Seven Reasons to visit Banna Beach, Co. Kerry this Summer

Being a native of the area, I pretty much grew up on Banna Beach, Co. Kerry and I feel like the salt, sand, sea and wildness are part of me. I’ve travelled the world, seen some amazing beaches but sure “they’re no Banna!”. It was written in the wind that one day I would return to here to sink my feet permanently back into Banna sand.

Banna Beach is a magnificent length of golden, sand that stretches for approximately 10 kilometres along the Kerry coastline, backed all the way by sand dunes. It is nestled between Barrow & Ballyheigue on the Wild Atlantic Way.

There’s a myriad of reasons why I think you should visit Banna, it’s not an exhaustive list, it’s my personal recommendations as a local, so let’s start with seven for now!

1.       It’s truly stunning!

Voted Trip Advisors Number 1 in the Traveller’s Choice Awards. 10km of unspoilt sandy beach and dunes, no buildings, no tackiness, true natural beauty. You can wander for miles, it’s never too packed and I love that it’s not built-up. It’s natural, the way it was intended. Dogs are also welcome and if you’re lucky you might run into me with Molly, Bruce & Leo!

2.       A Wellbeing Mecca!

There’s a really wide choice of activities available this Summer to boost your health & wellbeing. And after a year of Pandemic induced couch hibernation / working from home / comfort eating we could all use a bit of Vitamin Sea and Nature Therapy.

Thriving Yoga Community

I own Ebb & Flow Yoga and I’m delighted to be in my fourth year of offering regular Beach Yoga classes, including our new Yoga Breakfast Club. Get up outta bed and combine an energy boosting early morning Yoga class with a healthy homemade breakfast and chill out together on the sand with like-minded new friends. If you’re not much of a morning lark – join me for relaxing evening or weekend classes instead, both outdoors and live online. Check out the days and times at https://www.ebbflowyoga.ie/yogaclasses. Jump in for an optional dip after any class if you fancy it! I’m excited to encourage you to tackle your bucket list and learn to surf by joining a Yoga & Surf Adventure Day with me! Beginners to boffins, locals and visitors are all very welcome to every classes. Join our thriving, friendly Outdoor Yoga Community! For more information, visit www.ebbflowyoga.ie/events or Facebook www.facebook.com/ebbflowyogatherapy or Instagram www.instagram.com/ebb_flow_yoga_therapy

Sally Ryle hosts a Sunday morning Beach Yoga class too. To join Sally and her adorable chihuahues by contacting her at https://www.facebook.com/yogatralee/about/

Surfing

Banna is THE place for beginner to intermediate Surfers. Rent your board & wetsuit, book a small group or private surf lesson or sign up the little ones for Kids Camp with one of Kerry’s most experienced Surf Schools – Kingdom Waves Surf. Check them out at  https://kingdomwaves.com/ Or join in a Yoga & Surf Adventure Day with Ebb & Flow Yoga & Kingdom Waves for the best of both worlds! If you’re really lucky, you might spot some dolphins cruising through the waves when looking over at the mountains across the bay.

Get Fit!

2021 is the year of the Great Outdoors as we flock to stunning beauty of nature. Banna is the perfect backdrop for a run, walk, swim, sprinting up the dunes pathways

Walking Trails

Banna is on the North Kerry Way Coastal Walking Trail. I’ll let you in on a fairly well-kept secret – this trail is far less well known than other way marked trails, so it’s quieter, more serene. The trail is approximately 48 km (30 miles) long starting from Tralee and finishing in Ballyheigue with a stunning coastal loop of Kerry Head peninsula, but you can join the trail at any number of points along its length. This walking route and area is somewhat under promoted and underappreciated compared to our near neighbours of the Dingle Way and Kerry Way walks but it is easily as scenic with some fantastic beach walking and some of the best coastal scenery in Ireland.  Along this way marked trail, the landscape is uncluttered and there is everywhere a feeling of space and great openness, with vistas to the horizons. Check out the map and more info at https://www.activeme.ie/guides/the-north-kerry-way-walking-route-guide-map-and-gps-tralee-co-kerry-ireland/

 Swim

2020 was the year of the Sea Swimmers, grab your Dry Robe and hot water bottle and join the hoards of daily and weekend Swimmers for a dip in the refreshing Atlantic Ocean and emerge bran new! If you don’t fancy a dip alone, join the unofficial Swimming Gang on Sunday mornings 11am (ish) - they tend to chat close by to Salty Souls and always welcome newbies! My top tip is to dip at sunset during high tide, it’s a spectacular powerful time to immerse yourself in the sea. During Summertime wash off the salt and sand under the cold water showers on the beach before towelling off. You won’t have to walk miles back to your car either as there’s a large, tarmacked carpark that includes disabled parking spaces and the beach has disabled access.

3.       Food / Refuel

Salty Souls Café is a quirky vintage Caravan Café www.facebook.com/saltysoulscafe or on Instagram www.instagram.com/saltysoulscafe located right on Banna Beach, open daily from June – August and weekends all year round. Serving up boutique Barista Badger & Dodo Coffee, homemade sweet treats. A year old in July, Salty Souls is expanding the menu this Summer, with a new range of doorstop toasties & cold bevvies. They happily cater for Vegans too! The Campfire Hot Chocolate is divine!!! Their ethos is eco-friendly using free-range eggs in all their home bakes, local milk from Ardfert Dairy, compostable cups, lids etc and they actively try to avoid single use plastic. Pop by to say hello, pick up a free dog treat and a bag of used coffee grounds to fertilise your garden. Don’t forget to ask the staff there about sea conditions – they are avid Surfers and Swimmers! A funky, friendly addition to the seafront.

