The Sheep’s Head Way (East)
The Sheep’s Head Way (East) starts in Bantry town, then travels east to Drimoleague, Castledonovan, Mealagh, Kealkill and back to Bantry again. It follows quiet country roads, along forested river banks and ascends to the highest hill on the Sheep’s Head Way over Mullaghmesha. It is approximately 76 km long, and walkers can start or finish from any of the trailheads along the route.
You can find audio commentary for some of the Eastern trails by David Ross of the Top of the Rock Pod park here.
The interactive map below has an overview of the whole eastern main trail. To practically walk the eastern section, we have divided it into 4 stages. The links below describe these 4 stages, with maps and further information.
Interactive map
The eastern section of the Sheep's Head Way is shown below as a solid yellow line, and the loops and linear walks are different solid colours. The loop and linear walks start at major and minor trail heads, shown as walking person icons on the map. The map has many useful features and you can learn about them here.
Eastern Main Trail Details
| Distance | 63 km |
| Grade | Strenuous |
| Estimated Walking Time | 21 hrs |
| Ascent | 1523 m |
| Descent | 1501 m |
| Min. Height | 2 m |
| Max. Height | 449 m |
Eastern Main Trail Description
In this overview the full extent of the Sheep's Head Way (East) is shown. The loop and linear walks are also shown, and you can use this map to plan alternative ways to walk the main trail. The various loop and linear walks provide different routes between the trailheads. There is limited accommodation available and consult our accommodation section for more information.
Trail Marker
