{"id":2487,"date":"2026-08-04T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/?p=2487"},"modified":"2026-08-03T09:05:56","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T08:05:56","slug":"warmer-through-september-than-the-ring-of-kerry-and-half-the-traffic-this-stretch-of-the-copper-coast-holds-its-season-longest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/warmer-through-september-than-the-ring-of-kerry-and-half-the-traffic-this-stretch-of-the-copper-coast-holds-its-season-longest\/","title":{"rendered":"Warmer through September than the Ring of Kerry and half the traffic this stretch of the Copper Coast holds its season longest"},"content":{"rendered":"

On Ireland\u2019s southeast<\/strong> fringe, the light<\/strong> hangs on.
\nDays stay warm<\/strong>, evenings grow tender<\/strong>, and the sea moves with a measured<\/strong> hush.
Here the season<\/strong> doesn\u2019t bow out early, it stretches<\/strong> and lingers.
\nCrowds thin, but the colors<\/strong> deepen and the air<\/strong> feels forgiving.
Between Tramore<\/strong> and Dungarvan<\/strong>, cliffs tilt toward bays of silver<\/strong> water and beaches flecked with mica<\/strong>.
\nThis is the Copper Coast<\/strong>, a UNESCO Geopark<\/strong> stitched with coves, arches, and old mine scars.<\/p>\n

Heat that hums after high summer<\/h2>\n

\nThe \u201cSunny South East<\/strong>\u201d lives up to its name<\/strong> when September drifts in.
\n\u201cEvenings are still for swimming<\/strong> and small fires<\/strong> on the sand,\u201d a local swimmer tells me, voice proud and soft.
Air stays mild<\/strong>, hedgerows flicker with fuchsia<\/strong> and late montbretia flares like pocket sunset<\/strong>.
\nWater holds a slow warmth<\/strong>, the kind that invites a second dip<\/strong> after the first brave gasp.<\/p>\n

The road that slows your breathing<\/h2>\n

\nTrace the R675 and its switchbacks<\/strong>, where every bend cuts a new postcard<\/strong>.
\nLay-bys become tiny theatres<\/strong> for waves that unscroll like film<\/strong> across the stage of the bay.
There\u2019s space to coast<\/strong>, to pull in, to actually see<\/strong> the light fretting on kelp and the shadow of a cormorant\u2019s glide.
\n\u201cIn September you can hear the sea<\/strong> over the traffic<\/strong>,\u201d a caf\u00e9 owner smiles, sliding a steaming cup across weathered wood.<\/p>\n

Moments to pocket and keep<\/h2>\n

\n– Catch dawn at Kilfarrasy<\/strong>, where the first gold<\/strong> catches sea stacks like lantern wicks being lit.
\n– Walk the cliffs<\/strong> above Annestown and feel the big silence<\/strong> between gull cries.
\n– Drift into Bunmahon<\/strong> and follow rust-red trails<\/strong> past the ghosts of copper.
\n– Roll the Greenway<\/strong> from Dungarvan to Clonea, sea on your left<\/strong> like a quiet metronome.
\n– Wade the shallows<\/strong> at Kilmurrin and read the ripples<\/strong> the way you\u2019d read a map.<\/p>\n

Stone that remembers deeper time<\/h2>\n

\nThese cliffs are written in layers<\/strong>: volcanic tuffs, siltstone, and the iron-rich streaks<\/strong> that named the coast.
\nAt Tankardstown the engine house stands like a bookmark<\/strong> in the past, a window<\/strong> punched into sky.
What seems like simple beauty<\/strong> is really an atlas of long-vanished oceans<\/strong> and continental shuffles.
\nWalk the rock platforms at low tide<\/strong> and you\u2019re stepping through epochs<\/strong> with every careful stride.
Tide rhythms matter, and the sea<\/strong> always keeps its own clock<\/strong>.
\nLocals will tell you to check times<\/strong> and watch the edges<\/strong>, because patience is safer than bravado.<\/p>\n

Small harbors, generous tables<\/h2>\n

\nCoves like Kilmurrin<\/strong> and Annestown<\/strong> hold pocket communities where surfers trade nods<\/strong> and children stack stones<\/strong>.
\nA food truck hisses milk into foam<\/strong>, and the scent of chowder threads the wind<\/strong>.
In Stradbally the village green feels unhurried<\/strong>, and the beach beyond answers with quiet<\/strong>.
\nOver in Dungarvan, the quay glows amber<\/strong> at dusk, and plates arrive with bright confidence<\/strong> from waters you can name by sight.
The Waterford Greenway<\/strong> floats cyclists past reedbeds and cuttings<\/strong>, lifting them into a rhythm that feels both playful and sure.
\nBetween rides and swims, there\u2019s time for crumbs<\/strong> on your shirt and salt on your lips<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Pace that fits the place<\/h2>\n

\nBase yourself in Tramore<\/strong> for the hum of a seaside town<\/strong>, or Dungarvan if you like your evenings walkable<\/strong> and your options varied<\/strong>.
\nSmaller stays near Bunmahon fold you into dark<\/strong> skies and wave-lulled nights<\/strong>.
Pack light but smart<\/strong>: windproof layers, a tide app<\/strong>, and shoes you won\u2019t baby on shale.
\nBuses lace the corridor<\/strong> between Waterford and Dungarvan, while narrow lanes reward a bike<\/strong> or an unhurried car.
\u201cSeptember is for the locals<\/strong>, but there\u2019s room for guests<\/strong> who move softly,\u201d a swimmer tells me, wringing salt from her cap.
\nThat\u2019s the pulse here: share the view<\/strong>, leave only your footprints<\/strong>, and learn the difference between a path and a shortcut.
If you do nothing more than stand and listen<\/strong>, you\u2019ll hear the year exhale its last<\/strong> bright breath.
\nLight lingers on water<\/strong>, heat clings to stone<\/strong>, and the long season keeps its promise a little while longer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2500,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2487","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-50"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2487","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2487"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2487\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2495,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2487\/revisions\/2495"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2500"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2487"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2487"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2487"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}