The Dzogchen Beara Buddhist retreat centre on the Beara Peninsula

Still relatively undiscovered, the 137km-long coastal road that winds around West Cork'

Rugged and blustery, Arranmore Island is a 9km by 5km microcosm of Ireland. Cast out into the Atlantic, it is a mere 25-minute ferry ride from Burtonport in West Donegal.

Known to the 800-or-so Irish-speaking residents as Árainn Mhór, it has been inhabited since prehistoric times and boasts some impressive archaeological remains. Arranmore's diverse scenery encompasses bogs, lakes, sandy beaches, sea caves and cliffs. A walking path encircles the island, taking about four hours to conquer.

Newgrange is older than the pyramids and Stonehenge

Older than the pyramids and a thousand years more senior than Stonehenge, the prehistoric passage tomb of Newgrange is the king of Europe's Stone Age attractions.