The Beara Way – Ireland

Self Guided Walk on the Beara Way in Ireland

Options and Cost:

4 Day – €466pps Single supplement: + €180
5 Day – €569pps Single supplement: + €240
6 Day – €655pps Single supplement: + €300
7 Day – €765pps Single supplement: + €360
8 Day – €875pps Single supplement: + €420
9 Day – €985pps Single supplement: + €480
10 Day – €1095pps Single supplement: + €540
11 Day – €1195pps Single supplement: + €600
12 Day – €1295pps Single supplement: + €660

Select the number of days you wish to walk while booking.
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Tour Description

The Beara Way sits in West Cork on the Beara Peninsula. It is a long distance trail walk in the South West of Ireland and is a 196Km circular route.

The Beara Way was established by a local voluntary group in the early 1990s as a co-operative involving upwards of four hundred landowners.

The Terrain on the trail consists of mainly quiet tarmac roads, bog roads, cliff top trails, woodland paths and open hillside.

West Cork is a beautiful part of Ireland with picturesque coastal villages along its shoreline and the Caha mountain range for a wonderful backdrop.

The Peninsula also boasts Ireland’s only cable car out to Dursey Island, which was initially for getting livestock back and forth to the small island.

This self guided Beara way trail is probably one of the quietest and more remote but also definitely one of the most beautiful and scenic.

The first time I visited this part of Ireland, I just couldn’t believe the incredible unspoiled beauty of the landscape and the small colorful towns of Allihies, Glengariff and Kenmare.

The area is stepped in great Irish history with the incredible story of O’Sullivan Bear. He marched his band of Irish followers from here to County Roscommon further north in an effort to save them after the battle of Kinsale. There are also many ancient monuments and stone circles from the Neolithic and druid times of Ireland’s Celtic past.

We have broken up the Beara Way into stages to make it manageable and giving you time to enjoy the walk and the locations and towns you visit along the way.

You don’t have to complete the whole way and I do recommend that you take your time to visit Beara Island or Garnish Island or some other of this areas more unique places as you come across them.

Itineraries

Self Guided Walk on the Beara Way in Ireland

(The distances below may vary slightly due to accommodation locations.)
Note that the Itineraries can extended or shortened to include visits to the Beara or Dursey Island.

4 Days Self Guided on the Beara Way – Glengarrif to Castletownbere.

5 Days Self-Guided on the Beara Way – Glengarriff to Allihies

6 Days Self-Guided on the Beara Way – Glengarriff to Eyeries.

7 Days Self-Guided on the Beara Way – Glengarriff to Lauragh.

8 Days Self-Guided on the Beara Way – Glengarriff to Kenmare.

(Notice longer walking days between Eyeries and Kenmare)
Day 1: Arrive Glengarriff – receive maps, notes, etc.
Day 2: Glengarriff – Adrigole – 16Km, Ascent 685m, Descent 679m.
Day 3: Adrigole – Castletownbere – 21.7Km, Ascent 781m, Descent 792m.
Day 4: Castletownbere – Allihies – 13.6Km, Ascent 517m, Descent 552m.
Day 5: Allihies – Eyeries – 11.2Km, Ascent 393m, Descent 378m
Day 6: Eyeries – Lauragh – 25.4Km, Ascent 628m, Descent 709m
Day 7: Lauragh – Kenmare – 23.4Km, Ascent 831m, Descent 837m
Day 8: Depart Kenmare.

9 Days Self-Guided on the Beara Way – Glengarriff to Kenmare

Day 1: Arrive Glengarriff – receive maps, notes, etc.
Day 2: Glengarriff – Adrigole – 16Km, Ascent 685m, Descent 679m.
Day 3: Adrigole – Castletownbere – 21.7Km, Ascent 781m, Descent 792m.
Day 4: Castletownbere – Allihies – 13.6Km, Ascent 517m, Descent 552m.
Day 5: Allihies – Eyeries – 11.2Km, Ascent 393m, Descent 378m
Day 6 Eyeries – Ardgroom – 14.5Km, Ascent 232m, Descent 227m
Day 7: Ardgroom – Tuosist / Lauragh -16.4Km, Ascent 396m, Descent 482m
Day 8: Tuosist / Lauragh – Kenmare – 18.5Km, Ascent 736m, Descent 633m
Day 9: Depart Kenmare.

