It must be Christmas as Santa Claus and Humpback Whales arrive in West Cork

Christmas officially comes to the town of Skibbereen on Saturday 1st December with the traditional Christmas Parade, Live Crib, the switching on of the Christmas lights, festive carol signing, and silver band and live music! All taking place from 4pm in Skibbereen Town Centre this Saturday there really is no other place to be in West Cork, and with the opportunity from the 1st – 15th December to be entered in to a Free Draw to win €5,000 of vouchers to be spent in Skibbereen when you shop locally, as well as the chance to win a hamper worth €200 everyday – why Christmas Shop anywhere else! Skibbereen shall also be welcoming a very special guest this Saturday, as Santa Claus comes to town and the magical Winter Wonderland opens. A unique and fun adventure experience for children and adults, families can enjoy the amazing interactive naughty and nice machine, the elves tattoo parlour, candy land and visit the elves workshop. And for families looking for the perfect excuse to take your family to Skibbereen this December and join in the festivities, why not take advantage of our Winter Wonderland Break Offer and enjoy an overnight stay with us at the West Cork Hotel, as well as entrance for 2 adults and 2 children to the enchanting Winter Wonderland If Santa coming to town and all the many Christmas offers and festivities wasn’t enough reason to visit West Cork this weekend, then maybe the chance to see some amazing Humpback and Fin Whales might be. Spotted off the coast of West Cork in the waters near to the coastal village of Baltimore, which is just a short 10 minute drive from us here at the West Cork Hotel, the remarkable scenes yesterday showed five Humpback Whales feeding and what’s more amazing is that these whales have been recorded in Irish waters before, with some of them first being registered as far back as 2001. With the weather settling as is has and expecting to last until Sunday, the opportunity to view these humpback whales, as well as possibly the larger fin whales is excellent and if you are unable to get out on a boat, or are not much of a sailor, don’t fret, as the action is close enough to shore that with a reasonable pair of binoculars or scope you should have a fair chance of whale watching from the land. Especially is viewing from an elevated vantage point like Toe Head or Spain Point near Baltimore in West Cork.