Over the Mountains and to the Coast: Beginning the Kerry Way

August 19, 2022

The Kerry Way is the longest of the Republic of Ireland’s 43 long-distance waymarked paths. It circles the Iveragh Peninsula, providing a walkers’ version of the famous Ring of Kerry drive. The Kerry Way trail runs through a national park, and travels along mountains, lakes, rivers, and the ocean coastline. Depending on the path options chosen, the trail distance can be as long as 130 miles.

On our hiking list from the beginning of our trip planning, we chose a Kerry Way trekking route totaling 123 miles over nine stages. The Kerry Way is also the only “loop” trail we scheduled on our Trekking the British Isles journey, meaning we would start and end in the same location – Killarney, Ireland.

Our trekking route along the Kerry Way

Killarney is a tourist town and the gateway to the Iveragh Peninsula’s Ring of Kerry. When we arrived by train, we found it busy with many tourists. But it was delightful to walk around the city center streets and explore.

Every trek we have completed has had its own share of logistics. Now beginning our eighth and final long-distance hike, we had some unique issues on this trek. Because of the popularity of the trail and the timing of the busy tourist season in August, we had challenges in booking optimal accommodations.

At the end of Stage 1, which terminated in the remote Black Valley, we could only find a vacancy at an Airbnb self-catering cottage on a farm. To stay there, we had to book two nights, and we needed to bring all our own food for the entire time. So while in Killarney, we walked to their largest grocery store and purchased lightweight alternatives for the two breakfasts, two lunches, and two dinners we would need to carry for the 15-mile distance of our first stage.

We also had trouble figuring out where to start the trek. The book I purchased listed one location and the trail website indicated another place. So we went to the Killarney Tourist Information Office and asked them. The woman there told us that the first trail sign was located just outside the Killarney House and Gardens. Using this third location as our reference, we decided to start there the next day.

A Hot and Humid Day in Killarney National Park

On the morning of our first stage we hoisted our heavy packs full of food on our backs for our two-night stay. Not only were we carrying more weight than any other stage of our trip, we also had a hot and humid weather day in store for us. During our three-and-a-half-months in the UK and Republic of Ireland we had only experienced a couple of days above 80°F. And all of those were non-trekking days.

In this case, the forecast called for temperatures in the mid-80s°F, with very humid conditions. We began perspiring almost immediately as we set off from just outside the Killarney House and Gardens.

The first couple of miles took us along a street sidewalk as we headed toward the Muckross House and Killarney National Park. As soon as the trail turned off the road we came upon Lough Leane, the largest of the three Killarney lakes. Even though the temperature was already warm, the skies were perfectly clear, and we had great views of the lake.

We continued walking, dodging the many horse-drawn jaunting cars on the path, to arrive at the imposing Muckross House.

The sixty-five room, Tudor-style structure was built in 1843. We didn’t have time to go inside, but took a walk around the building and admired the gardens in the back of the house.

Back on the trail, we were now hiking in Killarney National Park. In 1932 the Muckross House owners presented the 10,700-acre estate to the Irish nation. This formed the basis of the present-day Killarney National Park. Adding land over time, to its present size of 25,425 acres, the park was designated as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1981. We would be hiking in the park for almost the rest of the stage.

Hiking along Muckross Lake, the middle of the three Killarney lakes, we came to the Torc Waterfall. The cascading fall is 66 feet high.

At this point we left many of the sightseers behind as we climbed a steep set of stairs above the falls and made our way into the mountains. The climb, with our heavy backpacks and coupled with the heat and humidity, was taxing. But it was here that we began to see the most incredible views of our entire Trekking the British Isles adventure.

In every direction we were treated to amazing mountain, forest, lake, and stream scenery in the clear and sunny weather.

We came across a few day hikers going our way and struck up conversation with some of them to pass the time while we hiked.

We walked on occasional boardwalks to protect us from the boggy moorland. The boardwalk and the spectacular mountain views reminded us of our time hiking in Tasmania on Australia’s Overland Track.

After all the trekking we had done the past three months, we couldn’t believe how remote we were. We saw no homes, no roads, and no farms.

We stopped for a break next to a stream to eat lunch and drink water.

As the trail began a climb to its highest point of the stage, we took our time in the heat.

A steep downhill took us through the Esknamucky Glen forest and provided some welcome shade.

At the bottom of the climb after 9.5 miles of hiking, we came to a road with a set of signs. Here, we joined the trekking loop around the peninsula by turning right toward Black Valley. We would arrive back at this point from the left (from Kenmare) during our final stage and retrace our steps back to Killarney.

Even though we had some brief shade in the forest, the heat and humidity were now oppressive during the hottest part of the day. We were about 3.5 miles from a small cafe, called Lord Brandon’s Cottage, which sold food and drinks. Not quite sure of their closing time, we picked up our pace as we walked along the Upper Lake (the third Killarney lake). We ended up arriving about 45 minutes before they closed and enjoyed some snacks and cold bottled water.

