This fairly popular Bray Head Loop hike starts at the western end of Valentia Island from large carpark, and initially follows a road which ascends gently past farmland.
A gate marking the end of the paved road is soon reached, and the trail continues along an unsealed road.
Directly south is a great view of Puffin Island, a narrow steep-sided island which is an Irish Wildbird Conservancy reserve.
The easy option is to continue along the road, returning the same way; or you can take a steep, rough and often muddy track that climbs straight up the side of the ridge to Bray Head to form a loop. As I leave the road, there are increasingly expansive views to the east towards Portmagee as the trail ascends.
The trail reaches the highest point of Bray Head (293m elevation), from where there are spectacular views in almost every direction. To the north-east you can see the entire length of Valentia Island, and its highest point Geokaun (320m). Beyond Valentia Island are the much higher “twin peaks” of Knocknadobar (690m) and Knocknadobar North Top (604m) which are on the Iveragh Peninsula in County Kerry.
Out to the north across the Atlantic Ocean is Mount Eagle / Sliabh an Iolair (516m) and to its right is Mount Brandon / Cnoc Bréanainn, one of the ten highest peaks in Ireland at 952m.
The trail now follows the edge of the cliffs as it continues south towards the end of the headland.
There are more views of the western coastline of Valentia Island, and Bray Tower which is near the end of the headland.
Bray Head offers a great view of the Skellig islands; the taller Great Skellig Island on the right is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that was settled by monks between the 6th and 8th centuries, who established a monastery on the island.
The trail descends the ridge to Bray Tower, a signal tower built by the English in 1815 during the Napoleonic wars (and then used as a Navy signal station in 1907 and again during World War II).
From the Bray Head signal tower, the return route is a very gentle stroll down the gravel road back to the carpark.
If you don’t do the loop you could easily do the “out and back” walk along the road in under an hour; allow an hour and and half for the loop as the trail up to the top of the ridge is much steeper and can get pretty muddy after rain. It’s definitely worth doing the loop, with some of the best views being from the top of the ridge.
Getting to the Bray Head loop
The Bray Head Loop starts from the large Bray Head car park at the western end of Valentia Island; there is a parking fee of €2 (in 2025), which can only be paid in cash. The carpark is 3km (6min drive) from the town of Portmagee.
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