The Beara Way Walking Holiday — 6 Days (Moderate)

The Beara Way begins tomorrow.

Arrive in Glengarriff, gateway to Beara. 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. A walk to the Blue Pool or the Bamboo Park makes for a pleasant first evening — Glengarriff is subtropical by Irish standards, sheltered and lush.

Your first day on the Beara Way. The trail leaves Glengarriff through the old oak woods of Glengarriff Nature Reserve, then climbs a mountain track to about 500 m. From the top you look out over Bantry Bay and the Caha Mountains. You come down past the Glenlough valley to Adrigole, at the foot of Hungry Hill.

There is nowhere to stay in Adrigole, so we collect you at the end of the walk and bring you back to Glengarriff for a second night.

Distance: 17.3 km. Ascent: about 600 m.

After breakfast we drive you back to Adrigole, where yesterday's walk ended. The trail climbs onto the shoulder of Hungry Hill (685 m), the highest mountain on Beara, then follows old mountain roads west above the coast. Bere Island lies in the harbour below for much of the afternoon. You finish in the fishing port of Castletownbere.

Distance: 22.1 km. Ascent: about 720 m.

West from Castletownbere on the copper-mine heritage trail over Miskish Mountain. Engine-house ruins, old tramway cuttings and drystone walls from the 19th-century mining settlements appear as you climb. The descent into Allihies is dramatic — the village appears below you between Ballydonegan Beach's red sand and the green hillside. Visit the Copper Mine Museum; walk to the beach at dusk.

Distance: 14.7 km. Ascent: about 600 m.

The most beautiful stage of the Beara Way — the northern coastal path above the Atlantic. The trail climbs out of Allihies with Cod's Head panoramas opening wide: ocean to the west, the Skellig Islands on the horizon to the north, old copper workings and long-abandoned stone farmsteads below. The descent into Eyeries follows the famous row of pastel-painted houses — pink, blue, mustard, green — strung along the northern shore.

Home to Milleens Cheese and Caureen's Bar. A short day that deserves a long evening.

Distance: 14 km. Ascent: about 400 m.

Last Beara breakfast, then your scheduled transfer back to Glengarriff (around 90 minutes by road via Castletownbere) or direct to Cork for onward travel. Most walkers are already thinking about the 7-day version, which continues from Eyeries to Ardgroom and the Bronze Age stone circles. We will keep a bed for you.