Overview
You can’t walk to Mare’s Tail. The waterfall drops down the flank of Hungry Hill on the Beara Peninsula, above Adrigole, and the mountain slopes include steep ground and private land. The name comes from the way the water fans out and flicks sideways down the rock, like a horse’s tail. The one thing worth knowing before you make the trip: it only performs after rain. In a dry June it thins to a pale streak; give it a couple of wet days and it turns into a proper cascade, a narrow line of white down the rock face.
How high is it? Nobody quite agrees. Signs and guidebooks quote very different figures, and the 685-metre figure that gets attached to it now and then is actually Hungry Hill behind it, not the falls. Take the superlatives with a pinch of salt and judge it on the day. For general information, see the Wild Atlantic Way entry.
Seeing it responsibly
There is no public path to the base of the falls, and no permission to cross the private land between the road and the water, so keep to public roads and signed routes. Do not approach the falls across private land.
The Beara Way walking route passes through this part of the peninsula if you want to make more of a day of it. For a marked walk nearby, choose a stage of the Beara Way and follow the trail signs.
History and local character
The waterfall lies in the townland of Cappanaparka West, on the northern shore of Bantry Bay. Its neighbour, Hungry Hill (685 m), is the highest of the Caha Mountains and gave Daphne du Maurier the title of her novel about the local copper-mining barons. In Irish folklore, waterfalls of this scale are tied to the sídhe and to water spirits, and there’s a long-standing local claim that on a still evening the roar carries for miles.
Wildlife and photography
The cliffs and gorge above the falls are raptor country. Peregrine falcons hunt along rock faces like this, and ravens and gulls wheel on the updrafts. Early morning light is kind to both birds and photographs, when the low sun catches the mist. On wet days the spray can throw up rainbows. In a dry summer the flow can shrink to a trickle, so if you’re coming specifically for the cascade, check recent rainfall for west Cork first.
Planning your visit
Bring waterproofs and decent footwear whatever the forecast; the Beara weather turns fast and the ground is uneven. Roads here are narrow in places, so never block the road or a gateway.
After the falls, head into Adrigole for its harbour and cafés. With more time, the Healy Pass climbs over the spine of the peninsula to Kerry, and the Ardgroom stone circle lies further west. Go on a grey, blustery day rather than a bright dry one: Mare’s Tail is at its best when the sky has been dumping rain on Hungry Hill for a while.