IF YOU visit any of West Cork’s beaches, piers or viewpoints from May to September, you are bound to see a campervan parked up, taking in the views or setting up camp for the night.

With all of the beautiful scenery and picturesque towns and villages, it’s no wonder West Cork is a bit of a hot spot for campervan tourists.

However, as the number of tourists on road trips around the country increase year on year, how well equipped is the area to host all these visitors?

In 2024, The Wild Atlantic Way attracted over 9.8m tourists from both overseas and the island, making it one of Ireland’s most popular tourist routes

While the majority of overseas visitors stayed in hotels along the Wild Atlantic Way, an estimated 168,000 of them stayed in camping sites and motorhomes.

Struggle

Unfortunately, campervans visiting West Cork typically struggle to find cheap, serviced campervan sites during their journey.

In order to find suitable motorhome parking, many tourists use an app called park4night, an online service that allows users to view nearby facilities, campsites and suitable parking spots, which are rated by other users for their accessibility.

One suitable parking area in West Cork is Bantry Marina, where motorhomes can park up for €25 for 24 hours, and avail of the site’s electricity, water and waste disposal. However, on park4night, many reviews complain of the noise from the road nearby.

Speaking to The Southern Star, one female campervan owner who travels alone said she felt unsafe staying so close to a town with busy bars at night.

Other areas in Ireland, such as Dungarvan and Belmullet, are better serviced by campervan parking sites, keeping busy public areas free of large vehicles, and providing clean water and waste disposal for campervan users.

In mainland Europe, these sites, known as aires (comes from the French aire de service), can be found in many small towns and villages.

They are a low cost and space-friendly place for tourists to park up, get fresh water, dispose of grey and black waste, and maybe charge up their battery.

Most aires cost between €10-€20 per night, with a 48-hour limit for campervan stays to ensure everyone gets a fair chance of using them.

Cobh

Cork County Council runs an aire in Cobh, which offers a parking space overlooking the bay, water and waste disposal for €10 per night.

Users on park4night advise others to get there early as it is always very busy, providing much-needed services for visitors, and generating some revenue for the local authority.

West Cork offers a plethora of privately-run commercial campsites with good facilities such as showers, toilet blocks and play areas for children.

However, these can cost up to €50 a night, and can often be booked up in the busy summer months.

Some campervan tourists like to wild camp, meaning parking up at the side of the road or at a viewpoint to enjoy the beautiful scenery of West Cork. The less considerate traveller often leaves behind their rubbish and waste at these sites.

Cllr Danny Collins has previously raised the issue of campervans parking at a number of West Cork piers, citing the rubbish often left behind.

Independent councillor Danny Collins in Bantry, West Cork, Ireland.

Speaking to The Southern Star, Cllr Collins said; ‘I don’t hate [campervans], but there is a small minority who could be very disrespectful to areas but you’re going to get that in every walk of life.

‘Most of the camper people that come here, especially the ones that stay in Bantry. They’ll go to the restaurants, the bars, do a bit of shopping. They are good for the local area as well.’

Regulation

While local representatives want to see more campervans visiting West Cork, they are also urging for regulation and suitable facilities.

Cllr Deirdre Kelly said that dedicated motorhome parking is ‘vital’ to attract more visitors. She added that she would like to see facilities such as access to electricity, fresh water, waste disposal, showers, toilets, laundry and Wi-Fi factored into all sites.

‘The key here is regulation as it can’t be a case of campervans parking just anywhere,’ she said. ‘Community groups dedicate so much time to keeping their towns clean and tidy, and in that regard, efforts need to be made to ensure it works for all parties.’

Cllr Caroline Cronin also feels that designated parking areas for motorhomes are much needed in West Cork. She said that she had raised the issue with Cork County Council, and that they were actively exploring options for identifying more suitable locations.

‘If we had more campsites available, we could continue to welcome tourists to West Cork, support local businesses and ensure that our public spaces are managed in a way that benefits everyone,’ she said.

‘While some people feel that campervans can take up too much space in public areas, especially piers and beaches during the busy summer months, I believe the solution is not to discourage visitors but to provide more suitable facilities.’

Airbnb listings

If more suitable motorhome facilities were available, would more tourists choose to travel via motorhome instead of through private rental accommodation?

Data from airroi.com found that there were 831 active Airbnb listings in West Cork – a stark figure in a housing crisis that has seen buyers and renters struggle to find homes.

Campervan rental services are becoming much more common on our roads. You might have spotted an ‘Indie Campers’ van roaming through the back roads of West Cork.

This popular campervan rental site provides vans for both short- and long-term trips.

To rent a campervan that sleeps four for one week works out at €56 per person per night.

There are many other sites that provide similar services.

In a statement to The Southern Star, the national tourism board Fáilte Ireland recognised that ‘campervan and motorhome tourism is an important part of Ireland’s tourism offering.’

They added that ‘while the development and operation of campervan facilities is primarily a matter for private operators and local authorities, Fáilte Ireland is working with stakeholders across the sector to support a coordinated and sustainable approach to caravan, motorhome and campervan infrastructure development through the provision of guidance and shared insights.’

Fáilte Ireland said that a Motorhome and Campervan Working Group had been established, and that the group were developing an action plan aimed at supporting the provision appropriate infrastructure for campervan tourism across Ireland.

Opportunities

In response to points raised by both motorhome tourists and local representatives, Cork County Council said that the local authority recognised the ‘growing popularity of campervan and motorhome tourism and the valuable contribution it makes to the local visitor economy, particularly in West Cork’.

