Overview
The Copper Coast was the first place in Ireland to be named a geopark, declared a European Geopark in 2001, taken into the UNESCO Global Geoparks Network in 2004, and redesignated a UNESCO Global Geopark in 2015. It runs for roughly 25 km of County Waterford coastline, described variously as Tramore to Dungarvan or, more strictly, Fenor to Stradbally, with the boundary reaching inland as far as Dunhill.
The rock tells a long story: volcanic activity in the Ordovician period, some 460 million years ago, laid down the felsic rocks, and later seas added the reddish sandstones and conglomerates you see in the cliffs. What gives the coast its name and its ruins, though, is the copper the Victorians pulled out of the ground here. If you have half a day, the one thing to build it around is the Tankardstown engine houses above Bunmahon.
The coast road and the geosites
Skip the inland N25 and take the R675, the winding coast road that threads the geosites together. Highlights along the way:
- Kilfarrasy Beach: a broad bay backed by layered cliffs and rock stacks that stand clear of the sand at low water.
- Dunhill Castle and the Anne Valley Walk: the castle ruins sit on a rise above the River Anne. Below them the Anne Valley Walk runs flat and gravelled from Dunhill to Annestown through wetland and woodland – one of the few genuinely buggy- and wheelchair-friendly trails on the coast.
- Annestown Beach: a sheltered horseshoe cove with a cliff path to quieter Benvoy Beach and its rock pools.
- Tankardstown engine houses: the emblem of the whole coast. These roofless stone shells housed the steam engines that pumped water from the copper mines below, worked until the 1870s. They stand hard against the Atlantic with mineral veins still visible in the ground around them.
- Trá na mBó: ‘the strand of the cows’, a hidden cove near Bunmahon reached by a short cliff path, with copper streaks in the rock and sea caves at low tide.
- Stradbally Cove: a calm inlet where a small river meets the sea below copper-tinged cliffs – the most sheltered stop on the drive.
Look out too for the Pipes of Badbh at Knockmahon, a striking columnar rock feature, along with dolmens, promontory forts and ogham stones scattered inland.
Mining heritage and the visitor centre
The centre of the geopark is the Copper Coast Geopark Visitor Centre in Bunmahon, in the restored Knockmahon Church (also called Monksland Church). Inside is a Geological and Mining Heritage Exhibition, a café and a gift shop, and admission is free. The displays explain how 19th-century prospectors followed mineral veins to the surface and brought Cornish miners to the area in numbers. At its peak the industry employed well over a thousand men before the last workings closed in the 1870s.
The centre stocks free trail maps and village trail cards for Annestown, Dunhill and Fenor, and offers a GeoTours app for self-guided touring. Guided walks on the geology and industrial archaeology can be booked through the geopark’s website.
Getting around
The R675 is narrow and slow, but it’s the only route that reaches the main geosites. Allow at least 90 minutes for the drive without stops, or a full day with walks. Public transport is thin: Local Link route 367 runs between Tramore and Dungarvan but doesn’t stop near most of the viewpoints, so a car is really the only practical way to do the coast.
For cyclists, the traffic-free Waterford Greenway runs inland from Dungarvan to Waterford City – a fine ride, but be clear it doesn’t follow the coast road. Check tide charts before you head for the coves, as several beaches all but vanish at high water.
Practical information
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Opening hours | Geopark open year-round. Visitor centre hours vary seasonally – check the official website before visiting. |
| Admission | Free entry to all geosites and the visitor centre exhibitions. |
| Parking | Free car parks at most beaches, trailheads, and outside the visitor centre. |
| Accessibility | Visitor centre is accessible. Coastal paths are uneven and clifftop; the Anne Valley Walk is flat and suitable for wheelchairs and buggies. |
| Transport | Car recommended for full access. Local Link 367 connects Tramore and Dungarvan but not the viewpoints. |
| Contact | Phone: +353 51 292828 – Email: info@coppercoastgeopark.com |
Nearby attractions
- Ardmore cliff walk – a sea-cliff route with an early monastic site above the village. (Ardmore, Ardmore cliff walk)
- Dungarvan Castle – a 13th-century fortress over the harbour. (Dungarvan Castle)
- Ballyquin Strand – a good beach for swimming and surf lessons. (Ballyquin Strand)
- Brownstown Head – a low headland with wide Atlantic views. (Brownstown Head)
Pick up the free trail cards in Bunmahon before you set off, and time the coves for a falling tide rather than a rising one – several of them disappear completely at high water.