The walls
Above the harbour.
The Speckled Bird — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Eva.Blake-Knox — CC BY-SA 4.0 · The Speckled Bird — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Eva.Blake-Knox — CC BY-SA 4.0 · The Speckled Bird — CC BY-SA 4.0
Charles Fort is a large stone fort on Kinsale harbour in County Cork, southern Ireland, at the southern end of the village of Summer Cove, about 22 km south of Cork city in a straight line. It was built between 1677 and 1682, named after King Charles II and designed by the Surveyor-General William Robinson. It is a bastion fort in the Italian style, with part of its outer wall laid out as a star. It was known as the «new fort», to set it apart from the older James' Fort across the harbour. It is now run as a heritage site by Heritage Ireland. Its broad grass-topped stone walls sit above the cliff, sloping down to the blue water of the harbour and its mouth open to the ocean. Inside are wide yards and stone buildings, barracks, stores and arched gateways, some standing and some roofless ruins. Visitors walk the walls and wander among the yards and buildings, standing on the bastions for views of the harbour and sea. Many walk there from Kinsale town along a lovely coastal path, and it makes a good day trip from Cork.
Above the harbour.
Stone buildings.
From the bastions.
Summer Cove, Kinsale, County Cork, Ireland
On foot or by car from Kinsale.
About one to two hours.