Walks on Sheep’s Head Peninsular, County Cork

We were lucky enough to get the chance to house sit for a friend’s sister on Sheep’s Head Peninsular, Bantry in south-west Ireland for three weeks this May. Although we took laptops with us and kept on our client work, it gave us the perfect opportunity to explore some completely new areas. In this blog I am going to describe two walks on Sheep’s Head Peninsular. Both of them take in the quiet country lanes, which are overflowing with beautiful flowers and abundant greenery, and rugged hilltops, home to some very interesting plants. As such, rather than tell you what to look out for nature-wise on each walk, as the flora and fauna is pretty much the same, I have suggested what to look out for in the two different habitats.

Walks on Sheep’s Head Peninsular

The Sheep’s Head Peninsular is a narrow finger of land stretching into the Atlantic, bordered by Bantry Bay to the north and Dunmanus Bay to the South. Between these two bays the land rises to rugged upland, the highest point being 300m on Seefin. There is a long distance walk from Bantry going around the whole peninsular, but at 175km that can be a bit daunting. Luckily for us more leisurely walkers there are a number of loop walk along Sheep’s Head that provide stunning views and a good dose of nature. To the south is the Baran Loop, described below, but let's start with the Coomkeen Loop.

Coomkeen Loop Walk

I had to start with this one, because it goes right past the house we are staying at, so it is the first one we explored. Obviously we started from the house, but there is a small parking area at Boolteenagh, the top of the ridge, about 4 miles from Bantry. Be careful driving up - it is a steep single track road with hair pin bends, which also double as the best passing places. If you are the passenger enjoy the fuschia hedges and the views! There is a large stone table and benches at the parking area and this is really the only good place for a picnic, so make the most of it. Then set off along the ridge.

The path starts along a stone track, but you soon come to a high stile, which takes you onto the high ridge, a real upland habitat of low growing gorse, bilberry, heather and cotton grass. Look out on the edge of the path for the insectivorous butterwort. In this area it is the large-flowered butterwort, which is a lovely showy flower and practically all the records of it are in West Cork. The other plant to look out for is lousewort, not so scarce, but just as interesting – it is a hemi-parasitic plant feeding on minerals and water from other plants.

The route is very well marked and you eventually have a bit of a clamber down some rocks to a track which turns left taking you downhill. Beware of the gorse – if you are used to grabbing bits of heather to help keep your balance you may well find that you are grabbing hold of something a bit more spiny, the gorse has more of a heath like habit up on this ridge!

Follow the track downhill until eventually you come to the Durras road where you take a left and follow it all the way back to the car park. This is a really picturesque road and very quiet. The verges are full of flowers such as ragged robin, tormentil, yellow pimpernel, pignut, buttercups, violets and sorrel. Part of this lane is bordered by what appear to be banks, but on closer look are dry stone walls covered in foliage, most spectacularly the navelworts, foxgloves, man ferns and harts-tongue ferns. As we are staying on this road we have seen it transform in just two weeks and we have another week to enjoy the fuschia hedges coming into full bloom.