Rocks Yard Lane

Literary pilgrims know Sandycove for the Martello tower where Joyce spent six restless nights and set the opening of Ulysses, but locals know it equally for the Forty Foot — the bracing tidal swimming spot where year-round devotees plunge into Dublin Bay regardless of the season. Between the tower and the seafront, a compact residential enclave of Victorian and Edwardian homes enjoys one of Dublin's most culturally resonant settings.