Breathtaking five-day walk around Ireland’s Sheep’s Head peninsula

The Sheep’s Head peninsula is a haven for skylarks, their song rising above heathery hills and Atlantic views. I walked the Sheep’s Head Way, a community-opened long-distance trail marking its 30th anniversary this summer, following the original 55-mile loop (a 63-mile option is now considered the official route).

The peninsula’s cliffs, green slopes and warmed sea breeze make the trail a quieter alternative to busier routes further north. Bantry, at the landward end, was my start and finish. After breakfast at Doire Liath B&B the market-filled square – fresh seafood, local art and a statue of Wolfe Tone – sent me west into drumlin ridges.

Paths squelched through wetlands, wildflowers studded the gorse and the views opened to Bantry Bay, Dunmanus Bay and a line of shaggy peaks; I could see nothing but hills, ridges and sea. For two days the route offered near-empty trails, coastal meadows and plentiful birdlife: cuckoos in woods, stonechats on rocks and hooded crows overhead.

Ireland, Sheep's Head peninsula

sheep's head, ireland, bantry, bantry bay, dunmanus bay, long-distance trail, skylarks, doire liath, wolfe tone, drumlin ridges