Toe Head Clifftop Hike in West Cork

Undoubtedly the best guided hike I was ever on! This opens your ears and eyes and heart to how rich in beauty, history and folklore West Cork is. This hike allows you to unravel and rewind your memory and walk through reminders of all the different chapters of Irish History while having the most incredible scenery, soundscape and scents to embellish it. Conor's knowledge of the rich local history was matched by his knowledge of all the fauna, flowers and folklore of the area. Who knew there were more than 80 different varieties of blackberries in Ireland! The hike was finished off to perfection with a final story on the picturesque Tráigh Liceach washed down with coffee and fresh home made baking.

This was a Fathers Day present. Highly recommended trek around Toe Head spectacular scenery and so full of history & stories - Conor our tour guide and story teller was excellent and extremely knowledgeable- Toe Head is a hidden gem - coffee and home made biscuits in the beach at the end was lovely - we’l be back again

Gormú facilitated a wonderful bilingual walk around beautiful Toe Head for our Irish language group. Conor was a fabulously informed guide whose love for the landscape, wildlife, flora and culture of his native place shone through with every step. He also has a fabulous repetoire of stories drawn from the ancient mythology and more recent history of the area. The three hour walk concluded with coffee and treats on Traligach beach.

When hard history is retold with passion we rise above any burdensome feelings about the past. Instead we feel a renewed sense of our own humanity and purpose. It was an incredible day on Toe head today. The photos speak for themselves and the miles and hours flew as we trotted along and paused to hear stories and tales from the locality. It was a bonus to hear many in Irish as well. Connor and Mick were exemplary guides and amidst the stories of hardship they helped us all DREAM again. As one walker told me over the closing picnic of freshly made shortbread and hot drinks, after a day like today you would believe that Tir na Nog is just over there on the horizon. A great place to meet new friends and discover the secrets that are often under our nose!

This experience was amazing! Conor was so great and informative and answered all of our questions throughout the hike. There were so many gorgeous views and we really appreciated all of the history he provided about the different places we stopped. Next time we’re in Ireland, we will definitely be booking another experience with him. Thank you, Conor!!

If you like coastal walks in the wide open expansive landscape, if you are curious about the local folklore and if you are interested in the local flora and fauna then I highly recommend a walking tour with Gormu in West Cork. It’s magical storytelling at its best. And the homemade oat biscuits and coffee at the end never tasted as good.

Conor is a wonderful storyteller; he makes the stunning Irish countryside come alive with his knowledge of history, folklore and myths. He also knows all the secret places and views which I would never have seen without him. To top it all we finished on a beautiful beach with fresh coffee and home baked cookies accompanied by a story of female power in Cork. I loved it.

We booked a tour with Conor on what ended up being a wet, misty day but it was still absolutely brilliant. Conor is fantastic company and storyteller and we really enjoyed learning about the history and folklore of the area.

We had an amazing experience Conor’s knowledge and storytelling was fantastic. We saw the rugged countryside which came to life through Conor. We had coffee and home made biscuits at the end of our tour on the beach What made it so surreal was our last story of the battle that had occurred there right where we were standing. Coming from Australia, our history doesn’t go back that far. Hearing Conor’s account of what happened locally was amazing and we highly recommend it as a major highlight of our trip. Thanks from Maxine and Gerard Evans

The sisters 3 booked a wonderful hike around Toe Head with story telling by Conor. The views were spectacular, the countryside welcoming, the story telling by Conor was “quintessential Irish lore” with historical accuracy woven in!! The morning hike with the afternoon e-bike tour through the country side and along the waters edge made our day complete. Conor was engaging and answered our rapid fire questions with enthusiasm; demonstrating his deep understanding of the Union Hall area and Ireland. The sisters 3 highly recommend both the TOE HEAD HIKE and THE FORKS, FOCAIL, and, FOLKLORE E-BIKE TOUR if you are looking for a “boots on the ground” Irish experience Terri, Betsy, and Katy aka “the sisters 3”