Bere Island - Doonbeg Loop
Walking Trail · Cork
Bere Island - Doonbeg Loop is a 5.3 km strenuous waymarked loop in Cork, starting near Castletownbere.
Grade
| Activity | Grade | Difficulty | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walking | Strenuous | Challenging | 3 hours |
Getting there
Starts at close by the Gallan standing stone in the centre of Bere island, near Castletownbere.
- Trailhead coordinates
- 51.63054, -9.86168
- Ordnance Survey sheets
- Discovery Series Sheet 84
The National Trails Register's own latitude and longitude fields are empty for all 1,186 trails on it. This trailhead comes from Sport Ireland's separate Trailheads dataset, matched to this trail on its register ID.
About the trail
This is a challenging but rewarding walk on the south side of Bere Island across open mountain. It can be difficult to follow in low cloud and the path is indistinct in places, but in fine weather from the slopes of Knockanallig there are wonderful views of the Sheep's Head and Mizen Peninsulas. There is an option to detour to Dun Beag promontory fort.
Before you go
The Doonbeg Loop is a testing but rewarding loop of 5km on the south side of Bere Island in West Cork. A walk of up to 4 hours on open mountain provides some wonderful views from Knockanallig Mountain.While the trail is in reasonable condition and the ground mostly solid, some navigation skill may be required as the route can be difficult to follow. In mist or low cloud, the route on open mountain can be hard to find, and the track is quite indistinct in many places.
- Waymarking
- Orange arrow
Who manages it
Beara Tourism & Development Association
Beara Tourism,Castletownbere,Co.Cork. Tel/Fax 027-70054, Email: [email protected] Web: https://bearatourism.com
Conditions and closures change. The operator is the authority on both, not this page.
Trails nearby
Measured trailhead to trailhead, in a straight line.
- Bere Island - Ardnakinna - West Island Loop 2.8 km away · 7.5 km trail
- Bere Island - Rerrin Loop 3.0 km away · 6.3 km trail
- Bullig Bay Loop 4.3 km away · 4.2 km trail
- Lonehort Loops - Beara Way 5.4 km away · 1.6 km trail
- Beara Bridleway 8.2 km away · 30.1 km trail
- Eyeries - Coastguard Station Loop 9.6 km away · 7.3 km trail
Common questions
How long is the Bere Island - Doonbeg Loop?
5.3 km, recorded as a loop on Sport Ireland's National Trails Register. It climbs 260 m in total. Sport Ireland estimates 3 hours.
How hard is the Bere Island - Doonbeg Loop?
Sport Ireland grades it Strenuous, with an overall difficulty of Challenging. Grades are set against national criteria, so they are comparable with other registered trails.
Where does the Bere Island - Doonbeg Loop start?
Starts at close by the Gallan standing stone in the centre of Bere island, near Castletownbere. The trailhead is at 51.63054, -9.86168.
Who manages the Bere Island - Doonbeg Loop?
Beara Tourism & Development Association. They are the authority on current conditions and closures, not this page.
More in Cork
Trail data from the Sport Ireland National Trails Register, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Trailhead coordinates from the companion Trailheads dataset. Snapshot taken 2026-08-13.