The Beara Way, Ireland

The Beara Way, Ireland

The Beara Way is a long distance hiking trail on the west coast of Ireland that traverses the Beara Peninsula through the Miskish and Caha Mountain ranges. This beautiful circular 128 mile trail begins and ends in Glengarriff and offers an outstanding scenic route. The peninsula was inhabited as far back as prehistoric times which is why we saw remnants of wedge tombs, stone circles and standing stones almost daily.

When researching trails in Ireland (there are many) we narrowed it down to the Beara Way or Dingle Way. We landed on the Beara because of the charming towns, rolling hills, and the fact that we were limited on our timeline. 

Traditionally, the trail begins in Glengariff but our shortened timeline forced us to customize the trip. We stayed two nights in the fabulous Lake House accommodations and utilized a local shuttle service to get to and from the trail.

The Beara Way, Day 1 | Tuosist to Lauragh

Day one was 11 miles with 2500ft of elevation loss and gain. We set out early with fresh legs after our jolly shuttle driver (T Hartnett Shuttle) dropped us off on a backcountry road.

We climbed slowly (at first) through the woodland and followed an old stone fence-line through sheep fields. We happened upon a pair of friendly horses that gladly shared an apple with me and followed us the rest of the way through the pasture.

The incline increased and the rain slowly began. We crossed our first mountain path and meandered down the mountainside to a wide valley where we followed a quiet lake to Uragh Stone Circle.

The rain was persistent and increased as we climbed the next saddle. By the time we reached the top the wind had increased to what felt like 70mph. We could barely stand and had to brace ourselves along the fence-line. The rain turned to hail and we carefully made our way down the mountainside taking occasional shelter next to rocks and outcroppings for respite from the storm.

The storm slowed as we made our way into town and to our car. We were thankful for the warm lodging to dry out our gear, some delicious local pizza (delivered) and a card game that evening.

The Beara Way, Day 2 | Lauragh to Ardgroom:

Day two had us hiking ~8miles with about 800 ft of elevation gain and loss over another pass. This particular day showcases the hallmarks of neolithic and medieval times, with boulders defining field boundaries, ancient roads and standing stones thought to date from between 1300 and 700BC.

We made our way through the wind blown pastures with beautiful views of the Kenmare River to Ardgroom where we grabbed a pint at the pub before heading to our very memorable B&B for the night.

The Beara Way, Day 3 | Ardgroom to Eyries

I woke up to a birthday surprise from our fabulous hosts at SeaVilla B&B. They offered us a quick lift to the trailhead and we began our climb. It was another 8mi day with easy slow climb up and down. From the top, we traversed a scenic ridgeline until we dropped down and made our way to the northern coast.

We explored a beautiful twisting coastal trail with dramatic rock formations. We passed old lifeguard stations and other building ruins that were being slowly worn away by the wind and rain of the Irish coast.

Blackberries grow wild along much of the trail which slowed our pace and made for great snacking. We eventually made our way to Eyries for a pint before checking into Coulagh Bay House and a delightful birthday surprise and celebration from the Coopers and Vinsons!

The Beara Way, Day 4 | Eyries to Allihies

The Beara Peninsula was once known for its copper mines. We spent the 8mi day walking past the remains of this post-industrial landscape and learning about its history.

The copper vein that was mined here was discovered in 1813. At that time the mining was done by hand alone, the copper ore was tackled with hammer, chisel and black powder.

We followed the old copper road as it wound past the old engine house and mountain mines into the vibrant and welcoming village of Allihies. We spent our evening enjoying a tasty meal, a beautiful sunset and some fabulous Irish folk music before tucking into Allihies Seasview (a fabulous B&B) for the night.

The Beara Way, Day 5 | Allihies to Castletownbere

The main features of Beara's landscape were formed 12,000 years ago. There is evidence of human activity on the peninsula dating from at least 3000 BC. Later it was invaded by Vikings, and in the 17th century became a defensive position for the English Army against French invasion. Its population peaked at 39,000 before the Great Famine; today there are fewer than 6000 living in the area.

We left the beautiful town of Allihies early and started our 9.5mi day climbing over the ridgeline. The six of us made our way downhill into a small wooded area before our final climb over a saddle to find terrific views of Bantry Bay, Bere Island and Kenmare Bay.

Castletownbere was our largest town thus far and has the second largest fishing port in Ireland.

We enjoyed some fresh fish, checked out an art gallery and got some card games in at our B&B, Harbour View Bed & Breakfast.

The Beara Way, Day 6 | Castletownbere to Adrigole

The last two days of the trail get longer as towns become fewer and further between. We had a 13.5mi day ahead of us with 2300ft of elevation loss as gain as we climbed up to the ridgeline. 

We walked along stunning coastline through rugged mountains, with deserted dwellings that whispered of a tumultuous history.  

The morning started cool and a bit rainy as we made our way though the town and over the first ladder stile - one of many for the day. We slowly climbed to a ridge plateau as we crossed from pasture to pasture. We followed a crystal clear stream to our final climb of the day and watched as a patchwork quilt of green appeared the higher we got in elevation.

Once down, we had a 2 miles toe blistering road walk to our cars (which we had shuttled from the Lake House to Adrigole the day before). We were VERY excited to check-into the spectacular Eccles Hotel and Spa in Glengariff. Built in the mid 1700’s this iconic hotel has beautiful modernized rooms full of character with good food and nice areas to play cards while enjoying the heat from a warm fireplace. 

The Beara Way, Day 7 | Adrigole to Glengariff

We woke early to shuttle a car further up the road - taking off 4 miles of road walking - and making our final day an easy 7.6miles. 

The final day is a spectacular climb to the 1,840-foot high point of the Beara Way, as it makes its way across the rugged Sugarloaf Mountain. It was a beautiful broad valley with every conceivable color of green. This was my favorite day by far. 

The Beara Way was absolutely enchanting and I would recommend this venture deep into the rugged mountains and seascapes to anyone looking to truly see Ireland, its amazing people, and welcoming communities.