Waterford's Copper Coast is on Lonely Planet's Top 100 offbeat places

The Copper Coast is a world-class "outdoor museum of geological records" — and here's how to visit it
Waterford's Copper Coast is on Lonely Planet's Top 100 offbeat places

The Copper Coast is a UNESCO Global Geopark — a designated area extending for some 17km from Kilfarrasy in the east to Stradbally in the west. Picture: Copper Coast Geopark

Waterford's beautiful Copper Coast is highlighted in the latest Lonely Planet Guidebook as one of the best places to visit if you want to avoid crowds and find under-the-radar alternatives to some busier spots. 

The new Offbeat book focuses on regions and countries where visiting can make a real difference to the local community, as well as places not previously considered, and which are much easier to access than you might think.

Lonely Planet: Offbeat 100 amazing places away from the tourist trail
Lonely Planet: Offbeat 100 amazing places away from the tourist trail

Divided into continents, Offbeat includes first-time tips, practical travel information to start the planning process, amazing crowd-free experiences, plus unique insights from local voices.

The Copper Coast is a UNESCO Global Geopark — it is a designated area extending for some 17km from Kilfarrasy in the east to Stradbally in the west. It was the first Geopark designated in Ireland. It is one of 177 UNESCO Global Geoparks in 46 countries. 

A Geopark is a single, unified geographical area where sites and landscapes of international geological significance are managed with a holistic concept of protection, education and sustainable development.

The Copper Coast has been described as "an outdoor museum of geological records".

Tankardstown Engine House near Bunmahon. Picture: Billy Crowley/Copper Coast Geopark
Tankardstown Engine House near Bunmahon. Picture: Billy Crowley/Copper Coast Geopark

The Offbeat book recommends checking out the astonishing Roman ruins in Algeria, enjoying the wine culture in the Moselle Valley in Luxembourg or exploring Morocco’s gorgeous yet much overlooked 'white city' of Tetouan.

The top 10 recommended alternative destinations to explore away from the masses closer to home are:

  • Love the Wild Atlantic Way of Ireland, try the UNESCO Global Geo Park Copper Coast
  • Instead of Salzburg, try the Austrian Tyrol beauty of Kufstein
  • Trade Tallinn, Estonia for Tartu – the European Capital of Culture 2024
  • Swap Paris for the gastronomic capital and cosmopolitan vibe of Lyon, France
  • Exchange the beach life of Crete for the rugged green island of Andros
  • Swap a city break in Lisbon for the old at heart, young in spirit historic city of Braga
  • Love walking in the Yorkshire Dales, try the rural rolling downs and medieval towns of the Shropshire Hills
  • Explore beyond the traditional Scottish Highlands to the beautiful lochs and Munros of the Torridon Hills in the southern Highlands
  • Looking for an alternative to the Alps, check out Poland’s bargain winter peaks and pistes of the Tatra Mountains
  • Appreciate the food, art and culture of Madrid, experience the bewitching old town of Caceres, hidden away in the wilds of Extremadura

Further afield the recommendations include California’s Lost Sierra, Japan’s Shikoku region or the Stewart Island/Rakiura in New Zealand. Tobago in the Caribbean, the Coburg Peninsula in the Northern Territory or Ericeira’s beaches in Portugal are also featured. 

The canal city of Delft and the food and drink scene of Milwaukee are among other recommendations.

The Copper Coast Geopark, Waterford is a UNESCO Global Geopark, and now has the same status as a World Heritage Site
The Copper Coast Geopark, Waterford is a UNESCO Global Geopark, and now has the same status as a World Heritage Site

If you want to check out the Copper Coast yourself, there's a lovely clifftop walk there. From the Copper Coast Geopark car park, follow the untarred road straight up the hill and along the top of the cliffs for this short, but bracing walking trail. 

Five minutes of walking will bring you to a spot above the gorgeous Tranmoe (Beach of the Cattle). On the right-hand side of the beach, you’ll see complex volcanic features, while on the left, red sandstone. You can follow the trail down to the beach and along the top of the cliffs.

* Offbeat by Lonely Planet, €29.99, hardback, is out now.

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