Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [249]
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KERRY WAY
The 214km Kerry Way is the Republic’s longest way-marked footpath and is usually walked anticlockwise. Starting and ending in Killarney, it stays inland for the first three days, winding through the spectacular Macgillycuddy’s Reeks and past 1039m Mt Carrantuohil, Ireland’s highest mountain, before continuing around the Ring of Kerry coast through Cahirciveen, Waterville, Caherdaniel, Sneem and Kenmare.
You could complete the walk in about 10 days, provided you’re up to a good 20km per day. With less time it’s worth walking the first three days, as far as Glenbeigh, from where a bus or a lift could return you to Killarney.
Accommodation isn’t a problem, but you need to book in July and August. Places to eat are few, however; consider carrying your own food. Ordnance Survey Discovery Series maps 78, 83 and 84 cover the walk. The website www.kerryway.net has info, and local tourist offices and bookshops have specialised guidebooks and maps. Go Ireland (www.govisitireland.com) offers a seven-day self-guided walk from €640.
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Getting Around
Although you can tour it in one day by car or three by bicycle, the more time you take, the more you’ll enjoy it. Tour buses travel the Ring in an anticlockwise direction. Getting stuck behind one is tedious, so consider driving clockwise; just watch out on blind corners.
There’s little traffic on the Ballaghbeama Gap, which cuts across the peninsula’s central highlands with some spectacular views: it’s perfect for a long cycle, as is the longer Ballaghisheen Pass to Waterville. The 214km Kerry Way (below) starts and ends in Killarney.
From June to mid-September, Bus Éireann ( 064-663 0011; www.buseireann.ie) circumnavigates the Ring of Kerry daily (bus 280). Stops include Killorglin, Glenbeigh, Caherciveen, Waterville and Caherdaniel. From Monday to Saturday during the same period, bus 279 links Killarney with Waterville and Caherciveen via stops including Killorglin. Outside summer, transport on the Ring is not good.
A number of Killarney tour companies run daily bus trips around the Ring (Click here).
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KILLORGLIN
pop 3900
Travelling anticlockwise from Killarney, the first town on the Ring is Killorglin (Cill Orglan). The town is quieter than the waters of the River Laune that lap against the eight-arched bridge, built in 1885. In August, there’s an explosion of time-honoured ceremonies and libations at the famous pagan festival, the Puck Fair. A winsome statue (and photo op) of King Puck (a goat) can be seen on the Killarney side of the river. Author Blake Morrison documents his mother’s childhood here in Things My Mother Never Told Me.
The tourist office ( 066-976 1451; Library Pl; 9am-5pm Mon-Sat) has maps, walking guides, fishing licences and souvenirs for sale, and free internet access at the library ( 066-976 1272; Library Pl; 10am-5pm Tue-Sat). The name Books & Gifts ( 066-979 6006; Upper Bridge St) says it all.
Festivals
The lively Puck Fair Festival (Aonach an Phuic; 066-976 2366; www.puckfair.ie) takes place 1012 August. First recorded in 1603, its origins are hazy. It is based around the custom of installing a billy goat (a poc, or puck), the symbol of mountainous Kerry, on a pedestal in the town, its horns festooned with ribbons. Other entertainment ranges from the horse fair and bonny baby competition to street theatre and the pubs staying open until 3am. Accommodation is as hard to find as a goat in a tin-can factory.
Sleeping & Eating
Killorglin’s got good eats. A bunch of old-boozer-style pubs line Upper Bridge St.
West’s Holiday Park ( 066-976 1240; enquiries@westcaravans.com; Killarney Rd; campsites from €18; Apr-Oct) This small site has views of Carrantuohil across tree-lined fields. On the N72, just under 2km east of the bridge.
Bianconi ( 066-976 1146; www.bianconi.ie; Annadale; r €65-100; restaurant 5-9pm Mon-Sat) The rooms are as good as the food at this classic 15-room guesthouse right in the centre.