Only 12km by 7km, Bere Island has around 200 permanent residents and attracts scores more to summer holiday homes. There are ruined Martello towers, craggy coves good for swimming, and a 19km loop of the Beara Way to hike. Bere Island Ferry leaves from town but drops you in a remote part of the island. Murphy's Ferry Service, departing from Pontoon pier, 5km east of Castletownbere, docks by the island's main village, Rerrin, which has a shop, a pub, a cafe and accommodation.
Bere Island
Beara Peninsula
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
29.02 MILES
Opened in 1837 as a hunting lodge, this magnificent estate sprawls over 17 hectares incorporating a waterfall, beach and six different gardens, ranging…
Derrynane National Historic Park
14.53 MILES
Derrynane House was the home of Maurice 'Hunting Cap' O'Connell, a notorious local smuggler who grew rich on trade with France and Spain. He was the uncle…
17.74 MILES
With its melancholic air of faded gentility, 18th-century Bantry House makes for an intriguing visit. From the Gobelin tapestries in the drawing room to…
15.89 MILES
This horticultural miracle of an island was created in the early 20th century when the island's owner commissioned architect Harold Peto to design a…
26.26 MILES
Macgillycuddy's Reeks is Ireland's highest mountain range, and towering Carrauntoohil is the country's highest summit, at 1040m. There are several routes…
28.17 MILES
Some 3km northwest of Cahersiveen, two extraordinary stone ring forts situated 600m apart are reached from a shared parking area. Cahergal, the larger and…
27.44 MILES
The Victorian country estate of Liss Ard is home to the remarkable Sky Garden, a piece of landscape art created by American artist James Turrell in 1992…
Nearby Beara Peninsula attractions
2.34 MILES
The ruins of this 15th-century castle, a former stronghold of the O'Sullivan Beare clan, sit on a promontory overlooking the southern entrance to the…
2. Derreenataggart Stone Circle
3.09 MILES
On a lonely hill 2km northwest of Castletownbere, the impressive Derreenataggart Stone Circle, consisting of 10 stones, can be found close to the roadside…
5.06 MILES
The town of Eyeries is home to Milleens cheese, first created by the late pioneering producer Veronica Steele. Visitors are welcome to visit the Steele…
4. Allihies Copper Mine Museum
7.58 MILES
Allihies' history as a copper mining area is chronicled in this engaging museum, the result of years of work by the community; there's also tourist…
8.51 MILES
About 1km west of Lauragh, a side road leads to forest-fringed Glanmore Lake, with the remains of an old hermitage on a tiny island in the middle. Get…
10.56 MILES
Derreen Gardens were planted by the fifth Lord Lansdowne around the turn of the 20th century. Mossy paths weave through an abundance of interesting plants…
11.76 MILES
Vast sand dunes hemmed in by two long bluffs dissolve into the surf, forming West Cork's finest beach. Rarely crowded, it's a great place for youngsters,…
12.46 MILES
Completed in 1909 to help warn ships off the rocks, Mizen Head signal station is perched high above crashing waves and contorted sea cliffs on a small…