County Wexford

Coastline, nature trails and a rich history give County Wexford its varied character. At Curracloe Beach, a nature trail winds through the dunes and offers information about local flora and fauna. The beach is also designed for surfers, kayakers, stand-up paddleboarders and swimmers. If you want to bring together different interests on holiday, this offers a practical starting point for planning your trip.

Coastline and trails

The nature trail at Curracloe Beach draws attention not only to the dunes, but also to the plant and animal life there. This adds another way to experience the coastal landscape alongside water sports and swimming. When planning, you can weigh up whether beach activities or nature watching should take centre stage, without treating them as the same experience.

The trails in the county also vary in scale. Wexford Walking Trails is a network of marked trails, with more than 80 trails at 39 locations. The Southeast Greenway runs from New Ross to Glenmore and is a 6-kilometre route. In Ferns, the Village Heritage Trail is just under 2.5 kilometres long. These details offer different scales for planning your day: an extensive trail network, a named route between two places, and a shorter local heritage trail.

History to discover

The Irish National Heritage Park centres on reconstructed sites: the 35-acre open-air museum includes 16 reconstructions. Activities, reconstructions, workshops and courses are among the offerings for visitors of all ages. The park is therefore a way to engage with history through different formats, rather than focusing solely on exhibits.

Another way to explore the past awaits in Ferns. The Ferns Tapestry is 15 metres long and consists of 25 illustrated panels; Ferns Castle was built around 1200 by William, Earl Marshall. The two offer different ways to engage with the place and its history: textile panels on the one hand, and a historic castle on the other. Tintern Cistercian Abbey was also founded around 1200 by William, Earl Marshal. It is located in a special area of conservation and is surrounded by woodland with walking trails. Here, a historic site meets a landscape criss-crossed by trails.

A visit to Johnstown Castle can also be tailored to your interests. A tour includes an 86-metre-long underground servants’ passage. The Irish Agricultural Museum at Johnstown Castle displays agricultural machinery, vehicles and artefacts, some of which are up to 100 years old. The passage is part of the tour of the castle; the museum, in turn, focuses on agriculture and its objects. Together, these offerings showcase different themes to keep in mind for a day of culture and history in the county.

Hook Lighthouse stands at the tip of the Hook Peninsula in County Wexford. Guided tours there explore 800 years of lighthouse history. If you prefer to learn about historical stories on a trip through a guided tour, this offers a different kind of visit from trails or exhibitions. The Dunbrody Famine Ship, meanwhile, is based on an authentic reproduction of an emigrant ship from the 1840s. The Dunbrody experience includes a tour, costumed performers and themed exhibitions. Its focus is on the history of an emigrant ship and on presenting it through several elements.

Local insights and choosing where to stay

Food and farming can also be explored as a travel theme in their own right in County Wexford: the private food-and-farm tour Fruit, Feathers and Flour includes strawberry picking and a visit to an old watermill that focuses on stone-ground flour. County Wexford is considered a cornerstone of Ireland's Ancient East; the historical sites, trails, coastal landscapes and tour each offer a different focus within this destination.

When choosing a holiday apartment or house, you can first consider which experiences you want to shape your holiday: the beach and water activities, trails, historical visits, or an insight into farming and food. These interests provide a factual basis for narrowing down your search for a suitable place to stay in the county, without assuming a particular accommodation or its amenities.

Other places in County Wexford: Wexford, Courtown, Rosslare, Ardamine, Gorey, Enniscorthy, New Ross, Kilmuckridge, Arthurstown, Cam Eolaing, Ballinaboola, Castlebridge, Ballygillane Little, Foulkesmill, Kilmore Quay, Curracloe, Wellingtonbridge, Taghmon, Inch, Ballymurn, Blackwater, Carne, Fethard, Bridgetown, Ferns, Duncormick, Newbawn, Raheen, Duncannon, Bannow Bay, Saint Helen's, Milehouse, Oulart and Adamstown.

For the wider travel overview: Leinster.