‘The council is aware of the increasing demand for appropriate facilities and is continuing to explore opportunities to support this market in a sustainable way. Any future proposals will need to consider site suitability, planning and environmental requirements, operational responsabilities, community impacts and available funding.’

The local authority concluded that it is awaiting final guidance in regards to the findings of the Fáilte Ireland working group.

Ultimately, West Cork stands at a crossroads between increasing a lucrative tourism market and managing the physical realities of its infrastructure.

While the region’s natural beauty remains a massive draw, the current lack of affordable, dedicated facilities creates avoidable friction for both travellers and local communities.

By looking at successful models elsewhere, local authorities have a clear blueprint for how to bridge this gap.

Investing in organised, budget-friendly parking solutions would not only alleviate environmental pressures and safety concerns but also ensure that West Cork remains a sustainable, welcoming destination for road-trippers for years to come.

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.

Leslie Saint from Newcastle

Leslie and Anita Saint are from Newcastle in the UK, and had spent the past 10 weeks travelling around Europe in their campervan. 

They had been in Ireland for the past two weeks, and noticed the difference in facilities here compared to other countries.

‘Europe know how to do it,’ said Leslie. ‘They know there’s a commercial interest. If they keep it cheap, then all their areas are full.’

The couple came to West Cork from Dungarvan where they spent 48 hours, where Waterford City and County Council have designated campervan parking with fresh water supplies and grey/black water dumping areas.

It costs €10 for a 24 hour stay there. Leslie counted 43 campervans while he was there, generating €430 for the council in just one night.

However, Leslie noted that nobody was there to reinforce the payment, so some people had stayed for many nights without contributing to the honesty box system.

While Leslie and Anita were parked up at Lough Hyne for the day, they were booked in to a commercially-owned site during their time in West Cork.

Jane O'Sullivan with her niece Rosie Voss

Jane O Sullivan from Douglas comes to West Cork in her campervan regularly to spend time with her family in Clonakilty. When I speak to her, she is parked up in Inchidoheny overlooking the water.

‘You have to kind of come really early in the morning, or else late in the evening because of traffic,’ she said.

‘Ireland is great for wild camping. Anytime I've gone to Europe, you have to stay in campsites. Although in Europe, there's so many amazing campsites and they're so much cheaper.’

She said she tried to book into the privately-owned Eagle Point campsite three or four times, but it’s always booked out.

Jane can only spend 48 hours in her campervan before her waste facilities fill up, and she has to head back to the city.

‘If there was a campsite or an aire somewhere around, I'd stay longer. I'd probably wild camp for two or three days, go there for a night to use the facilities, and then go back wild camping.

‘Every village and town in France and Spain have [aires], and that kind of keeps the campers, vans out of town centres and out of places where the cars want to be parking.’

Laura Callanan with Eilis Teegan and Levi

Laura Callanan from Sligo travels all around Ireland in her campervan, and feels that West Cork is one of the worst-serviced areas in the country:

‘It's not camper-friendly.’

‘In Belmullet town, they have parking for free by the harbour, and then there's some other areas where you could park for quite cheap, you know, for €10 a night. There's no facilities, but maybe just a place to dump your toilet and fill up your water.’

‘Campsites are too expensive in this country, you know? If you don't want facilities, if you're not looking for electricity and stuff, spending €50 a night to park your van somewhere is ridiculous.

‘There should be an alternative like a council parking…you pay maybe €10 a night for parking and with that you can drop your toilet somewhere clean and fill up water. I think most countries have that, and we have the room in Ireland, so no reason not to have it.’

A photograph taken last year that shows the emerging problem with overnight camping at Tralispean, near Skibbereen.

RESIDENTS living close to West Cork beaches and beauty spots repeatedly complained of a ‘takeover’ by campervans and caravans over the summer months.

A steady influx of campers, campervans and caravans witnessed at Tralispean beach near Skibbereen caused considerable upset to locals.

One resident told The Southern Star: ‘It’s not just the waste, human and otherwise, that people leave behind, it’s the takeover. There has always been a bit of transgression, but it got worse during COVID when lots of people got into camping.

‘Tralispean is a nice little beach for daytime visits. We have no objection to daily crowds, but byelaws prohibit overnights. Worse than littering is the fact that the campers are using local driveways as if they were toilets. When people come and plonk great big camper vans sideways and pitch huge tents on the green, it means children can’t play there.’

The fed-up resident added: ‘Something needs to be done, because this beautiful Special Area of Conservation is starting to look like a shanty town.

Meanwhile the same issue at Garrylucas beach was raised by Cllr Alan Coleman (Ind) at a meeting of the council’s Bandon Kinsale Municipal District.

He said the constant presence of campervans at the strand had become ‘unsightly’ and suggested the empty car park beside the pitch and putt club could be developed as a motor home park.

‘They have cars parked up next to these gas cannisters,’ he said. We need to have our priorities right here and the cannisters should be confiscated.’

Cllr Marie O’Sullivan (FG) said some of the caravans parked at Garrylucas were wedged on blocks, adding: ‘They’re taking away car parking spaces from elderly people or families who may just want to visit the beach for a few hours.’

Cllr Ann Bambury (SD) said she had received numerous calls about what is a ‘health and safety issue’ while Cllr John Michael Foley (FG) called for new byelaws to move campervans along from non-designated areas.

Cllr John Collins (Ind Ire) suggested that nearby businesses could be encouraged to provide spaces for campervans. Municipal District manager Padraig Barrett said the council is ‘acutely aware’ of the issue.