Castletownbere is Ireland's busiest whitefish port, and it behaves like one. The harbour is protected by Bere Island, a long, low shield of land lying across the entrance, and the waters inside are deep enough for trawlers, so the town's main street faces a working quay of fishing boats, nets and ice, rather than a promenade of visitors. Pubs on the front have been catching the thirsty crews for generations, and the smell of diesel and seaweed is stronger here than the smell of tourism. It is a place that gets on with its business, and travellers can simply watch.
There is also a good deal of history. Just west of the town, the ruins of Dunboy Castle stand on a headland above the sea, the stronghold of the O'Sullivan Beare clan, who held out against the English in 1602 at the end of the Nine Years' War. After a savage siege, the castle fell, and the clan chief, Donal Cam O'Sullivan Beare, led a long, desperate march with his people to the north, in winter, with most dying on the way. Nearby, the shell of the huge Puxley mansion, burned in 1921, recalls the copper-mining family who once owned this part of the peninsula.
The road to the town, the R572, follows the north shore of the Beara Peninsula, with the Caha Mountains on one side and the sea on the other. It is a good ride, with a mix of open stretches and winding sections, but the surface is patchy in places, and the road is narrow, with few places to pass. Sheep and tractors are common, and a campervan in front can ruin the pace. In summer, evenings are long, and the sea light is soft and golden. Spring and early autumn are the best seasons, and the weather is always changeable, so bring waterproofs.
Beyond Castletownbere, the road continues west towards Allihies and the end of the peninsula, where Dursey Island is reached by Ireland's only cable car, a small gondola that carries a handful of passengers across a fast tidal channel. The island is a wild, empty place for walkers.
As the biggest settlement on the peninsula, Castletownbere has fuel stations, supermarkets, banks, pharmacies and plenty of pubs and restaurants serving seafood, so it is the place to fill up. Try a plate of fresh crab, prawns or a bowl of chowder with brown bread, and a pint of stout.