Three Castle Head – also known as Dunlough Castle – is a truly special place. Located right on the tip of the Mizen Peninsula in  the south of Ireland it offers breathtaking views – but be warned, you don’t get there easily.

Well, special place warrant special journeys, I guess. To find your way to the castle you have to take a short but steep and strenuous hike through the hills. And when you think there’s nothing to find, then, quite suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, this hidden gem appears down in a protected valley.

It’s a place of unspoiled nature, yet magnificent history with the castle being one of the oldest Norman castles in southern Ireland, dating back to 1207.

What I love most about this place: not many tourists know about it! When I was there none else was there – on what was during the heights of the tourist season on a late afternoon. This place is so far out there and tricky to reach – seemingly too much for the conventional tourist.

But that might be a blessing in disguise for the area itself and for those who how take the effort to explore this hidden gem.