Forty Foot

Back in the day, the Forty Foot used to be a nude bathing place for men only. Over time, it became a popular place to swim and cliff jump. The locals have an annual Christmas Day swim here, where brave swimmers take a plunge into the waters in Santa clothing and other festive clad. Others find it as a great hangover cure after a long night at a local pub. Even when I was there, a guy shouted "It's true! My hangover is gone!" after jumping in. Mind you, this was in June during the summer. So that gives you an idea of how cold the water is in the bay. You've been warned.

To get there from downtown Dun Laoghaire, start at the DART station (train station). Follow Crofton Rd along the bay for about 1.5 miles. You'll pass the Dun Laoghaire pier on your left and about halfway, the street turns into Queen's Road. Once you get closer, you'll see a beach on your left on Sandycove Avenue. Take that left onto Sandycove Avenue. The Forty Foot will be behind the James Joyce Tower/Museum. 

If you're going by car, there isn't much parking available. I highly recommend taking the walk from downtown Dun Laoghaire to the Forty Foot. The views are stunning along the way and you'll get to see all the restaurants and shops that you can check out before or after your swim.

Once you're at the Forty Foot, you'll see a cove. In the middle of the cove, there is a set of stone stairs with a metal railing. You can enter the water by simply walking down this way. I don't recommend diving or jumping from there unless you jump far from where the stairs end (it can be shallow in some spots). To the left of the stairs, however, there's a cliff you can walk onto and jump from there. There's a ladder that goes up to this cliff from the water if you decide to cliff jump again. This way, you won't have to walk up and around the stairs. 

You can also explore around the area, since it's a fairly big promontory. There's a lot of pools full of algae if that interests you any. 

There are no bathrooms but there are these strange changing rooms that don't lock. There are also several areas to sit, including a covered seating area. 

Before or after your swim, I highly recommend these places to eat/drink/be merry nearby:

• The Forty Foot Restaurant - great selection of beers and food for a pretty great price
• Teddy's Ice Cream - try the 99 cent cone, but don't be fooled... it's not 99 cents
• Itsa - awesome bagels and soup
• The Sunshine Cafe - cute place for tea or coffee
• Sunday Market at People's Park - an outdoor market on Sundays with so many foods and activities (try the falafel wraps)
• Mao - super delicious Asian food
• O'Brien's Wine Beer Spirits - for a bottle to end a nice day