After our refreshment stop, we continued hiking and left the national park. The final two miles to our cottage Airbnb and rest day were on a quiet country road.

A Relaxing Day before Staying Ahead of the Rain and Lightning

Our rest day in the Black Valley gave us a chance to sleep in and relax after the challenging day of hiking in the heat. It was quiet and peaceful, and we had gorgeous views from our cottage.

The farm where we stayed had quite a few grazing sheep. One of them climbed up to a rock right behind one of our windows and periodically bleated. We felt like it was keeping us company during our relaxing day.

View outside our Airbnb cottage; Sheep keeping us company

The next morning we woke to more quintessential Irish weather – cool and cloudy. There was significant rain in the forecast and a chance of lightning. Stage 2 was only 13.1 miles, but considered one of the more difficult days of the trek because of the two gaps (passes) that needed to be climbed. Those paths were also exposed and rocky in places. We decided to leave early to try to beat the rain and were on the trail by 7:30 am.

As we began our hike, we could make out mountains to the right of us. The MacGillycuddy’s Reeks range spans 12 miles from the Gap of Dunloe to the community of Glencar. It is Ireland’s highest mountain range, with some peaks rising over 3,300 feet in elevation.

Our focus was getting over the two passes before the weather got bad and potential lightning started. After climbing steadily for almost four miles on a wide path, we could see the Bridia Pass ahead of us.

The trail became narrower, and we followed a rocky section to the top of the pass. Trail posts ahead of us helped us stay on course as we navigated our way through the rocks.

At the top of the Bridia Pass, we had a nice view of the Bridia Valley below us.

The downhill was steep and required some extra caution on the rocks. Soon we were down on a road and walked for about a mile through the valley.

When we arrived at the turnoff from the road to the beginning of the second climb, we had a decision to make. The ascent, via the old Lack Road, would be higher and steeper than the one we had just completed. And we didn’t want to risk being in an exposed place if the rain (and lightning) materialized. If we weren’t comfortable with the climb, we could continue hiking on the road and stay low for the rest of the stage.

We decided to take a break and eat something while mulling over our options. As we sat on a rock by the side of the road, a postal van came speeding by. The vehicle hit a mud puddle on the edge of the road, and splashed us. The driver pulled over and got out to apologize. We had only gotten a little wet, so we smiled and told him it was fine.

Going back to our hiking options, I checked my phone for a weather update. The latest forecast was for rain to begin in the early afternoon, with the lightning to follow soon after that. It was late morning, and the weather still looked fine. We were confident that we could get over the pass and back to lower ground before the rain came. So we started the climb. It was steep, with 900 feet of elevation gain in about 1.2 miles.

When we reached the top, we stopped to drink some water. We could see Lough Acoose in the distance, where the trail would take us alongside the lake. A few rain drops began to fall, so we headed right down. It was a steep descent, but before we knew it we were back on a dirt path in the trees.

The rain held off, and we stopped to check our elevation gain progress on Darren’s watch. With the bulk of the climbing done, the rest of the stage went by quickly.

The trail took us along the Lough Acoose that we had seen from the pass. Looking back toward the pass, it was now in a cloud.

We arrived at our pub accommodation about an hour before the rain finally came. Shortly after that we could see some lightning from the window of our room.

Reaching the Coast via a Windy Gap

With the rain storm behind us, Stage 3 featured better weather. After hiking over the mountains for the past two days, we were excited to finally reach the coast during our 15.9-mile stage. The day began with a peaceful walk along the River Caragh.

At the top of a short forest climb, we had a clearer view of where we had hiked the previous day.

The trail then took us through the beautiful Lickeen Wood with some nice rocky crags.

The one major climb of the day was to a pass called Windy Gap. Here, we would see the water and coastline for the first time. We came to a small waterfall and decided to take a break before beginning the ascent.

Taking a break next to a small waterfall before beginning our ascent

The climb was steep in places, but we were motivated by the view awaiting us at the top.

It was always fun to share the trail with the hundreds of sheep that we saw. Normally they run out of the way when we hike by, but this sheep just stayed in place.

The wind grew stronger as we neared the gap. When we reached the top of the pass, Windy Gap lived up to its name. The wind was so strong that we felt like we were going to be blown off the trail. So we paused for just a moment to get our first glimpse of the water before hurrying down.

The wind abated as we descended from the pass, and we took a moment to sit on a bench to view Dingle Bay and the Dingle Peninsula.

Continuing our descent, we arrived in the town of Glenbeigh. Here we joined the Ring of Kerry Road (N70) for a time. There was a grocery store on the main street, and our first chance since our initial stage to buy some food. We took our purchased groceries down the street and ate lunch while watching the traffic go by.

