Cross the Timeless Glen
A bridge over the river leads to 'Falling Water', dramatic after rain, and the 'Passing Time' fern labyrinth of 100 steps. Watch for the hourglass and the tiny 'A Smile' that most visitors miss.
The Ewe Experience
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About
The Ewe Experience was a gloriously eccentric sculpture garden and nature trail in a wooded glen near Glengarriff, once named Ireland's number one garden by The Irish Times. It is now closed to the public — the owners still sell art and take sculpture commissions, and Falling Water Lodge and the garden are for sale.
Things to Do
Start in the Falling Water Garden
The entrance garden sets the tone with the 'Are We There Yet?' vintage car, kinetic sculptures and peep boards. The guide colour code is green for interactive, blue for poetry and red for information boards.
Scavenge the Environmental Forest
This upper stretch is made entirely from recycled materials: the Salmon of Knowledge, 'Milk of Human Blindness', Heron and the water-cycle pieces. Each is paired with an environmental message on a board.
Walk the Valley of Eden
The Evolution Walk compresses the planet's natural history into 100 steps, past a Dinosaur, a Mammoth Tusk and the Family of Man. A human sundial, Copper Mine 'eyes' and the Stone Man follow.
Play the garden games
Solitaire, chess, four-in-a-row, a stone-stacking challenge (the record is 34 stones) and 'Ewe Create' zones where visitors build sculptures from sticks and stones. Many of the games are unique to The Ewe.
See Sheena Wood's art
Steel, copper, concrete, wood, glass and ceramic sculptures line the river on the way to the gallery in Falling Water Lodge, which showed Wood's acrylics, mixed media, craftwork and cards. Work is now sold online via Big Cartel.
Explore the private nature reserve
The 280-acre reserve climbs to the Cork/Kerry border on the Esk mountain over forest, native woodland, wetland and mountain habitats, and is open to staying guests. Deer, otters, brown trout, frogs, foxes, badgers and bats live here.
Plan Your Visit
- Hours: Closed to the public — the garden no longer has visitor opening hours.
- Admission: No admission: the gardens are closed to the public.
- Parking: An on-site car park sits at the start and end of the old trail (the trail guide's 'Yarn Spinner' stands at the car park).
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