Trails and Viewpoints in Co. Cork
16 places
1.Beara way
The country's only cable car to Dursey Island
A 206 km waymarked loop around Ireland's ruggedly beautiful Beara Peninsula — coastal cliffs, mountain passes, stone circles and Ireland's only cable car make this one of the Wild Atlantic Way's most rewarding long-distance trails.
- Highlights
- 206 km / 128-mile circular waymarked trail
- 5,245 m total ascent — grade: Strenuous
- Ireland's only cable car, to Dursey Island
2.Ardnakinna Lighthouse(Teach Solais Ardnakinna)
a working lighthouse with 360º views over Bantry Bay
A striking white lighthouse on the wild western tip of Bere Island, reached by a rugged loop walk with panoramic views over Bantry Bay, the Beara Peninsula, and the Atlantic. No admission — just a ferry ride and a rewarding hike.
- Highlights
- 360º views over Bantry Bay and three peninsulas
- Working lighthouse on dramatic cliff-edge setting
- Moderate-to-difficult loop walk on old military tracks
3.Baltimore Beacon
1849 beacon known as Lot's Wife
A striking 15-metre white cone-shaped beacon perched on dramatic West Cork cliffs since 1849, offering sweeping 360° views over Baltimore Harbour, Sherkin Island, and the wild Atlantic.
- Highlights
- Iconic 15m white cone-shaped tower with red ball on top
- Built 1849, locally nicknamed 'Lot's Wife'
- Panoramic 360° views over harbour, islands & Atlantic
4.Capel Way Coastal Trail
an 1803 Napoleonic signal tower and WWII lookout
A community-maintained coastal trail on the rugged Knockadoon Peninsula, offering two looped walks with panoramic views across Youghal and Ballycotton Bays to Capel Island.
- Highlights
- Two looped routes for different fitness levels
- 1803 Napoleonic signal tower and WWII lookout post
- Views of Capel Island bird sanctuary and Ballycotton Lighthouse
5.Glensheskin Woods
Historic spring well along the Douglas River
A sprawling Coillte woodland along the Douglas River near Kilworth village, criss-crossed by walking trails, rich with bluebells in spring, and threaded through by the long-distance Blackwater Way.
- Highlights
- Large Coillte woodland with multiple trail options
- Part of the European E8 / Blackwater Way long-distance route
- Historic spring well along the riverside path
- Facilities
- Wheelchair access
6.Mizen Head Bridge(Droichead Cheann Mizen)
45m-high bridge over the Atlantic
Ireland's most south-westerly point — cross a dramatic arched footbridge 45m above the Atlantic to a historic signal station perched on the edge of Europe.
- Highlights
- Iconic arched footbridge 45m above the sea
- Historic signal station & lighthouse (est. 1909)
- Ireland's first radio beacon (1931)
- Facilities
- Good for kids · Restrooms · Wheelchair access
7.Sheep's Head Walk - Tooreen Turning Point
Climb concrete steps to a 1968 lighthouse
The road ends at Tooreen — and the real drama begins. This wild, wind-scoured trailhead at the tip of the Sheep's Head peninsula delivers cliffside paths, a lonely lighthouse, and panoramic views over Bantry and Dunmanus Bays on one of Ireland's most unspoilt Atlantic headlands.
- Highlights
- Panoramic 360° views over Bantry Bay, Dunmanus Bay, Mizen Head & Beara Peninsula
- Sheep's Head lighthouse (built 1968, 7m tall) — climb the concrete steps to it
- Lough Akeen — a small, picturesque lake en route to the lighthouse
8.Youghal Eco Boardwalk
1.9km boardwalk to three Blue Flag beaches
Ireland's longest seafront boardwalk — a 1.9km accessible coastal stroll linking three Blue Flag beaches, with the sea on one side and Ballyvergan Marsh on the other.
