Ireland’s hidden lanes
Tranquil and unspoilt, the Beara Peninsula in Ireland is perfect for greenlaning
Take a trip with us to the beautiful Beara Peninsula, which has a few surprises up its green sleeves
It's not very often I stumble across a place that offers both top camping locations and scenic greenlaning, but located in the west of Ireland is one of the bestkept secrets and a place that we will definitely be returning to in the very near future. Over the last few years I have been exploring Ireland’s remote places in my Land Rover Defender and it never ceases to amaze me what this small island has to offer us greenlaners, campers and outdoor enthusiasts. A recent trip to Beara, Ireland's largest Peninsula, most certainly continued this trend.
The rugged and wild Beara Peninsula is Ireland and Europe's most westerly point, with the nearest neighbours being New Yorkers. Our weekend adventure was simple – find some greenlanes, camp wild and meet up with one of the locals – Nathan Kingerlee, a man who could easily be described as Mr Outdoors Ireland.
We started in the small little village of Glengarriff, the gateway to the Beara Peninsula. From here, we took the picturesque coastal road that hugs the jagged coastline and leads to the peninsula’s most westerly point. This route known as the R572 road is approximately 25 miles long and winds its way to Castletownbere. An interesting fishing village, Castletownbere is definitely worth checking out. We arrived into the village late in the evening, so we decided to camp at the harbour.
As we deployed the roof top tent a small yacht with a French flag was approaching the harbour wall just in front of us. We helped the occupants tie their small boat to the pilings as it moored up for the evening and, after a quick chat, we discovered they had just sailed in from France and were planning to get some supplies before exploring the west coast of Ireland. We said our goodbyes and enjoyed a
couple of creamy pints of Guinness in one of the many pubs that line the main street as we marked out the green lanes that we planned to explore around the peninsula over the next couple of days.
After a great night of traditional Irish music, next morning we were up bright and early. Following a hearty breakfast and a strong black coffee it was out with the Ordnance Survey map to finalise our routes for the day. We continued along the peninsula's coast and headed over to see Ireland's only cable car, connecting the mainland to the small and historic Island of Dursey. After having a good look around it was back in the Land Rovers as we made our way to the quaint coastal copper mining town of Allihies.
When you arrive in Allihies make sure to drive down to the beach for a look; it's a great spot for a picnic lunch. The greenlane that we were specifically looking for started on the outskirts of Allihies. Indications from the Ordnance Survey map highlighted that this track would take us into the mountains along the old mining track before hugging a steep slope that dropped into the ocean taking us all the way to Urhan.
When you go through the village, follow the main road heading west in the direction of the Cluin Ct track, take the first right just outside the village and then the next left, from here you will see the imposing old mining tower locally known as the Mountain Man Mine Engine House. This unique piece of mining history stands firmly overlooking the valley, the bay and village below having played a key role in the area for nearly 200 years.
You are on the right track if you are ascending on the narrow winding lane that brings you within walking distance of the old copper mine. This is definitely worth a look around, with spectacular views of Allihies and the coastline in the distance. Copper mining started in Allihies in 1812 – the engine house was erected in 1823 to accommodate a steam engine that was used to pump water out of the mined shafts. The dominant Mountain Mine
Man Engine House is the only remaining purpose-built man engine house anywhere in the world. Built in 1862 this structure was the centrepiece of what was once a booming copper mining industry before eventually closing in the 1880s.
When first taking this greenlane you’ll find yourself mesmerised by the surrounding scenery, and this is only the beginning of the track. The Skellig islands – known as Skellig Michael and Little Skellig – were inhabited 1500 years ago by Irish monks and are now UNESCO world heritage sites. For Star Wars fans, the pyramid-like mountains that protrude from the sea eight miles played host to the final scene in The Force Awakens when the crew of the Millennium met up with Luke Skywalker. It's easy to see why the directors choose the Skelligs as an iconic scene in the movie and it's not the last we will see of these majestic islands, filming having recently taken place for episode VIII.
Hard as it was to pull ourselves away from these views we had some greenlaning to do so we progressed along the single track known as the old mining trail and continued uphill for a couple of miles. As the Land Rovers headed towards the clouds it was difficult to know whether to look forward or behind, so impressive was the scenery. We plateaued for a while before ascending a small hump on the track and reaching the top of the mountains, where we were treated to more incredible views of the ocean and peninsula ahead.
As we made our way around the ridge the surrounding vistas just continued to get better. As greenlaning goes this is probably one of the most scenic routes I have taken, not only in Ireland but anywhere in the world – it's not the longest but definitely one of the most spectacular.
After a couple of hours enjoying this hidden gem it was time to make our way to the next overnight camp at Gleninchaquin. We found our way back to the R571 and headed north west, taking the opportunity for a quick diversion up along a forest track to explore one of the many
“The pyramid-like mountains played host to the final scene in The Force Awakens”
“This was idyllic wild camping at its best... a fabulous way to end a day's greenlaning”
round ancient circles that have been a place of worship for inhabitants for thousands of years on the peninsula. If you’re here, keep an eye out for the signpost – follow the track through the forest keeping left until you come to a T-junction on the track, take the right up the hill and this will lead you to the 4000-year-old stone circle.
After experiencing some of the peninsula's ancient history we continued along the R571. Once we passed the Cloonee Lakes on our right, we took a right at the signpost Lake and Lough Inchiquin and then arrived at Gleninchaquin Park. This is a picturesque valley that was formed by glaciers over 70,000 years ago and this route will offer you plenty of photo opportunities along the way.
Gleninchaquin is a family-owned farm and park that is open to the public. It is a real hidden gem offering mountain paths, rock passages and some interesting tracks that will take you up the mountains towards a lake. We camped just adjacent to a forest and pretty much underneath a 140 metre waterfall which, when in full flood, is supposed to be a powerful spectacle. This was idyllic wild camping at its best, with great views of the surrounding landscape and a fabulous way to end a day’s greenlaning.
The following morning we had arranged to meet Kerry native and Land Rover enthusiast Nathan Kingerlee. Nathan is the founder of Outdoors Ireland, an award winning, training, adventure and bushcraft company. It was the first adventure company in Ireland to achieve a gold environmental award. Nathan started his career as an outdoor instructor and worked in Ireland, Scotland and Italy before setting up his own company. A keen climber, Nathan has climbed the highest peaks in Ireland, the British Isles, the Alps and the Spanish Sierra Nevadas. He is also a kayaking, radio navigational and bushcraft survival instructor and has recently trained the Irish Special Forces in navigational and bushcraft skills.
We arranged to meet Nathan on the top of a hill overlooking the Killarney National Park that borders the Beara Peninsula, where he would be giving us some tips in bush cooking before tackling some of the neighbouring forest tracks in the Land Rovers. We’re not sure what we spotted first; his instantly recognisable 300Tdi Defender or his impressive homemade bush cooking tripod that was making our taste buds tingle with the smell of lunch.
After spending the morning with Nathan we learned how to forage for food, cook potatoes using ancient methods, eat some fresh shellfish and brew up an ancient beer that was given to local warriors before they went into battle over 1000 years ago. We then hit the tracks in the neighbouring forests where Nathan took the lead in his Defender and we followed through a maze of forest tracks that left the vehicles with a nice muddy glow.
Our weekend in the Beara peninsula was full of surprises, from spectacular scenery and ancient history to Star War movie sets and some of the most scenic greenlaning that we had ever experienced – this was a place that truly defines the words Hidden Gem.