After we finished eating we left Glenbeigh and climbed on the trail to a special forest. Created for families by the Glenbeigh Community Council, the Fairy Forest features about 50 different houses. It was fun to walk through and see young children and their parents enjoying the path.

Images from the Fairy Forest

After leaving the Fairy Forest, we hiked high on a ridge through the woods.

The path left the trees behind, descended for a time, and then climbed higher. As we passed some farms, the coast came into view again.

We began hiking on a narrow ridge with incredibly clear views of the Dingle Bay and Dingle Peninsula. We could even see the Ring of Kerry Road far below us.

Topping out our ascent between Drung Hill and an unnamed peak, we looked down to see a bridge. The Gleensk Viaduct was part of an old train line used by the Great Southern and Western Railway Company until 1960. A short distance from the viaduct, along the Ring of Kerry Road, was our pub accommodation for the night.

We left the trail a short time later to hike 1.5 miles down a forest road to the base of the viaduct. From there we walked along the busy Ring of Kerry Road for a half-mile further to end our stage.

A Short Stage to a Trail Spur and a Repaved Road

Back on the main trail for a short 10.6-mile stage, we finished our ridge hiking as we continued west along the Iveragh Peninsula. After a couple of miles we could already see the inlet marking our destination for the night – Cahersiveen.

During our 500 plus miles of hiking thus far on our journey, we have traversed through many farms. To enter and exit the fields, we have to pass through gates or climb over stiles. Some trails, like the Cotswold Way and Hadrian’s Wall Path, had some stiles to maneuver through. Thus far on this trek, we have encountered many more stiles. Some stiles consist of metal ladders; others are constructed of wood.

Metal stile on the trail; sign warning of farm animals over the fence

While hiking this stage we came to one stile that had nine rungs and was over six feet tall. It was not easy to climb over, especially when wearing a backpack. The stiles definitely slowed us down, as it was a full-body workout to hoist yourself onto the steps and climb up and over. But we have gotten used to them.

In addition to a short mileage stage, the elevation gain was negligible, so we walked at a leisurely pace.

With about five miles to go in the stage, we came to a fork in the trail. The path to Cahersiveen, where we were staying for the night, left the Kerry Way loop on an out-and-back spur. This meant we would return to the trail fork to begin our Stage 5 hike the next day.

After just a little more path (and stile climbing), we came to a series of roads for the remainder of the day.

While walking just outside of Cahersiveen, we came to a sign at our next street turn stating it was closed to cars because of repaving. I started to suggest that we look for an alternative route on my phone, but Darren decided to ask the construction worker standing there if we could still walk on the street. When he nodded yes, Darren set off. I wasn’t so sure, but followed him.

As we walked down the deserted street it became obvious that they were actively repaving the road. Soon we came to the actual equipment as the pavement underneath us became quite warm. Darren was still walking ahead of me and the construction workers continued to wave us through. Passing the road roller, I just wanted to get through this section as quickly as possible, so I sped up my pace.

However, we weren’t through the worst of it yet. We next came to the road paving machine. It was took up the entire width of the street and was actively laying down the repaved road. Again, the workers waved us through, but cautioned us to move quickly so our shoes wouldn’t melt (!) while walking on the street.

We quickly squeezed through a narrow space between the machine and a row of bushes by the side of the road. Ahead of us was unpaved road, so we were finally past the active work. We inspected our shoes later and found that they lost some significant sole lugs from the incident. But there was enough shoe tread to still be safe enough to continue using them for the remainder of the trek.

Afterwards, Darren admitted we should have stopped to consider our options before charging ahead.

A couple of turns later we came to Cahersiveen’s main street and the Ring of Kerry Road.

Walking along the main street, we were surprised to see a beautiful large church. The Daniel O’Connell Memorial Church was built between 1888 and 1902. It was dedicated to a local lay person, Daniel O’Connell (1775 – 1847), who served in the UK Parliament and helped expand some Irish Catholic rights at the time.

Buried on the grounds of the church is Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty (1898 – 1963), who died in Cahersiveen. He was a Catholic priest working in the Vatican who saved 6,500 Allied soldiers and Jews from German occupying forces during World War II.

Whenever we arrive in a town or village at the end of a hiking day it has become a tradition for us to visit a pub and enjoy a beer to celebrate the completion of another stage. So we found a pub right in the middle of town to relax and reflect on the day.

During our first four days of trekking the Kerry Way we completed 54.6 miles. In the process we hiked over the mountains, via several rocky passes, and walked along the scenic coastline, with views of the Dingle Bay and Dingle Peninsula. We were now almost at the halfway point of our trek, with a little less than 70 miles to go.

However, our more immediate concern was a rain storm forecasted during Stage 5, regarded as another difficult trekking section. We also looked forward to a rest day after Stage 5 before completing the remainder of the last trek of our journey.