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Cape Clear - Gleann Loop
Free to visit
No trip to West Cork’s iconic Cape Clear is complete without a hike around the 7km Gleann Loop. Moderately challenging, it’s a real breathtaker, with unmatched views of the wide and wild Atlantic your reward for hitting the trail and spending an hour or two in the great outdoors.

Enjoy the mix of surfaced and sandy roads, grassy and earthen paths on Cape Clear’s Gleann Loop as you make your way from the Tourist Office on the island, following the clear route markers on this rewarding 1.5-2hr walking adventure.

With an overall 280m ascent and easy accessibility, this trail is perfect for the walker with an average level of experience.

Take in some of the finest scenery in Cork as you hike over rolling hills and along charming pathways amid unspoilt nature, with views of castle ruins, harbours, and of course the seemingly endless ocean to enjoy.

The pace of life on Cape Clear is truly different to that of the mainland, and nowhere do you get a better sense of this than where the trail skirts out around the island’s edge, bringing Fastnet Rock and the West Cork coastline into view.

Trail details

Type:
Walking Trail
Location:
Cape Clear Island Loops
Grade:
Strenuous
Format:
Loop
Length:
5.00km
Ascent:
280m
Dogs allowed:
No
    Time:2 hours 15 minutes
    Nearest town start:Cape Clear Island
    Start point:North Harbour - Tourist Office/Craft Shop
    Finish point:North Harbour - Tourist Office/Craft Shop
    Waymarking:Red arrow on white background
Why we like it
  • Spend some time inside the Tourist Office, local island producers sell their crafts here.
  • After your hike, a well-earned pint or bite to eat in one of the handful of pubs and restaurants that line the harbours on both sides of the island makes for a welcome treat. 
Contact details
Gleann Loop,Clear Island,Co Cork
Leave no trace
  • Plan ahead and prepare
  • Be considerate of others
  • Respect farm animals and wildlife
  • Travel and camp responsibly
  • Leave what you find
  • Dispose of waste properly
  • Protect nature from fire
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