Kerry Way

Kerry Way Overview

The Kerry Way does a loop around the Iveragh Peninsula, one of south-west Ireland’s renowned, rugged peninsulas. The Iveragh Peninsula extends for 40 kilometres into the Atlantic Ocean and is the largest of south-western Ireland’s peninsulas. It’s also the most mountainous, with the MacGillycuddy range running along the centre of the peninsula. The Kerry Way loops around the peninsula, generally paralleling the coastline, but usually slightly inland.

The Kerry Way presents a varied but consistently impressive landscape including mountains, lakes, rugged headlands and sandy beaches. Particularly scenic sections include the woodlands, lakes and waterfalls of Killarney National Park and the beaches, islets and coves of the Derrynane area. There are plenty of opportunities to experience Irish music, history and culture, including in the villages of Cahersiveen, Waterville, Sneem and Kenmare.

The Kerry Way starts and finishes in the vibrant tourist hub of Killarney. Killarney is a charming town and a fun place to celebrate the finish of the walk. Killarney House and Gardens, with its national park interpretive centre and parklands leading directly to Lough Leane, is a must-visit destination for walkers.

The Kerry Way is essentially a circular walk, although its first and last 15km cover the same ground (the path from, and back to, Killarney). Most people follow an anti-clockwise route though there doesn’t seem to be any particular reason for that.

The complete Kerry Way covers 210 kilometres (130 miles) and generally takes nine or ten days of walking. Your total trip duration then depends on whether you incorporate rest days and, if so, how many.

Assistance and further information:

• For assistance in walking all or part of the Kerry Way, click the button below.

• For more information on walking in western Ireland, click the button below.

• For a Walk Travel Advisory Blog description of walking the Kerry Way, click the button below.

• A nine day itinerary for the Kerry Way is described below. This itinerary involves an average daily distance of 24 kilometres (15 miles). However, due to the location of villages/accommodation, the itinerary strays significantly from this average. There are options to reduce the length of the longer days. We can help you choose the best segment for the time of the year and the number of days you wish to allocate to the walk.

Itinerary

The walk takes about 9 - 10 days to complete. A typical 9 day itinerary completing the entire trail is shown below.

Day 1

Killarney to Black Valley

Distance: 23 km

Time: 6 hours

Accommodation: Bed & Breakfast

Day 2

Black Valley to Glencar

Distance: 18 km

Time: 5.5 hours

Accommodation: Local hotel

Day 3

Glencar to Glenbeigh

Distance: 14 km

Time: 4.5 hours

Accommodation: Bed & Breakfast

Walk Options

Guided

There are several tour operators offering part or all of the Kerry Way as a guided trip. You can choose to do the entire 210 kilometres (130 miles) walk or opt for shorter versions.

Tour operators that offer guided trips generally operate on the basis of scheduled departure dates during the walking season.

Some guided tour operators offer accommodation at one central base (usually spacious and comfortable) and walkers are transferred to a section of the walk each day. Others utilise the available accommodation along the route, meaning the accommodation is more variable.

Typically, the package offered by the guided tour operators includes:

• 9 Day tour with professional guides, 8 days of walking

• 9 Nights accommodation

• All meals

• Transfers between the track and the accommodation (where applicable)

Assisted self-guided

A substantial number of tour operators offer the Kerry Way as a self-guided trip.

Typically, the service includes:

• Track notes, maps and information pack

• Accommodation, usually with ensuites (the range and quantity of accommodation available in some villages is limited; also, the basic package offered by some tour operators might not always extend to ensuites)

• Luggage transport between accommodation (and sometimes, where necessary, vehicle transfers between track and accommodation)

• Breakfasts and optional packed lunches

• 24/7 Support

The duration of the self-guided options varies depending upon how far you wish to walk each day. Accommodation options range from comfortable through to luxury, again depending upon the size of the village or town and the purchased package.

Independent

For those considering organising everything themselves, it’s worth noting that the self-guided tour operators often have preferred rates with accommodation providers and luggage transfer companies. They also often have reserved allocations at the best-located/most suitable accommodation for the particular walk, so sometimes when accommodation shows no availability to an independent inquiry there’s still availability through a self-guided operator.

Essential Information

Access

The start and finish of the Kerry Way is in Killarney, County Kerry.

Killarney is readily accessible from Dublin by train, bus and plane.

Best time

The best time to do the walk is between March and October.

It is important to note that the summer months are the most popular time to do this walk and consequently there is a high demand for the various accommodation options during this period. Some of the usual overnight towns/villages have very limited accommodation.

Difficulty

This walk is rated at a difficulty level of moderate. While the Iveragh Peninsula is mountainous, the Kerry Way avoids ascending mountains, preferring to skirt mountain flanks. The route is well waymarked and easy to follow. It needs to be noted that there is a significant amount of road walking on this trail. The Irish Sports Council estimates that 47% of the Way follows local roads.

Accommodation

There are many accommodation options at the start and finish of the Kerry Way (Killarney). Accommodation options include camping, hostels, B&B’s, guesthouses, inns and hotels.

Many of the accommodation providers, particularly those near to the route, are attuned to walkers’ needs or offer amenities suited to walkers.

We can assist walkers in choosing the accommodation options which best suit their needs.

Dining

We can assist you in choosing some special dining options along the route.

Other activities

As a popular traveller destination (of both the local and overseas varieties), the Iveragh Peninsula offers many attractions in addition to the Kerry Way.

Many walkers choose to add extra days to their trip so that they can explore these other attractions. Some will do that through rest days along the trail; others prefer ‘add-ons’ at the end of the walk. Some do both!

Dingle Town is a wonderful place to spend at least one extra night. Originally a fishing port, Dingle has become a home of art and craft, Irish music and great seafood. Wandering its hilly streets, soaking up its charming atmosphere is a pleasure in itself.

We can assist walkers to explore the many attractions of the Iveragh Peninsula region.

Assistance

We can assist walkers with various aspects of their walking holidays.