Self-Guided Beara Way Hike

Self Guided

The perfect way for the independent explorer to see our hidden gems & discover the many paths less travelled.

Grading

Participants need to have a good level of fitness and previous hiking experience is recommended.

Duration

Various

Price

From

€342

Per Person

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Location Map

Enjoy breath-taking views everywhere you turn on the Beara Way Self Guiding Hike.

The Beara peninsula is often missed by many, situated just south of the famous Ring of Kerry in the southwest of Ireland. Beara is even more picturesque than its famous neighbour and offers magnificent scenery dominated by mountains & sea. Boasting some of the most glorious archaeological remains, along with a fascinating history, Beara is a hikers paradise with fishing ports, villages with rows of brightly coloured houses, easy access to islands and so much more.

3 Day Beara Taster

This is a great introduction to Beara in County Cork. Spend 2 nights in Castletownbere with one day hiking a super mountain trail from a tiny place called Adrigole to finish back in Castletownbere. Your other hiking day takes you on a short ferry trip to visit the stunning Bere Island overlooking Bantry Bay.

8 Day Beara Highlights Tour

Immerse yourself into the compelling culture of Beara as you explore much more of this fascinating peninsula. Enjoy wonderful hikes along mountain trails, through beautiful valleys and old bog roads as well as taking time to visit some of the beautiful Stone Circles along your route. Your holiday starts in the glorious village of Glengarriff, continues to the fishing port of Castletownbere and finishes in the historic Kenmare town.

11 Day Full Beara Tour

Hiking the entire peninsula on this holiday, you start in the beautiful Glengarriff Village and continue to the western tip of the peninsula at Dursey Island. With opportunities to hike two of the most beautiful islands off the Beara coastline, you will also have time to enjoy Allihies and the rich Copper Mining history there. The colourful villages of Eyeries and Ardgroom await you as Stone Circles, Ring Forts and Standing Stones intersperse your hikes each day. This is one of the most inspiring holidays and an all-time favourite for us.

For more information about this tour & to explore all your other options please contact a member of our team here.

To see a short video of some of the highlights on this tour check out our YouTube channel here.

Ireland Walk Hike Bike

5.0

Based on 24 reviews

review us on

Daphne Desimpelaere

15:52 08 Dec 22

We did discover the beautiful region of the County of Kerry (Kerry Ring Tour).Very well organized by IWHB, good communication with the team (good reactivity, and kean to find solutions and open minded, especially when we had to postpone our journey due to the COVID). The hotels/guestrooms very well choosen (good location and guests friendly). Luggage drop off to the next accomodation was a really good option. The infos were correct. We do recommend Ireland Walk Hike Bike and will travel again with them, for sure.

Brian White

22:12 28 Nov 22

Wonderful trip. Everything was planned perfectly by Ireland WBH. B&Bs were great with Irish breakfast every day to fortify us for the ride. Would love to do another bike trip with them.

David McAleavey

21:17 27 Nov 22

Our walk along parts of the Dingle Way and connected trails as organized by Ireland Walk Hike Bike was everything we had hoped for, from extremely courteous and responsive staff to useful links before the trip (including excellent exercise videos!) and a specially-designed GPS app which knew which route we were following as well as where we had gotten to. (While we also used the provided maps and cue sheets, the GPS app in itself would probably have been sufficient.) The B&Bs which we were booked into were all cozy and clean, and our luggage was handled without any problem. I would recommend this outfit (IWBH) – and I have indeed recommended it – to anyone wishing to explore the part of Ireland we encountered. IWBH also deserve credit for holding our deposit for two years of COVID delay; and I’m very glad that we could finally undertake the walk. For what it’s worth, we took the self-guided “comfort” hike, which meant that we would receive taxi rides to favorable trailheads each day. (From what we could tell, we most often avoided flat boring stretches near towns, without sacrificing more remote and interesting parts.)

Jeanne Sargent

11:56 27 Nov 22

My husband and I did a self-guided hike through a large part of the Dingle Peninsula to celebrate his 80th birthday. Naturally, we had some concerns about getting lost, having the needed stamina and wanting support along our way. Ireland Walk Hike Bike staff were there for us every step of the way. They chose excellent accommodations at very reasonable prices; taught me how to use the GPS function on my first ever smartphone and arranged transportation to and from Shannon Airport to Tralee. We met so many wonderful folks along our treks who took time from their walk to talk about their lives. It went like clockwork and have toyed with the idea of a repeat adventure if our health permits.

Carol Smith

00:56 24 Nov 22

I usually plan vacations months ahead of time but this one came together in just a few short weeks thanks to Ireland Walk Hike Bike. They worked with our rather impromptu and tight time frame to arrange a 6-day outing along the Kerry Way, and we had a magical time from start to finish. The Kerry Way is moody, broody, and incredibly varied. All arrangements were spot on, from accommodation to transport to walking notes. All we had to do was soak up the scenic rambling each day, drink a celebratory Guinness each night, and meet really interesting people along the way. Ireland captured a piece of my heart – will need to go back again with Ireland WHB to retrieve it!

What makes us differEnt?

Hiking Day Transfers – We include transfers to and from the hikes to improve your hiking experience. We remove unnecessary road sections on multiple days to maximise your enjoyment of each trail. “We received taxi rides to favourable trailheads, so we avoided flat boring stretches near towns, without sacrificing more remote and interesting parts.” – David USA

Our Tailormade App – Our app is not just a GPS navigation tool…… you will have your entire holiday in your hand. You will have easy access to your route notes, points of interest, destination details and emergency contact information. “The materials provided before and during the trip were extremely helpful. The phone app was excellent.” – Carole, USA

Overnight Locations – We have carefully selected the start and finish locations for your overnights to allow for easy access and departure by public transfers. If not, we include a transfer to/ from the nearest transfer hub. “The B&Bs were charming, very comfortable with personable hosts.” – Jack, USA

We write our own Route Notes – Our new route notes are even easier to follow with marked maps and distances between each point. We hike and re-check the routes each year to ensure all details are up to date. We do not give you generic guidebooks for your hikes. “Everything went off without a hitch. Directions and maps were great and easy to follow.” – Kelly, USA

On Tour Support – Not only do we offer you a 24/7 emergency contact support, we will also contact you regularly during your tour to see how things are going and if you have any questions for us. “I cannot praise Ireland Walk Hike Bike enough. They are just outstanding at what they do.” – Russ, UK

What's Included?

Ensuite room in select accommodations with breakfast

Move your luggage as per itinerary

Digital Route Notes & Maps or GPS Navigation app

Holiday specialists to handle the details of your trip

24 hour telephone support service

Upgrade option available – Please see downloadable PDF itineraries for details

AVAILABLE TOURS

Single Room Supplement (SRS) is the extra cost of single room occupancy if part of a group.
Solo Traveller Supplement (STS) is the extra cost incurred if travelling alone. The SRS is already included in the STS.

Tour
Duration
Price
SRS*
STS**
3-Day Self-Guided Beara Way Hike
Duration: 2 nights
Cost pps: €342
SRS:* €
STS:** €
View Tour
8-Day Self-Guided Beara Way Hike
Duration: 7 nights
Cost pps: €750
SRS:* €325
STS:** €435
View Tour
11-Day Self-Guided Beara Way Hike
Duration: 10 nights
Cost pps: €1055
SRS:* €455
STS:** €645
View Tour

Itinerary
Day 1 - Castletownbere
Arrive to the wonderful fishing town of Castletownbere, where you will be staying for the duration of your trip.
Day 2 - Adrigole to Castletownbere
Today you will transfer to Adrigole to start your hike and begin your trail, across hills, valleys and bogland as you hike west back to Castletownbere. Enjoy glorious views across Bantry Bay and the Sheeps Head Peninsula.

