Beara Way

Walk Overview

The Beara Way is one of Ireland’s best kept secrets and a favourite destination for Irish walkers. This relatively recent National Waymarked Trail was established in the 1990s and showcases the stunning Beara Peninsula in far southwest Ireland. The Beara Peninsula is the least populated of the southwest peninsulas and as such offers an escape to a world of tranquility. It is a celebration of pristine seascape and landscape featuring historic and natural landmarks. The scenic coastline juts dramatically out into the wild Atlantic Ocean. The rugged interior of the promontory features peaceful mountains, lakes and rivers.

The Beara Way covers 206 kilometres and conveniently forms a loop. The most popular starting/finishing point is either the picturesque harbour town of Glengarriff or the pretty artisan town of Kenmare which offers many eateries, craft galleries and accommodation options. Warm Irish hospitality, cosy pubs and lively traditional music are added bonuses.

The walk leads around the northern side of beautiful Bantry Bay with its ever-changing views. Along the way, you visit a string of traditional fishing villages. Particular highlights include the working sea port of Castletownbere, the cultural hub of Allihies and the colourful village of Eyeries. The route is also rich with historical sites such as Bronze Age standing stone circles and burial monuments.

The complete walk includes circumnavigating Bere Island with its historic forts as well as exploring Dursey Island on the tip of the Beara Peninsula. Dursey Island is reached by way of an exhilarating cable car ride and provides an excellent opportunity to see wildlife including seabirds, dolphins and migratory whales.

The terrain covers quiet tarmac roads, bog roads in forest areas, cliffside and woodland paths plus open moorland. There are some short but steep climbs along the way. Due to the shortage of accommodation in some locations, tour operators may offer transfers between the track and accommodation nearby.

The complete Beara Way generally takes nine days of walking to complete. Your total trip duration then depends on how far you wish to walk each day and whether you incorporate rest days into the walk. Various tour operators offer different versions of the Beara Way including shortened “highlights” options.

Assistance and further information:

• For assistance in walking all or part of the Beara Way, click the button below:

• For more information on walking in western Ireland, click the button below:

• An eight day itinerary for the Beara Way is described below.

Itinerary

A typical 8 day itinerary is shown below.

Day 1

Adrigole to Castletownbere

Distance: 22 km

Time: 5.5 hours

Accommodation: Bed & Breakfast; Hotel

Day 2

Bere Island Loop Walk

Distance: 10 or 20 km

Time: 2.5 or 5 hours

Accommodation (Castletownbere): Bed & Breakfast; Hotel

Walk Options

Guided

There are some tour operators offering parts of the Beara Peninsula as a guided trip, but we’re not aware of tour operators offering the entire Beara Way as a guided trip.

Tour operators that offer guided trips generally operate on the basis of scheduled departure dates during the walking season. Due to the few number of roads on the peninsula, guided tour operators tend to utilise the available accommodation along the route, meaning the accommodation is more variable.

Typically, the package offered by the guided tour operators includes:

• 8 Day tour with professional guides, 6 days of walking

• 7 Nights accommodation

• Transfers between the track and the accommodation (where applicable)

Assisted self-guided

Several tour operators offer the Beara Way as a self-guided trip.

Typically, the service includes:

• Track notes, maps and information pack

• Accommodation, usually with ensuites (the range and quantity of accommodation available in some villages is limited; also, the basic package offered by some tour operators might not always extend to ensuites)

• Luggage transport between accommodation (and sometimes, where necessary, vehicle transfers between track and accommodation)

• Breakfasts and optional packed lunches

• 24/7 Support

The duration of the self-guided options varies depending upon how far you wish to walk each day. Accommodation options vary depending upon the size of the village or town and the purchased package.

Independent

There are serviced camping and caravan sites on the Beara Peninsula. It’s also quite feasible to book accommodation along the route yourself and, if you require luggage transfers, to arrange that independently.

For those considering this option, it’s worth noting that the self-guided tour operators often have preferred rates with accommodation providers and luggage transfer companies. They also often have reserved allocations at the best-located/most suitable accommodation for the particular walk, so sometimes when accommodation shows no availability to an independent inquiry there’s still availability through a self-guided operator.

Essential Information

Access

The starting point for the Beara Way is either Glengarriff or Kenmare. Nearest international airport is Cork Airport. Bus Eireann runs regular buses to Glengarriff. If travelling to Kenmare, there are trains from Cork to Killarney from where you take a Bus Eireann bus to Kenmare,

Best time

The best time to do the walk is between April and October.

Difficulty

This walk is rated as moderate to challenging. The path is quite well waymarked. The track notes and maps supplied by tour operators need to be used together with any GPS data available. Some of the trails can be waterlogged during heavy rain spells. The trail follows footpaths with some road walking as there are no public rights of way in Ireland. The roads on the Beara Peninsula are generally very quiet.

Accommodation

There are several accommodation options at either end of the walk and more limited options along the way.  Accommodation options may include camping, hostels, B&Bs, guesthouses, inns and hotels depending upon the size of the town.

Many of the accommodation providers, particularly those near to the route, are attuned to walkers’ needs or offer amenities suited to walkers.

It’s essential to pre-book accommodation because most of the places along the route have limited accommodation.

We can assist walkers in choosing the accommodation options which best suit their needs.

Dining

We can assist you in choosing some special dining options along the route.

Other activities

Many walkers choose to add extra days to their trip so that they can explore the other attractions of the Beara Peninsula. Some will do that through rest days along the trail; others prefer ‘add-ons’ at the end of the walk. Some do both!

Glengarriff offers the Glengarriff Nature Reserve and the ornate Italian Gardens on nearby Garnish Island.

Castletownbere provides an opportunity to visit historic Dunboy Castle or a Tibetan meditation centre.

Kenmare has many artisan craft galleries, gourmet food providers, restaurants and traditional music venues. Local specialist crafts include lacemaking, silversmithing and pottery.

We can assist walkers to explore the many attractions of the Beara Peninsula.

Assistance

We can assist walkers with various aspects of their walking holidays.