10-Day Challenging Hike

From your point of arrival, use the public transport information we provide to make the journey to Glengarriff.

Quiet roads and forest trails take you through the beautiful woodlands of the Glenariff Forest Park into the remote Coomerkane valley. From there, a steep climb brings you to a ridge of the Caha Mountains that guides you towards Sugarloaf Mountain, where the Beara Way reaches its highest elevation at 560m. Enjoy splendid views over Bantry Bay before descending into the village of Adrigole.

Today you pass famous Hungry Hill – a mountain immortalised in Dame Daphne Du Maurier’s epic novel of the same name. After hiking around Hungry Hill the trail follows a route along the southern slopes of the Slieve Miskish Mountains to the charming fishing port of Castletownbere. Along the way, you can enjoy views of Bere Island and Berehaven, one of the finest natural harbours in the world.

A hike along century old country roads takes you past a Bronze Age stone circle and through some forestry before it climbs up into the Slieve Mishkish Mountains. You can catch a glimpse of the northern side of the peninsula before the trail climbs once more and then descends past an old disused copper mine into the brightly coloured village of Allihies. From there a stunning coastal walk in truly spectacular surroundings takes you right out to the western end of the Beara Peninsula, where the Atlantic Ocean pounds the coastline.

You retrace your steps back as far as the colourful village of Allihies. From here, a lovely mountain path brings you past reminders of the local copper mining past and across the northern slopes of the Slieve Mishkish range. The trail now follows the side of the mountains for a bit, with great views over Coulagh Bay, before it descends towards the coast near the picturesque little village of Eyeries.

Start today with a beautiful coastal walk along the shores of Coulagh Bay, with the waves crashing onto the shore next to you. Pass a rock formation, known as the ‘The Hag of Beara’, one of the oldest mythological creatures of Ireland, before an old boreen takes you past Lough Fadda and onward to the tiny village of Ardgroom. Minor roads are now followed by a scenic hike on a rugged mountain path across Drung Hill. Continue on towards Cashelkeelty stone circle, dating back almost 3,000 years, before you finish in the tiny hamlet of Lauragh, hidden away in a large old forest.

Today’s hike will lead through fields and valleys and across a number of hills. About half way you will visit the Gleninchaquin Valley with its waterfall and the mystical Uragh stone circle – an undoubted highlight of the entire Beara Way and, on a quiet day, possibly one of the most tranquil and beautiful places on Earth.  From here you climb to another mountain pass before descending towards the bustling market town of Kenmare.

You have a choice of two routes for the first half of today’s hike . Either follow an old boreen through the Dromoghty River Valley and across a mountain pass or follow minor roads through the pretty Sheen River Valley. Quiet roads then guide you to a remote, ancient pass between Esk and Barraboy Mountain. From there the route descend into the beautiful Glengarriff Forest Reserve – a woodland area rich in wildlife and packed with lots of different walking trails. These trails guide you to charming Glengarriff, situated on the shores of Bantry Bay, where the mountains meet the sea.