- Highlights
- Ireland's longest seafront boardwalk
- Three connected Blue Flag beaches
- Ballyvergan Marsh — Cork's largest coastal marsh
- Facilities
- Wheelchair access
9."Deck of Cards" Houses
gravity-defying row of 23 candy-coloured houses
A gravity-defying row of 23 candy-coloured Victorian terraced houses stacked up a steep Cobh hillside, with St Colman's Cathedral towering behind — Ireland's most photographed street.
- Highlights
- 23 candy-coloured Victorian houses built in the 1850s
- St Colman's Cathedral backdrop — Ireland's tallest cathedral
- Multiple viewpoints: park, hilltop, Spy Hill, and rear angle
- Facilities
- Good for kids
10.Ballinaboola Trailhead
largest mountain bike trail network in the country
A quiet forest trailhead on the lower slopes of the Ballyhoura Mountains, offering two well-waymarked loop walks through Coillte forestry with sweeping views across the Golden Vale towards Limerick and the Shannon.
- Highlights
- Two waymarked National Looped Walks from one car park
- Views across the Golden Vale to Limerick City and the Shannon
- Part of the wider 6,000-hectare Ballyhoura forest block
11.Ballycotton Cliff Walk
one of only two black lighthouses
A spectacular 5-mile cliff-top trail from Ballycotton village to Ballyandreen beach, flanked by wildflower meadows on one side and the Atlantic on the other. The views of the iconic black lighthouse and the working harbour make this one of East Cork's finest coastal walks.
- Highlights
- Stunning views of Ballycotton Lighthouse — one of only two black lighthouses in Ireland
- Meadows on one side, Atlantic Ocean on the other
- Rich birdlife: peregrine falcons, choughs, oystercatchers
12.Bell's Field
a free hilltop panorama over Shandon and the northside
A grassy hilltop open space above Cork's northside with one of the city's best panoramas — Shandon Bells, the North Cathedral and rooftops stretching to the harbour below.
- Highlights
- Panoramic view over Shandon, the North Cathedral and Cork's northside
- Free, open 24 hours, dog-friendly grassy hill
- On-site café: Bell's Coffee & Crepes (10:30-17:00)
- Facilities
- Good for kids · Dog-friendly
13.Curraghbinny Woods (Coillte Corra Binne)
Bronze Age cairn and harbour-view loops
A compact 35-hectare Coillte woodland on a hill jutting into Cork Harbour, laced with Victorian carriage paths and crowned by a Bronze Age cairn and a hilltop gazebo.
- Highlights
- Hilltop gazebo with panoramic Cork Harbour views
- Bronze Age 'Giant's Grave' cairn, excavated 1932
- Gazebo Loop (1.5km) and Terrace Loop (2.2km)
- Facilities
- Good for kids · Dog-friendly
14.Marlogue Woods Forest Recreational Area
a hidden-gem forest walk to a stony harbour beach
A quiet, old-world forest on Great Island where an easy loop trail drops down through oak and beech to a stony beach with wide-open Cork Harbour views.
- Highlights
- Easy 4.3 km loop trail (about 1 hour)
- Stony beach with skimming stones
- Harbour views to East Ferry, Whitegate and Spike Island
- Facilities
- Good for kids · Dog-friendly · Wheelchair access
15.Corrin Wood Forest Recreational Area
3,000-year-old Bronze Age burial mound
A wooded hill rising above the M8 motorway near Fermoy, where a brisk forest walk leads past 3,000-year-old Bronze Age remains to a stone cross with sweeping 360° views across the Golden Vale.
- Highlights
- Carn Thiernagh — Bronze Age burial mound (3,000+ years old)
- Large stone summit cross (1933), illuminated at Christmas & Easter
- 14 Stations of the Cross along the forest road
16.Rineen Woods
an inlet only 50 metres wide at the Narrows
A tucked-away coastal woodland on the shores of Castlehaven inlet, where a short forest trail meets fairy houses, a famine-era wall, and views across water just 50 metres wide at "The Narrows".
- Highlights
- Fairy village with tiny houses and tooth-fairy letterbox
- Views of The Narrows — inlet just 50 m wide
- Coastal lime kiln on the shore
- Facilities
- Good for kids · Dog-friendly