10 Days Self-Guided on the Beara Way – Glengarriff to Glengarriff (Full Trail)

10 Days Self-Guided on the Beara Way with Dursey Sound

(Notice longer walking days between Eyeries and Kenmare)
Day 1: Arrive Glengarriff – receive maps, notes, etc.
Day 2: Glengarriff – Adrigole – 16Km, Ascent 732m, Descent 735m
Day 3: Adrigole – Castletownbere – 20.5Km, Ascent 781m, Descent 792m
Day 4: Castletownbere – Allihies – 13.2Km, Ascent 552m, Descent 517m
Day 5: Allihies to Dursey Sound – 11.3Km, Ascent 388m, Descent 426m
Day 6: Transfer to Allihies – Eyeries – 11.78Km, Ascent 379m, Descent 393m
Day 7: Eyeries – Lauragh – 25.4Km, Ascent 628m, Descent 709m
Day 8: Lauragh – Kenmare – 23.4Km, Ascent 831m, Descent 837m
Day 9: Kenmare – Glengarriff – 23Km – Ascent 576m, Descent 572m.
Day 10: Depart Glengarriff.

11 Days Self-Guided on the Beara Way with Dursey Sound

Day 1: Arrive Glengarriff – receive maps, notes, etc.
Day 2: Glengarriff – Adrigole – 16Km, Ascent 732m, Descent 735m
Day 3: Adrigole – Castletownbere – 20.5Km, Ascent 781m, Descent 792m
Day 4: Castletownbere – Allihies – 13.2Km, Ascent 552m, Descent 517m
Day 5: Allihies to Dursey Sound – 11.3Km, Ascent 388m, Descent 426m
Day 6: Transfer to Allihies – Eyeries – 11.2Km, Ascent 393m, Descent 378m
Day 7 Eyeries – Ardgroom – 14.5Km, Ascent 232m, Descent 227m
Day 8: Ardgroom – Tuosist / Lauragh -16.4Km, Ascent 396m, Descent 482m
Day 9: Tuosist / Lauragh – Kenmare – 18.5Km, Ascent 736m, Descent 633m
Day 10: Kenmare – Glengarriff – 23Km – Ascent 576m, Descent 572m.
Day 11: Depart Glengarriff.

11 Days Self-Guided on the Beara Way with Dursey Island

(Notice longer walking days between Eyeries and Kenmare)
Day 1: Arrive Glengarriff – receive maps, notes, etc.
Day 2: Glengarriff – Adrigole – 16Km, Ascent 732m, Descent 735m
Day 3: Adrigole – Castletownbere – 20.5Km, Ascent 781m, Descent 792m
Day 4: Castletownbere – Allihies – 13.2Km, Ascent 552m, Descent 517m
Day 5: Allihies to Dursey Sound – 11.3Km, Ascent 388m, Descent 426m
Day 6: Visit Dursey Island – Varied Walks on Dursey Island.
Day 7: Transfer to Allihies – Eyeries – 11.78Km, Ascent 379m, Descent 393m
Day 8: Eyeries – Lauragh – 25.4Km, Ascent 628m, Descent 709m
Day 9: Lauragh – Kenmare – 23.4Km, Ascent 831m, Descent 837m
Day 10: Kenmare – Glengarriff – 23Km – Ascent 576m, Descent 572m.
Day 11: Depart Glengarriff.

12 Day Self Guided on the Beara Way with Dursey Island

Day 1: Arrive Glengarriff – receive maps, notes, etc.
Day 2: Glengarriff – Adrigole – 16Km, Ascent 732m, Descent 735m
Day 3: Adrigole – Castletownbere – 20.5Km, Ascent 781m, Descent 792m
Day 4: Castletownbere – Allihies – 13.2Km, Ascent 552m, Descent 517m
Day 5: Allihies to Dursey Sound – 11.3Km, Ascent 388m, Descent 426m
Day 6: Visit Dursey Island – Varied Walks on Dursey Island.
Day 7: Transfer to Allihies – Eyeries – 11.78Km, Ascent 379m, Descent 393m
Day 8 Eyeries – Ardgroom – 14.5Km, Ascent 232m, Descent 227m
Day 9: Ardgroom – Tuosist / Lauragh -16.4Km, Ascent 396m, Descent 482m
Day 10: Tuosist / Lauragh – Kenmare – 18.5Km, Ascent 736m, Descent 633m
Day 11: Kenmare – Glengarriff – 23Km – Ascent 576m, Descent 572m.
Day 12: Depart Glengarriff.

