Heritage Trail

Ireland's first Female Botanist

Heritage Trail

leaflet, audio guide & Story Map

Heritage Trail: there are three elements to this free resource.

Heritage Trail leaflet: see a fuller description of this below and download a copy of the self-guided trail leaflet and map, with nine stops round the area of Bantry Bay where Ellen lived and botanised here. Designed to be used driving between the stops, it can also be used for a virtual tour of the area, from the comfort of your own sofa.

Audio Guide: for a richer experience (either round Bantry Bay or on your sofa) you can also download the free audio guide to the trail here. This expands on the information contained in the leaflet and brings Ellen’s story to life through actors narrating her story and reading extracts from her letters and the journal of a botanist who visited her. The audio guide was produced by Abarta Heritage.

Interactive Story Map: this is the third element of the package, and shows the locations in the leaflet and provides links to each audio file. The story map is available here.

Hard copies of the free leaflet are available in Bantry Library, Bantry Tourist Office and other local outlets round the Bantry area.

More about the Ellen Hutchins Trail

The Ellen Hutchins Heritage Trail provides an opportunity to discover the fascinating story of the short but remarkable life of Ireland’s first female botanist, who was born in Ballylickey, Bantry Bay, in 1785. Follow in Ellen’s footsteps, and explore the beautiful area of West Cork that inspired her pioneering work on plants.
Visit Ballylickey, where Ellen was born, Garryvurcha Graveyard, where she is buried in an unmarked grave, and many of Ellen’s favourite places for plant hunting including the extensive oak woods in Glengarriff Nature Reserve, the green gem that is Whiddy Island, the windswept shores of Bantry Bay and the wild Caha Mountains.
It is intended that you drive or cycle between the trail stops, but at each location there are opportunities to walk and explore the area. For example, there’s the 5km Coorycommane loop walk in Coomhola, rambles along the seashore at Snave or Blue Hill, woodland trails in Glengarriff, a chance to explore the old Garryvurcha graveyard or an adventurous mountain climb up Hungry Hill.

Funders

The annual Festival, the activities and products have received funding from: