Gleninchaquin Park

Gleninchaquin is a glacial valley on the northern side of the Beara peninsula, owned and farmed by the same family for generations, who opened it for walking rather than turning it into anything more elaborate. The centrepiece is a waterfall of about 140 metres falling in stages down the headwall from a hanging lake above, which is high by Irish standards and full most of the year given the rainfall here. Several waymarked routes run from the car park - a short loop to the base of the fall, a longer climb up beside it to the lake at the top, and a couple of hours of higher ground beyond. The valley floor holds a lake, stone walls, sheep and remnants of old settlement. It remains a working farm: there are animals on the paths, gates to close and the ground is genuinely rough and wet away from the lower loop.

What you actually see

• The waterfall - about 140 metres in stages down the valley headwall.
• The hanging lake - at the top of the fall, reached by the steep route.
• The valley - a glacial trough with lake, stone walls and old settlement.
• The working farm - sheep, gates and the family running it.

When to go

April to October. The fall is fullest after rain, which here is most of the year. The steep route is unpleasant in wet weather; the lower loop stays manageable.

Honest expectations

A working farm, not a park - rough wet ground, livestock on the paths, and gates to close behind you. The upper route is steep and slippery. The access lane is long and narrow. Payment is by honesty box.

Nearby

Kenmare is east; the Healy Pass and the Beara peninsula are south-west.