What to Bring

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions about the Beara Way:

Q. How do we get to the Start of our walk?

A. All the information to get you to the start of your walk will be given to you, ie, bus times, train times etc. We can also organise a transfer for you from Airports or accommodations.

Q. What about the walks and fitness levels?

A. The terrain of this walk is from forest tracks, to open hillside, old roads, country lanes, and cliff walks.
The walks are generally of a moderate level with approx 15 – 20Km per day walk.
It is possible to have your day shortened by letting us know and we can organise transfers to shorten the walk for you

Q What is the Accommodation like?

A. We use a mix of Guesthouses on these Self Guided Walks as we believe they give you a more personal service and many of them will provide you with a packed lunch and a hearty breakfast before you start your day. They are also locals to the area and know the best places for music, food and drink.

We choose our accommodation very carefully and have known the owners for many years now and have built up a close relationship with them
We can depend on these accommodations to give you the best service and assistance with any queries you may have.
The accommodation providers are well used to guests arriving after a day’s walk and know that they want somewhere comfortable to relax and freshen up.
They are all fully qualified and recognised accommodations with Tourism Ireland

Q What is the food in Ireland like and where would we get evening meals?

A. In many of the towns along the way, there is a choice of restaurant or Pub (Pub cuisine in Ireland is fantastic now with a wide variety of food at a high quality in most).

Breakfasts are included and there is a wide selection to choose from including a Full Irish, fruit, cereals, breads etc.
Lunches for the walks: Some of the accommodations may provide a packed lunch for you. If not they will let you know of a close by Deli or shop where you can have one made up the way you would like it.
Evening Meals In most towns there are restaurants and Pubs. There are some great local producers of food along this trail that you should try.
Dietary requests such as Vegetarians or Gluten free can be catered for with prior notice, although many locations in Ireland are well used to specific foods .

Q. Can we have our luggage transferred each day?

A. Yes your luggage is transferred each day and will be at your next accommodation before your arrival. So you can shower and freshen up quickly after arriving

Included in costs

Friendly and family run guest Houses and B+Bs (Irish Tourism Board Approved)
Breakfasts each morning with a wide selection to choose from.
Travel Pack with detailed maps, guide Book and route descriptions.
Waterproof case for maps and notes
Luggage Transfer between accommodations.
Phone support along the way. (Accommodations and pickup numbers) 24/7.
All Information on public transport required will be given.

Optional Extras

Extra accommodation before, during or after your trip.
Pickup from Cork / Kerry Airports.

Payments:

A deposit of 10% is required to secure your booking and your balance is due 6 weeks prior to Tour / Walk Start date. Your Deposit will be returned to you if we are unsuccessful in securing your trip or accommodation.

Cancellation Policy:

Loss of deposit applies for cancellations made 6 weeks or more in advance.
Cancellation fee of 40% applies for cancellations made less than 41 days in advance.
Cancellation fee of 80% applies for cancellations made less than 4 weeks in advance.
Cancellation fee of 100% applies for cancellations made less than 2 weeks in advance, or in case of no-show.

Balance is due 6 weeks in advance.

The balance of the cost of your tour / walk (including any applicable surcharge) is due not less than 6 weeks prior to scheduled departure.
If we do not receive this balance in full and on time, we reserve the right to treat your booking as cancelled by you in which case we shall retain your deposit.

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Review of Hilltoptreks

We had an excellent trip walking the Wicklow Way from Marlay Park to Iron Bridge. Terry arranged everything perfectly for us and it was an incredible way to celebrate my 30th birthday. We highly recommend using Hilltop Treks.