The Beara Way Walking Holiday — 5 Days (Moderate)

The Beara Way begins tomorrow.

Arrive in Glengarriff, gateway to the Beara Peninsula. The village sits in a sheltered harbour ringed by native oak woodland and the Caha Mountains. Collect your route notes and waterproof maps from your B&B. Walk to the Blue Pool and Bamboo Park if you arrive early — Glengarriff benefits from a sub-tropical microclimate courtesy of the Gulf Stream. Easy evening; early night before the first walking day.

The trail leaves Glengarriff through the ancient oak woodland of Glengarriff Nature Reserve — a temperate rainforest of moss-hung sessile oak, ferns and clear streams, one of the last of its kind in Ireland. A steady climb takes you out of the trees and onto the open flank of the Caha Mountains.

Bantry Bay opens to the south, the Sheep's Head Peninsula across the water. Ahead, Hungry Hill (685m) dominates the skyline — Beara's highest point. Under its north face, in wet weather, the Mare's Tail waterfall pours 200m down the rock. The descent into Adrigole runs through farmland above the bay.

Distance: 19km. Ascent: ~350m.

A long coastal day — 21km along Beara's southern shore with the Caha Mountains above and Bantry Bay below. Bere Island sits in the harbour mouth throughout, a reminder that you are walking the edge of one of the finest natural harbours in the world.

Past the ruins of Dunboy Castle — the O'Sullivan Bere tower house blown up in 1602 — and into Castletownbere, Ireland's second-largest whitefish port. Trawlers unload at the quay; dinner at MacCarthy's Bar.

Distance: 21km. Ascent: ~200m.

The final walking day heads west from Castletownbere onto the copper-mine trails of Beara's Atlantic tip. The landscape changes: less farmland, more boulder and heather, engine-house ruins on the hillside as you climb over the shoulder of Miskish Mountain. The copper industry here ran from 1812 to the 1880s — one of the most productive in the British Isles.

The descent into Allihies is one of the great moments on the Beara Way — the village appears below you between Ballydonegan Beach's red sand and the green hillside. Visit the Copper Mine Museum, then walk five minutes down to the beach and the Atlantic.

Distance: 18km. Ascent: ~250m.

Last Beara breakfast, then your scheduled transfer back to Glengarriff (around 90 minutes around the peninsula) or direct to Cork for onward travel. Buses from Glengarriff connect to Cork city (2hrs) and Cork airport.

Most walkers arrive in Allihies already thinking about the longer version — the 6-day continues north to the painted village of Eyeries, and the 8-day takes the Dursey Island cable car and finishes in Lauragh. We will keep a place for you.