Kerry Highlights

Depending on the time of your arrival, there will be time this afternoon to relax, settle into your room, and perhaps explore Killarney independently, before meeting with your guide and fellow travellers at 5pm for a short pre-tour briefing, followed by dinner at a local pub or restaurant.

You stay tonight in Killarney at the Abbey Lodge, a cosy 9-room B&B that is a short stroll from the centre of town.

Killarney is one of Ireland’s most famous national parks on account of its stunning scenery of mountains, ancient oak & yew woods, lakes and moorland. Your walk today will initially take you around the outer edges of the park before joining a trail into its heart known as the “Old Kenmare Road”. Following the Old Kenmare Road, you’ll journey over the uplands of Killarney, past Torc Mountain and Torc Waterfall, to arrive at Muckross House late this morning.

Dating back to the mid-19th-century, Muckross House and estate sits at the centre of Killarney National Park, surrounded by the Killarney Lakes of Lough Leane, Middle Lake and Upper lake, and the crags and moors of Purple Mountain (832m) & Knockrower (552m). Formerly a private mansion, it is now a heritage site, and the surrounding lands a designated Unesco Biosphere Reserve. Here are to be found Ireland’s only herds of wild red deer, along with Japanese Sika Deer. The Killarney wetlands are also a haven for birds, dragonflies and butterflies, including such rarities as Marsh fritillary butterfly and the Purple hairstreak butterfly.

There will be time to explore Muckross House and its grounds at leisure this afternoon, followed by a boat ride across the lakes. Return to Killarney town on foot via Muckross Abbey, one of Ireland’s oldest surviving ecclesiastical sites.

Overnight in Killarney at the Abbey Lodge.

Terrain: Rocky tracks (sometimes wet), road walking
Distance: 15kms
Ascent: 484m

Derrynane was the home of Daniel O’Connell, a 19th-century Irish statesman known locally as the “Liberator”, as well as the first Catholic to sit in the UK House of Commons. His house is now a museum, where you can learn more about the history of the Irish nationalist movement.

From Derrynane, you follow a coastal trail along pristine beaches before arriving at Abbey Island, where you can explore the remains of Derrynane Abbey, said to have been founded in the 6th-century by St Finnian. (Abbey Island is in fact no longer an island, as the land has silted up, meaning it’s possible to reach the remains of the abbey on foot).

Return to Derrynane House for refreshments before continuing to Waterville, a small, lively town with a spectacular location on a narrow isthmus between the Atlantic Ocean and Lough Currane.

In Waterville, you stay two nights at O’Dwyers Hotel and Bar. This small, family-run accommodation is located close to the centre of town and offers stylish, comfortable rooms. Meals and snacks are served in the bar and there is live music here most weekends.

Terrain: Grass tracks, gravel tracks and beach
Distance: 15kms
Ascent: 379m

As well as being scenically beautiful, the Mountain of the Wells is a site of great religious significance. You’ll follow an old pilgrim’s route that has been used for hundreds of years. In 1885, the local priest in the nearby parish of Caherciveen built fourteen stations of the cross along the trail, and these still remain as markers to this day, guiding walkers to its summit.

At the end of the walk, you’ll return to Waterville. Evening at leisure.

Terrain: Mountain tracks with uneven and rocky sections. May be boggy in parts.
Distance: 9kms
Ascent: 690m

The Peninsula attracts not only walkers but also photographers, painters and film makers owing to its stunning coastal scenery. Today will involve a walk of approx. 14kms, during which you’ll be able to take the time to enjoy the ocean views from a high point of the Brandon Massif, before continuing to Dingle, the main town on the peninsula, and your home for the next three evenings.

Dingle sits in a protected bay with beautiful beaches and a colourful harbour flanked by painted houses. You stay for three nights at the Ashes Guesthouse, located in the centre of Dingle. The Ashes offers spacious bedrooms and delicious breakfasts made using local organic produce. Nearby is an excellent choice of restaurants, pubs and shops.

Terrain: Mountain tracks with uneven and rocky sections boggy in parts.
Distance: 14kms
Ascent: 725m

Historical and natural landmarks you can expect to see include the beehive huts (early medieval stone-built houses), the remains of an Iron Age fort at Dunberg, and Ventry beach. The views to the Blasket Islands from Mount Eagle are also highlights of today’s walk.

After the walk, you’ll be returned to your accommodation in Dingle for overnight.

Terrain: Rocky and grass tracks; beach walking, some road walking.
Distance: 11kms
Ascent: 326m

Starting from the village of Cloghane, you’ll enjoy a wonderful hike, taking you across hills and bogland to arrive at Sas Creek, a large U-shaped inlet with steep slopes that plunge 300m into the sea. At the end of your walk, return to the village of Cloghane for a drink, then back to Dingle for a group dinner and overnight at the Ashes Guesthouse.

Terrain: Rocky and grass tracks; beach walking, some road walking.
Distance: 13kms
Ascent: 630m