Get a little hit of nostalgia and pick up some hot chips or a cool whip icecream from the other seasonal caterers who join the Banna gang each Summer.

4.      The Craic is mighty!

Salty Souls Café plan to run several outdoor events, talks and gigs, sponsored Beach Clean ups & more across the Summer. Keep an eye on their social media for updates. The long-established landmark of Banna Beach Hotel regularly offers live music, kids shows etc over Summer. They also have a Bar & Leisure Centre including pool, sauna and steam room. And nothing beats sitting on the sand in circle with your friends and family watching the ebb & flow of the tide, breathing in fresh clean air and sharing stories, food and laughter - making your own fun :)

5.       Clean & Safe

Banna is one of 12 beaches in Co. Kerry to hold the prestigious Blue Flag award. The blue flag is one of the world’s most recognised environmental awards. Kerry & Donegal each hold 12 of the 80 blue flags awarded in Ireland, ranking them both in joint first place and Banna Beach has long since resided on this list. We are deeply proud of this accolade. To help you feel even more comfortable, lifeguards are on duty every day from June until August. If you love Banna as much as I do, I’m sure you’ll want to do your bit - keep an eye out for one of the regular Beach Clean-ups at https://www.facebook.com/BannaCoastcare/ and join in the efforts to keep Banna beautiful.

6.      It’s got History

Banna has got a fascinating rich past from shipwrecks to Irish rebellion. It is here the rebel, Roger Casement landed in 1916 from a German U-boat after attempting to secure weapons from the Germans for the Easter Rising. Casement was caught and sentenced to death by the British government. His failed attempt inspired a rebel song named after the beach. Today, a monument to him stands near the beach. Not far from here is Casements Fort, a faery fort where Roger Casement was arrested by the Royal Irish Constabulary on 21 April 1916, visit the memorial in this secluded piece of history. Keep your eyes peeled for the remains of ancient shipwreaks peaking out from the sand at low tide. They make excellent Insta worthy pics!

7.      A Lively Local Community

Just a few minutes’ walk from the Beach there a number of holiday parks including Sir Rogers Caravan & Camping Park, who added some gorgeous camping Pods this year. Further facilities can be found in nearby village of Ardfert – a large children’s playground, a fully stocked Centra Shop with stone baked Pizzas (delish!), enjoy a pint and some amazing locally sourced food in the oldy-worldy Kate Browne’s Bar & Restaurant. I’m obsessed with their Prawn Caesar Salad and homemade brown bread! Enjoy a pint in McElligotts, The Abbey Tavern or Kurby’s Bar (dogs welcome) each offering real rural Kerry charm. Stop by and say hi to Sharon in Bamboo Clothing Store based in a lovingly restored stone cottage or pop into Tina & Frank in Ardfert Furniture & Design for a browse. Every Saturday & Sunday morning from 10am - 1pm, there’s a Farmer’s Market outside the Community Centre and you can also get fresh, local produce at Ardfert Potato Farm Shop . My personal recommendation is to visit Ardfert Cathedral and the Friary (my favourite of the two sites and particularly stunning at sunset) dating from the 11th Century. Admission to the Cathedral is free up to the end of 2021 as it is an OPW site – well worth a visit. There was a free historical walking tour of Ardfert pre-covid, I hope it will return this year, keep an eye out for it on https://www.facebook.com/Ardfert-Historical-Society-438733163284036  

One Morning in Banna:

Here’s my half day intinerary - jump on your bike on a Saturday morning, start in Banna Beach with a morning Yoga class with myself :) Have a quick dip to freshen up, grab a cuppa from Salty Souls Cafe and a sweet treat. Peddle on to Currahane and to Casements Fort. Park up and nibble your sweet treat in this peaceful spot before heading back to Ardfert. Spend time wandering around the Cathedral and ancient graveyard. Back on the bike for a quick spin to the Friary - don’t rush this part, walk around the cloister and absorb the quiet of this place. Pick up a to-go lunch locally, then at your ease cycle on back to Banna and have lunch on the sand. It's all relatively flat, over half is on a quiet country road and it’s a really leisurely route.

Yes I know there’s much more!

This list isn’t exhaustive, I’m sorry if I’ve left anyone / anything out. I couldn’t fit it all in, plus I really want to give you my personal recommendations as a local. Nearby Ballyheighue, Barrow and Fenit are all worthy of a blog in themselves but it’s sunny outside now and the Beach is calling me, so perhaps another day. I really hope you visit Banna Beach, Co. Kerry, fill your heart and head with memories and recharge your energy. If you take too many photos and I think you might (!), I’d love to you to tag me (www.facebook.com/ebbflowyogatherapy or www.instagram.com/ebb_flow_yoga_therapy) on social media if you like my recommendations. Banna is my favourite place, I am of here, I welcome you to my home. Thanks for reading, happy staycationing!

 Le grá,

Maeve x

Ebb & Flow Yoga

www.ebbflowyoga.ie

PS. The information was correct at the time of writing this blog, for the most up to date details please see the links provided or hit up Google!