Total Distance: 25kms | Total Ascent: 665m | Total Descent: 716m | Max Elevations: 323

Day 3 - Bere Island & Depart
Bere Island has an amazing military history & todays hike takes you around this beautiful island exploring lighthouses and old Martello towers as well as ancient signal towers. Take time to visit the local information centre and learn more about the history of this place before you return to mainland to finish your holiday.

Total Distance: 25km | Duration: 6 hours | Max Elevations: 300m

Day 1 - Glengarriff
Arrive to the lovely village of Glengarriff where your holiday begins. If time allows, visit the glorious Garnish Island with its stunning gardens.
Day 2 - Glengarriff to Adrigole
From Glengarriff you begin the Beara Way long distance hiking trail in the picturesque Glengarriff Nature Reserve. Your will hike takes you through a wonderful valley & along a high mountain trail with fabulous views of all the hills on this eastern end of Beara. Descending towards the coast, you reach the tiny village of Adrigole.

Total Distance: 18km | Total Ascent: 794m | Total Descent: 871m | Max Elevations: 598m

Day 3 - Adrigole to Castletownbere
Continue hiking west from Adrigole under the shadows of “Hungry Hill” with glorious views across Bantry Bay. This hike offers an amazing contrast in scenery from hills, valleys, lakes and bogland, along with stunning coastal vistas as you reach the fishing port of Castletownbere.

Total Distance: 18.2kms | Total Ascent: 681m | Total Descent: 793m | Max Elevations: 353m

Day 4 - Bere Island
Today is your day for the beautiful Bere Island – a glorious place with a fascinating military history. Following an old military road to Ardnakinna Lighthouse, you then hike through the hills to reach an ancient Signal Tower. Stretching back in time to the Bronze Age, you hike past an important Standing Stone, before reaching the village of Rerrin – once a thriving military base. Return to the mainland for your overnight.

Total Distance: 15.3m | Total Ascent: 588m | Total Descent: 565m | Max Elevations: 293m

Day 5 - Castletownbere to Eyeries
Your hike today takes you across the central “spine” of the Slieve Miskish mountains. You will have the opportunity to visit an ancient Stone Circle and will pass a Stone Row as you leave the southern shores of the Beara Peninsula behind and hike north to reach the colourful village of Eyeries.

Total Distance: 17.4m | Total Ascent: 558m | Total Descent: 539m | Max Elevations: 326m

Day 6 - Ardgroom to Lauragh
Hiking east today, you will be following your trail past an array of Stone Circles as you hike from Ardgroom to the tiny hamlet of Lauragh. This tiny little village is at the northern side of the wonderful Healy Pass and your hike offers fantastic scenery as you reach your overnight stop.

Total Distance: 13.7km | Total Ascent: 275m | Total Descent: 269m | Max Elevations: 122m

Day 7 - Drombohily to Kenmare
Continuing east, your hike today takes you over two impressive mountain passes to reach the heritage town of Kenmare. With wonderful views of the Gleninchaquinn valley and the Cloonee Lakes you will also have the opportunity to visit the special Uragh Stone Circle on the way. Overnight in Kenmare.

Total Distance: 19.1km | Total Ascent: 765m | Total Descent: 863m | Max Elevations: 393m

Day 8 - Depart Kenmare
Depart by Public Bus from the village of Kenmare.
Click here to view/download our full itinerary PDF
Day 1 - Glengarriff
Start your holiday in the beautiful village of Glengarriff and take the time to visit the glorious Garnish island with its stunning gardens just a short ferry journey away. Alternatively, you may prefer to take a taxi to the fascinating EWE Gardens located nearby.
Day 2 - Glengarriff to Adrigole
Following the Beara Way signposted hiking trail you leave Glengarriff & continue through a beautiful Nature Reserve to reach the foothills of the Caha Mountains. Hiking along the ridge of these lower hills, with stunning views all around, you reach the tiny village of Adrigole.

Total Distance: 18km | Total Ascent: 794m | Total Descent: 871m | Max Elevations: 598m

Day 3 - Adrigole to Castletownbere
Continue hiking west from Adrigole under the impressive “Hungry Hill” to reach Castletownbere. This glorious hike through valleys, bog roads and mountain tracks, offers views south across Bantry Bay to the Sheeps Head Peninsula.

