass.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11860,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":false,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[96,52],"tags":[97],"class_list":["post-11868","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-2026-ireland-campervan-trip","category-travel","tag-ireland"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8yl38-35q","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":11834,"url":"https:\/\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/index.php\/2026\/08\/13\/ireland-campervan-trip-mizen-to-bantry\/","url_meta":{"origin":11868,"position":0},"title":"Ireland Campervan Trip \u2014 Day 10: Mizen Head to Bantry","author":"John Martin","date":"August 13, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"A clearer second look at Mizen Head and Barleycove, a wander around Crookhaven and an unexpectedly busy arrival in Bantry for the coastal rowing championships.","rel":"","context":"In "2026 Ireland Campervan Trip"","block_context":{"text":"2026 Ireland Campervan Trip","link":"https:\/\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/index.php\/category\/travel\/2026-ireland-campervan-trip\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A panoramic view across Barleycove Beach and its sand dunes","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_2936.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_2936.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_2936.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_2936.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_2936.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_2936.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11639,"url":"https:\/\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/index.php\/2026\/08\/05\/bannow-to-dungarvan\/","url_meta":{"origin":11868,"position":1},"title":"Ireland Campervan Trip – Day 02: Bannow to Dungarvan","author":"John Martin","date":"August 5, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"2026 Ireland Trip. 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