Cape Clear sits six miles out from the coast of West Cork. Through November and December its ferry from Baltimore keeps to a short winter pattern: two round trips on most days, a third early pair on Mondays, and about 45 minutes on the water each way.
Cape Clear Island, Oileán Chléire, lies six miles off the West Cork mainland by its ferry operator's reckoning, and the operator calls it the southernmost inhabited part of Ireland. Its year-round boat leaves from the pier at Baltimore, a village the operator places 15 minutes beyond Skibbereen. Between 1 November and New Year's Eve the crossing settles into the operator's November/December table: two departures from each end on most days, three on Mondays.
In this table the day starts on the island. The first boat leaves Cape Clear at 09:00 from Monday to Saturday and at 11:00 on Sunday, with an extra 07:00 on Mondays. From Baltimore the first sailing changes with the day of the week: 08:00 and 10:45 on Mondays, 10:45 on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, 14:00 on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and 12:00 on Sundays.
The last boat back to the mainland leaves Cape Clear at 15:30 from Monday to Saturday and at 16:00 on Sunday. The evening boat out of Baltimore goes at 17:00, except on Fridays, when it leaves at 17:30. Route FY75 in the National Transport Authority's GTFS data carries every one of these times for November and December 2026.
| From Baltimore pier | From Cape Clear Island |
|---|---|
| 08:00 | 07:00 |
| 10:45 | 09:00 |
| 17:00 | 15:30 |
| From Baltimore pier | From Cape Clear Island |
|---|---|
| 10:45 | 09:00 |
| 17:00 | 15:30 |
| From Baltimore pier | From Cape Clear Island |
|---|---|
| 14:00 | 09:00 |
| 17:00 | 15:30 |
| From Baltimore pier | From Cape Clear Island |
|---|---|
| 10:45 | 09:00 |
| 17:30 | 15:30 |
| From Baltimore pier | From Cape Clear Island |
|---|---|
| 12:00 | 11:00 |
| 17:00 | 16:00 |
November–December timetable, 1 November – 31 December 2026 (Cape Clear Ferries' November/December tables, matched hour for hour by the National Transport Authority's timetable feed) · checked 30 October 2026 Cape Clear Ferries – Timetables · 2026-10-30
The Cape Clear shop sells the Baltimore crossing as return tickets. An adult pays €23, a child under 14 €12, and a student or a minor travelling alone €15. Holders of the Free Travel pass buy a €5 return and show the pass when they board.
Three family tickets bring the cost down for parents travelling together: €60 for two adults and two children, €58 for two adults and one child, and €35 for one adult with one child.
| Adult | €23 |
| Child under 14 | €12 |
| Student or unaccompanied minor | €15 |
| Free Travel pass holder | €5 |
| 2 adults + 2 children | €60 |
| 2 adults + 1 child | €58 |
| 1 adult + 1 child | €35 |
| Bicycle or kayak, each (book ahead) | €4 |
| Dog, return (paid on boarding) | €2 |
Ticket options in the Cape Clear Ferries online shop (no date printed) · checked 30 October 2026 Cape Clear Ferries – Baltimore to Cape Clear Island Return tickets · 2026-10-30
The pins are the stop positions that the National Transport Authority publishes for route FY75: Baltimore on the mainland and Cléire, the Irish name the feed uses for Cape Clear Island, to the south-west. Cape Clear Ferries quotes about 45 minutes for the trip; the national feed schedules 40, which puts the 10:45 from Baltimore alongside on Cape Clear at 11:25.
Both ends are working piers, and the operator's customer charter says boarding at Baltimore and on Cape Clear is by steps. When cargo or fuel is going on board, the charter says that loading is done first and passengers embark after it.
The operator's office address is The Pier, Baltimore, and boarding begins 15 minutes before each departure. Leave the car in the village, where parking is free: the operator does not allow parking on the piers. All freight bound for Cape Clear starts from this pier.
On the island end the morning boat leaves at 09:00 from Monday to Saturday and at 11:00 on Sunday. The operator's accessibility guide places a small shop and food within a short, level walk of the pier, with a bar further up the hill.
Cape Clear Ferries carries passengers only. The operator's FAQ adds that only island residents may drive on Cape Clear, so a hire car is no use on the far side.
Gangway steepness changes with the tide and the toilets on board are not adapted. Passengers with reduced mobility are asked to make contact at least 48 hours before travelling so the crew can suggest a suitable sailing.
This is a mixed passenger and cargo service. A cargo box is not on every sailing, and the crew asks to be consulted before bags go into it.
Every crossing depends on conditions at sea. The operator posts updates on its Facebook and Instagram pages and contacts pre-booked passengers by email or phone when a boat is cancelled.
A sailing cancelled by the operator is refunded in full or rebooked. Your own cancellation is refunded only if it is made more than seven days before travel.
Dogs are welcome for a €2 return bought when you board. They stay on a lead and in the outdoor areas for the whole crossing.
Cape Clear is a Gaeltacht island, and the ferry company's crew includes Irish speakers; its islander page is written in Irish and English side by side. That page also explains how the boat serves the people who live there: spaces are kept for residents on every sailing, a ten-trip ticket is suggested for relatives, friends and anyone who crosses often, and freight for the island travels from Baltimore on the timetabled boats, never on a Sunday unless there is an emergency.
The company's other sailings are seasonal: its boat from Schull to Cape Clear operates from June to August, and the Fastnet Rock tours leave Baltimore from mid-April to the end of October. Elsewhere in West Cork, the Heir Island ferry from Cunnamore is another island boat that keeps a timetable through the winter.
On most days, yes. On Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays the 10:45 from Baltimore gets you out, and the 15:30 brings you back. On Sundays the boats are 12:00 out and 16:00 back. On Wednesdays and Saturdays the first boat leaves Baltimore at 14:00 and the last one off the island goes at 15:30.
Monday. A boat leaves the island at 07:00 and another leaves Baltimore at 08:00, on top of the usual pair. The operator drops both on bank holiday Mondays.
Not on Friday 25 December 2026: Christmas Day is the operator's one day off. For Saturday 26 December, St Stephen's Day, the operator's printed note and the NTA listing point to different times, so phone 028 39159 before you travel.
Yes, at €4 for each bike or kayak, and the space has to be booked in advance. Online, the bicycle add-on must be for the same date and departure as your own ticket, and a sailing takes 10 bikes at most.
The online shop lists return tickets only, from €23 for an adult. For anything it does not list, the office on 028 39159 is the place to ask.
The operator's FAQ points to the local 237 bus from Cork city, which runs to Baltimore by way of Skibbereen in about two and a half hours.
The operator refunds you in full or offers another sailing. If you booked, you are told by email or phone; otherwise its Facebook and Instagram pages carry the updates.