Total Distance: 18.2kms | Total Ascent: 681m | Total Descent: 793m | Max Elevations: 353m

Day 4 - Bere Island
A short ferry journey takes you across to Bere Island for your hike today. During your hike you will pass Ardnakinna lighthouse, an old Signal Tower, a High Cross and a Martello Tower. Return to Castletownbere by ferry at the end of your hike.

Total Distance: 15.3m | Total Ascent: 588m | Total Descent: 565m | Max Elevations: 293m

Day 5 - Castletownbere to Allihies
Passing beside an old Ring Fort as you leave Castletownbere, your hike today takes you across the foothills of the Slieve Miskish mountains as you hike west to reach the old copper mining village of Allihies. Stunning views greet you as you reach your highest point of the day looking west across the tip of the Peninsula to Dursey and the “Bull, the Cow and the Calf” islands further out in the Atlantic Ocean.

Total Distance: 25.7km | Total Ascent: 626m | Total Descent: 654m | Max Elevation: 176m

Day 6 - Allihies to Dursey
With stunning views across Ballydonegan Bay, your hike from Allihies takes you west to reach the beautiful Dursey Sound, and passes the picturesque Firkeel Gap along the way with an ancient Wedge Tomb nearby.

Total Distance: 24.2km | Total Ascent: 498m | Total Descent: 528m | Max Elevation: 211m

Day 7 - Dursey Island
Take Ireland’s only Cable Car to Dursey Island. Your hike today takes you over the ridge of hills that form the centre of the island before returning by the “main” road..!! This is a glorious hike and very often at the western tip of the island, you can see whales and dolphins passing by.

Total Distance: 13.0km | Total Ascent: 560m | Total Descent: 540m | Max Elevation: 244m

Day 8 - Allihies to Eyeries
Leaving Allihies, you have the opportunity to explore more of the old copper mining area before continuing along the northern shores of the peninsula to reach the colourful village of Eyeries. Overlooking Coulagh Bay this side of the peninsula offers very different scenery to the southern shores.

Total Distance: 17.1km | Total Ascent: 543m | Total Descent: 551m | Max Elevation: 260m

Day 9 - Eyeries to Lauragh
Hiking east from Eyeries you route today takes you towards Ardgroom – well known for its Stone Circles dating back thousands of years. With a multitude of tiny coves and harbours, you will also have glorious views north across the Kenmare River to the Ring of Kerry. Reaching the tiny hamlet of Lauragh you hike finishes close to the famous Healy Pass and the beautiful Glanmore Lake.

Total Distance: 13.7km | Total Ascent: 275m | Total Descent: 269m | Max Elevations: 122m

Day 10 - Lauragh to Kenmare
Spectacular views across the Cloonee Lakes, Uragh Woods and Stone Circle & the Gleninchaquinn Valley are your prized rewards today as you follow over two stunning mountain passes to reach the heritage town of Kenmare.

Total Distance: 19.1km | Total Ascent: 765m | Total Descent: 863m | Max Elevations: 393m

Day 11 - Kenmare
After breakfast, your departure from Kenmare is by Public Bus.
Click here to view/download our full itinerary PDF

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Departure Dates

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Highlights

Bere Island – off the coast of Castletownbere and home to Ardnakinna lighthouse, an old Signal Tower and an impressive High Cross

Uragh Woods – a special area of conservation and home to Clonlee Lakes, Uragh Stone Circle and Gleninchaquin Lake

Village of Eyeries with its colourful shops and houses looking across Coulagh Bay

Allihies – home to ancient copper mines dating back to the 1800s

Package Options

Prices quoted are for the Digital Option. If you would prefer the Traditional Pack please let us know your booking form page.

Grading
Participants need to have a good level of fitness and previous hiking experience is recommended.

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info@irelandwalkhikebike.com

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Co. Kerry,
Ireland

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