9-Day / 8-Night Gentle

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

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.

As you leave Allihies, 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.

Transfer to Drombohilly in the morning. 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.

You have a choice of two routes for today’s hike to Bunane. Either follow an old boreen through the Dromoghty River Valley and across a mountain pass or you follow minor roads through the pretty Sheen River Valley. No matter which route you choose, you might want to pay a visit to the popular local chocolaterie in Bunane – you deserve it!

Quiet roads 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.