The Blackrock Castle route is one of our favorite runs in county Cork. This is a gorgeous ~10k run, combining the scenic Blackrock castle with several miles along the water, and then a multi-use trail along a former rail line.
Google Street View
A good place to start is the car park at Blackrock Castle, the scenic 16h-century castle located ~5 km east of Cork. The first 3 km is a paved path right along the water. This includes a 1.5 km out and back jaunt across The Black Bridge and along the Cork Harbour Greenway. Then, join the paved path along the former Crosshaven to Cork Railway line, heading back north for 3 km to Atlantic Pond. The final 2.5 km is along The Marina Greenway, with nice views of Galweys Dundanion Castle, and along Castle Rd. (narrow sidewalk).
The Blackrock Castle route is one of our favorite runs in county Cork. This is a gorgeous ~10k run, combining the scenic Blackrock castle with several miles along the water, and then a multi-use trail along a former rail line.
Google Street View
A good place to start is the car park at Blackrock Castle, the scenic 16h-century castle located ~5 km east of Cork. The first 3 km is a paved path right along the water. This includes a 1.5 km out and back jaunt across The Black Bridge and along the Cork Harbour Greenway. Then, join the paved path along the former Crosshaven to Cork Railway line, heading back north for 3 km to Atlantic Pond. The final 2.5 km is along The Marina Greenway, with nice views of Galweys Dundanion Castle, and along Castle Rd. (narrow sidewalk).
The highlight of running in Cork is to combine the paths along the River Lee with paths around lovely Fitzgerald's Park and a dip over to the campus of University College, Cork. A nice mix, with good add-on options. Running track at Mardyke Sports Grounds.
Ballincollig Regional Park is another nice running spot in the area of the the city of Cork. Located 10km west of the city, this park features a nice combination of paths through fields, woodland, and a section along the River Lee. A full loop of the trails is 7.5 km.
Nice waterside off-road running on a multi-use path following the Owenabue River for 5.3 km, and then another ~3 km of paths on Crosshaven Cliff, with great views out to Rams Head.
Scenic waterfront running in Kinsale, a town known for its two 17th-century fortresses overlooking the River Bandon. We've put together two separate routes, incorporating Scilly Walk, Cammogue Marsh, and James Fort. Combined, it's 7.7 miles.
A pleasant 8.5 km out and back run along a tidal estuary following the former rail line between Timoleague and Courtmacsherry. Combination of some wooded sections and some water views. Some good additional running options in the area.
Some nice waterfront running in Clonakilty, which lies at the head of the tidal Clonakilty Bay. Follow the quiet Old Timoleague Rd. along the water for 4 km to Middle Ring, or run to Inchadoney Island and enjoy the runnable Inchadoney Beach.
Quiet waterfront path and road in this picturesque harbour town on the peninsula that ends in Mizen Head. Nice views of the water and Mount Gabriel on this 4.75 mile out and back. Can add with some quiet country roads in the area.
Run at the scenic spot where some of the most recent Star Wars movies were filmed! There's 1-2 miles of well-developed paths and some more rugged paths on one of the most spectacular headlands on Ireland's Atlantic Coast.
A 740-acre old oak woodland opening out into Glengarriff Harbour. There are 7-8 km of scenic walking trails that are lovely for running. It's a mix of woodland, a River Walk, and some grassland. For a climb, take the the steep footpath to Lady Bantry’s Lookout.
There are many trail running options on Sheep's Head Peninsula -- one of the most scenic spots in County Cork. A popular trail run is the 4 km Lighthouse Loop, which leads to the tip of the peninsula. Good add-on options.
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