The end of the road on the Sheep's Head peninsula, where the tarmac stops, the Wild Atlantic Way run out, and a small car park, toilets and a seasonal cafe mark the start of the walk to the lighthouse at the very tip of the headland.
Beyond Kilcrohane the coast road narrows and finishes at Tooreen, where the Wild Atlantic Way route ends in a car park with toilets and a seasonal cafe. It is the last drivable point on the peninsula, so the walking begins here.
A 3.8 km marked loop, graded strenuous, taking about two hours with 190 m of ascent. Follow the blue arrows west from Tooreen Car Park, turn right after 300 m and continue past Lough Akeen towards the lighthouse, returning along the rougher northern side or retracing the easier southern trail.
Past the helicopter pad, steps lead down to the lighthouse itself at the most westerly tip of the headland. The finish is rocky and fully exposed to the Atlantic.
Below the path the remnants of potato ridges from famine times can still be seen. The ground is rough, boggy and often wet, so walking boots are a fundamental requirement here.
The peninsula is so narrow that you are never far from the ocean, with Bantry Bay to the north and Dunmanus Bay to the south. The ridge and shoreline sections give long sea views in almost every direction.
Tooreen is a major trailhead on the Sheep's Head Way, a waymarked network of over 450 km; the western main trail alone runs about 102 km over six stages and walkers can start or finish from any trailhead. Note that dogs are not allowed on the waymarked trail, which crosses working farms.
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