Bere Island Lodge
+2 photosAbout Bere Island Lodge
Bere Island Lodge is a b&b in Bere Island, on the Cork coast, listed on Fáilte Ireland’s official register of quality-assured accommodation. It is a smaller, owner-run house of 3 rooms, the kind of place where you deal with the people who actually run it.
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Claim this listingStaying in Bere Island
A working island in Bantry Bay reached by ferry from Castletownbere, its hills studded with Napoleonic and Admiralty-era fortifications from two centuries as a strategic harbour.
Bere Island sits just off Castletownbere on the Beara Peninsula in west Cork, a short crossing of open water served by two separate ferry routes. It has been inhabited for millennia, but its modern shape comes from its role guarding the deep, sheltered anchorage of Berehaven: British forces built Martello towers here during the Napoleonic wars and kept building defences right up to the twentieth century, leaving an island with more military archaeology per acre than almost anywhere else in Ireland.
A B&B on Bere Island suits people happy to slow right down. There is no bridge and no rush; you walk or cycle the island’s quiet roads, climb to a gun battery or signal tower with the whole of Bantry Bay laid out below, and come evening there is a small choice of pubs around Rerrin village and the harbour. It works equally well as a day trip base from Castletownbere or as a proper few nights away from cars and traffic.
Things to do near Bere Island Lodge
Martello towers and Fort Berehaven
Four Martello towers went up on Bere Island in 1805, among the first built in Ireland, after a French invasion fleet had already anchored in Bantry Bay in 1796. The Admiralty later expanded the island into Fort Berehaven, a major fortified harbour that remained under British control as one of the state’s three Treaty Ports until it was handed over to Ireland in 1938.
Lonehort Battery
Cut into the rock at the island’s eastern tip, Lonehort Battery dates from 1899 and once housed two six-inch guns along with underground magazines, an engine house and infantry trenches, a striking piece of Victorian coastal artillery to walk through today.
Bere Island Heritage Centre
The island’s heritage centre tells the story of that long military occupation alongside older layers of history, a Bronze Age wedge tomb, a standing stone and the remains of a Viking harbour, through its Bere Island Experience exhibition.
The ferry crossing
Two ferries connect the island to the mainland: a short crossing of around fifteen minutes from Castletownbere pier to the island’s western end, and a longer crossing of about thirty minutes from the Pontoon, just east of the town, to Rerrin village.
The Ring of Beara
Back on the mainland, Castletownbere is Ireland’s largest whitefish port and a good base in its own right, sitting on the Ring of Beara, the peninsula’s scenic driving loop and part of the Wild Atlantic Way.
Getting to Bere Island
Castletownbere, where the ferries leave from, is around two hours from Cork city and roughly forty-five minutes from Bantry, mostly on the N71 and the Beara Peninsula’s own scenic roads. There is no way onto the island by car from the mainland other than the ferry, so it is very much a foot-and-bike destination once you are across.
Booking Bere Island Lodge direct, and what the rating means
No fees, no middleman
Ring the owner, or use the contact details on this page, and arrange the stay with the house rather than through an app. No booking fee added to your bill and no commission taken from the owner, so the room rate you agree is the room rate you pay.
A better stay, direct
Owners answer the questions a booking platform never will: whether the room at the front is quieter, how early breakfast can be served, or where to park for a few days. Speaking to the house directly is how B&Bs in Ireland were booked for decades.
Still deciding where to base yourself? Browse more B&Bs in Cork.
Check availability at Bere Island Lodge
Send the owner the details of your stay and they will come back to you directly. No booking fee, no platform in between, just Bere Island on the other end.
Bere Island Lodge, common questions
Where is Bere Island Lodge?
Bere Island Lodge is at Lawrence Cove, Rerrin, Bere Island, Co. Cork (Eircode P75 K338). Give the Eircode to your sat-nav to find the door.
How do I book Bere Island Lodge?
You contact the owner directly, by phone or the enquiry form on this page. DirectBnB adds no booking fee and takes no commission, so you arrange the stay with the house itself and pay the room rate with nothing on top.
How many rooms does Bere Island Lodge have?
Bere Island Lodge has 3 rooms. As a smaller, owner-run house it is worth booking ahead, particularly in summer and over weekends.
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