County Waterford is inthe south-east of the Republic of Ireland. It is a scenic and largely ruralregion, with scattered towns. It has over 90 miles of coastline, lapped by thewaters of the Celtic Sea, with around 50 sandy beaches. An 11-mile stretch ofthe coast, known as the Copper Coast, is designated a UNESCO GlobalGeopark.
This area of Ireland's proximity to Britain — onlyabout 80 miles across St George's Channel — made it a target for invaders. Thecity of Waterford, known as Ireland's oldest, wasfounded by Vikings in 914. Moving forward to the 18th century,County Waterford was favoured by wealthyAnglo-Irish families who built massive mansions, but whose dominance was notalways accepted, leading to a bloody rebellion in 1798.
Away from the coast, CountyWaterford is a green and pleasant land of lush pastures, rivervalleys and two mountain ranges — Knockmealdownand Comeragh, always popular with climbers and walkers.
Things to Doin County Waterford
Waterford City is a busyport and commercial centre with shops and markets to explore, interspersed withwelcoming pubs often alive with traditional Irish music.It still retains itsmedieval layout with features such as Reginald's Tower, thought to be Ireland'soldest civic building, in use for over 800 years. Today, it houses anexhibition about Viking Waterford within its 10-feet-thick stonewalls.
Crystal produced in the area is world-renowned and itis well worth a visit to the Waterford CrystalFactory to the south of the city to observe the production process and possiblybe tempted to buy a piece or two.
How about a trip to DunmoreEast? It is a little fishingport encircled by red sandstone cliffs with roads winding up from the harbourand attractive gardens. The CopperCoast Geopark is a fascinating geological area, revealing Palaeozoicvolcanic activity and evidence of the last ice age, all explained in avisitors' centre.
There are numerous historic buildings in the county,like LismoreCastle and the gothic splendour of Ballysaggartmore Towers, or youcould take a trip on the Waterford & Suir Valley Railway in a periodcarriage.
Walking, climbing, angling, golf, horse-riding,cycling and watersports are just a few of the outdoor activities you couldparticipate in on your visit to CountyWaterford.
Staying inCounty Waterford
County Waterford has arange of accommodation to suit all tastes and budgets, including what isdescribed as the finest small luxury boutique hotel in Ireland, with adestination spa and Michelin-starred restaurant, as well as traditional hotels,guesthouses and B&Bs, self-catering properties, caravans and campsites.
For eating out, you are never far from a country pubif you want to stray from the town and city eateries which provide local and amyriad of international cuisines.
Getting toCounty Waterford
Waterford has its ownairport, which offers flights to Birmingham and London Luton. It is about anhour from the ferry port of Rosslare, and two hours from Dublin byroad.
