As anyone from Co Cork will tell you, there are (unofficially) two regions: East Cork and West Cork. The eastern bit is where you’ll find Cork city with its fine eateries, the port of Cobh (pronounced Cove) and the Middleton Jameson Distillery. The western half is where you’ll find innumerable islands, weather-beaten peninsulas and pure adventure.

See below for information on our hiking tours from Cork.

Wildflowers growing on Sherkin Island in West Cork – a great place for a hike!

Founded as a monastic settlement in the 6th century, Cork is Ireland’s second-largest city. Along with Kerry, Cork is a foodie hotspot. For the courageous, local dishes such as crubeens (boiled and fried pigs feet), tripe (made from cow stomach) and drisheen (a type of blood pudding) are an adventure unto themselves! For those is search of more traditional (and tasty!) foods, Cork’s English Market is a must-do. Lodged in a beautiful 19th-century market building, it sells locally produced foods, including fresh fish and meat, fruit and vegetables, eggs and artisan cheeses and breads.

After you’ve eaten your fill, leave Cork’s busy streets behind for the quiet country lanes of West Cork. Dead-ending in three peninsulas (Beara, Sheep’s Head and Mizen Peninsulas), dozens of islands of all sizes cling to the rugged, quiet coastlines of each one. (Click here to read more about Ireland’s most interesting islands). The narrow, pointed Sheep’s Head Peninsula was even named a European Destination of Excellence for all its rustic beauty.

To best explore this region, see what hiking tours from Cork are available below.

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