20 Attractions to Explore Near Ring of Beara

Glanmore Lake is a freshwater lake in the southwest of Ireland. It is located on the Beara Peninsula in County Kerry. Well-known as a fishing lake, Glanmore is one of the nicest lake swims on the Beara peninsula, set at the base of Lackabane Mountain with the trees reaching up to the sky it could be deep in the Canadian wilderness.

This is a woodland garden that has a selection of narrow paths leading to the sea. You can choose a short stroll of about 40 minutes or take all day discovering the 8 miles of paths. Throughout the garden a rich patina of moss, lichens ferns and saxifrages gives a sub-tropical feel to the whole area. As a foil to the luxuriant plantings, there are great natural outcrops of rocks. The garden is open to the public every day all year round.

Gleninchaquin Park, in County Kerry, provides breath-taking landscapes and scenery in which it is a sheer delight to wander around. Explore streams with log bridges, mountain paths with carved steps, rock passages, glens, lakes and waterfalls. This magnificent valley makes for a great day out for the experienced walker – high level routes, to those more inclined to the gentler terrain.

Uragh Stone Circle on the Beara Peninsula in West Cork is without doubt one of the most beautiful and most mystical places in Ireland. This monument consists of a five stone circle with a huge outlier in close proximity. This enormous monolith is at least three metres high and totally dominates the monument. It is set radially to the circle aligned along the NE-SW axis. There are a number of other monuments nearby, including a multiple stone circle and some boulder burials.

The Hungry Hill is an Irish mountain, belonging to the Beara Peninsula in County Cork. Rising to 685 metres above sea level, it is considered the 130th highest peak in Ireland. A magical place, which should make hiking enthusiasts dream! There is a cairn at the summit and a number of standing stones to the south and east of the mountain. At its eastern foot are two lakes — Coomadayallig and Coomarkane — which both drain into the Mare's Tail waterfall.

Whiddy Island is located in scenic Bantry Bay, Co. Cork. The island is linked to the mainland by the local ferry, Ocean Star III, with return trips several times a day. Bike hire is also available on the island, as is a local hackney service. Trips to and from the island and tours of the bay are available during the summer months, incorporating local history, scenery and the indigenous flora and fauna.Walkers and anglers also travel to Whiddy Island.

Bonane Heritage Park is an private archaeological preserve and tourist attraction between Bonane and Kenmare in County Kerry, Ireland. The park has over 250 well-preserved sites from the Stone, Bronze and Iron Age right up to pre-Famine times and celebrates the first settlers who colonised the Irish countryside. It is a stunning walk laden with archeological treasures that all of the family will enjoy.

The Kenmare stone circle is one of the largest stone circles in south West Ireland measuring 17.4 x 15.8m and unlike any other ring in Muster, this one is egg-shaped. Stone Circles were built during the bronze age believed to be for ritual and ceremonial purposes. It is one of the iconic attraction in this area and there are also many similar things in this surroundings.

Priest's Leap is a steep and nearly straight single-lane mountain pass between Coomhola Bridge and the village of Bonane east of the more winding road from Bantry to Kenmare in Ireland. Just below the summit of the 519 m high mountain with the same name, it is the highest pass road in Munster at 463m, crossing from County Cork to County Kerry.

The Ring of Kerry is a 179-kilometre-long circular tourist route in County Kerry, south-western Ireland. Clockwise from Killarney it follows the N71 to Kenmare. It’s a road that takes you through 10,000 years of dramatic history. It’s a road that takes you from deep forest to the crashing waters of the wild Atlantic. It’s a road through rugged, majestic landscapes.

Bantry House and Garden is a stately home in southwest Ireland situated right on Bantry Bay with panoramic views of the bay and the caha mountains. The gardens contain seven terraces; the house is located on the third. One hundred steps are located behind the house and fountain, and are surrounded by azaleas and rhododendron.

Knockboy is the highest point in County Cork and sits at an elevation of 706m. The mountain is composed of sandstone laid down in the Devonian period which was subsequently uplifted to form a mountain range, before being eroded into its present form by glaciers during the last ice age.The hike up to Knockboy mountain starts from the Priest’s Leap mountain pass monument at 519m.

Derreenataggart Stone Circle is about 1.5km west of Castletown Bere, close to the road and open to the public. It is about 8m in diameter and twelve stones of a probable fifteen survive. Thirty metres south-west of the circle, site CO115-011001 is "a raised sub-circular area of rough ground with a recent rectangular depression at its western edge".

The Beara Way is an stunning long distance walking trail in Counties Cork and Kerry. It is a 206-kilometre long circular trail around the Beara Peninsula that begins and ends in Glengarriff, County Cork, also passing through parts of County Kerry.It is typically completed in nine days. It is designated as a National Waymarked Trail by the National Trails Office of the Irish Sports Council and is managed by the Beara Tourism and Development Association.

Moll's Gap is a gap in County Kerry and has an elevation of 237 metres. Moll's Gap is situated south of Derrylea. It offers views of the MacGillycuddy's Reeks mountains, and is a popular tourist location. The rocks at Moll's gap are formed of Old Red Sandstone, which are small quartz grains laid down over 350 million years ago; unlike most of the Old Red Sandstone around Killarney which is stained red by iron oxide, the rock at Moll's gap is stained green by chlorite.

A majestic old castle on the outskirts of Kealkill village, in the heart of West Cork, played a dramatic role in one of Irish history. A 4-storey tower surrounded by a 14-foot-high outer curtain wall or bawn. The main tower is perched on a rock overhanging the Ouvane river, and has 4 corner turrets. The main entrance to the castle was via a gate in the north wall of the bawn, which had 4 corner towers, the main tower being set into the west wall of the bawn.

Staigue Fort is probably one of the best examples of an ancient ringfort in Kerry. The fort is thought to have been built during the late Iron Age, probably somewhere between 300 and 400 AD, as a defensive stronghold for a local lord or king. The fort consists of a massive circular rampart surrounded by an external bank. The wall is up to 5.5m high and 4m thick, surrounding a circular area of 27.4m in diameter. It shows great skill and craftsmanship in the area of stone building.

A beautiaful mountain on the Mizen Peninsula immediately to the north of the town of Schull in West Cork, Ireland. It offers views from south over Schull Harbour and Long Island Bay. To the east and southeast, the views take in Roaringwater Bay and its many islands, known as Carbery's Hundred Isles. North and west are the mountains of the Beara Peninsula and south Kerry.

A beautiful Meditation Retreat centre situated on the wild and beautiful Beara Peninsula in south-west Ireland. It sits high on cliffs overlooking the Atlantic Ocean with breathtaking views of sea and sky. It is home to the Spiritual Care Centre, which was opened by Mary McAleese on 12 September 2007.

A majestic lighthouse which marks the southern tip of Bantry Bay, was built in 1968 as a consequence of the development of the oil terminal at Whiddy Island. The lighthouse comprises a 7 metre high white round tower on a square building. The lantern is 83 metres above sea level. It touches on lovely little Lough Akeen, and there is spectacular coastal scenery, including Mizen Head and the Beara Peninsula.