Castlebridge is very fortunate to have the breath-taking beach of Curracloe within a 15-minute drive.
Curracloe beach is a beautiful stretch of sand along the coastline extending from the Special Area of Conservation at the Raven Point to Ballyconniger Head, which is approximately 10 miles long making it the perfect destination for long walk, run, swim, surf or play. Lined with golden sand dunes and a wonderful forest by Raven Point, every visit to Curracloe is different.
Curracloe beach is not only loved in Wexford but has been famously used in the filming of the D-Day landings scenes of the 1997 film, Saving Private Ryan and also Colm Tóibín’s Brooklyn.
Curracloe has been recognised as a Blue Flag Beach.
On the outskirts of Castlebridge lies the hidden treasure of Edenvale, with a well-established nature trail awaiting. This river trail is surrounded by a beautiful forest where the changing seasons can be experienced and enjoyed by all who visit. The river Sow flows down through Edenvale onwards meeting marshland at a Special Area of Conservation before it meanders into the Slaney estuary just over a kilometer downstream. While in Edenvale keep an eye out for the early primroses, bluebells and gushing waterfalls!
The magic of Edenvale is within walking distance for all in Castlebridge to enjoy and discover
Photo copyright Eimear Redmond
Wexford Wildfowl Reserve is located on flat farmland on the North Slob which was walled off from Wexford Harbour and reclaimed from the sea in the 1840s partly as a famine relief project. Much of the area lies two metres below sea level and rainwater is pumped out using a water pump located in an old pump house near the Nature Reserve Visitor Centre.
Wexford Wildfowl Reserve is jointly owned and managed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service and BirdWatch Ireland. First established in 1969 the reserve covers about 200 hectares, a quarter of the North Slob.
Over 250 bird species have been recorded on the Reserve, many of them Winter migrants from Greenland and Arctic Canada or from Scandinavia and Arctic Russia. Greenland White-fronted Geese are the most numerous and important goose species on the wildfowl reserve and it is for them that it was established.
The visitor centre is a great visit, accessible, informative and fun for all the family.
Beyond Eden Vale on the way to the village of Crossabeg is Ardtramon where a short walk to St Bridget’s Well is open to the public and is well worth a visit for it’s wonderful history and breathtaking views over the estuary.
There is a lovely story that has been told about a large cut stone water font located just inside the gate of the graveyard here. The past owners of old Ardtramon decided to take the font from the site and use it in their farmyard. The story goes, that it took six horses to drag the font up to the yard where it was used for water for livestock. A holy woman warned the owners that they would have no luck recmoving it from its original site. Low an behold, many animals started to get sick and die, so the owners decided to take it back to where they got it. However, this time it was pulled by just two asses.
