Kerry Way hiking guide: route map, stages & where to stay

The Kerry Way (in Irish, Slí Uíbh Ráthach) is a long-distance walking trail around the Iveragh Peninsula in County Kerry, in the south-west of Ireland. It starts and ends in Killarney and is usually walked anticlockwise: west through Killarney National Park and the Black Valley, north-west to Glenbeigh on Dingle Bay, along the Atlantic side to Cahersiveen and Waterville, and then east along the south coast through Caherdaniel, Sneem and Kenmare. It is the longest of Ireland's National Waymarked Trails. Published lengths range from 214 km to about 230 km, depending on which spurs and variants are counted, and most walkers take 9 days.

The route

The first day crosses Killarney National Park, past Muckross and Torc Waterfall, then follows the Old Kenmare Road and the oak woods by the Upper Lake to the remote Black Valley, below the MacGillycuddy's Reeks. The second stage climbs over the hills to Glencar, and the third crosses the Windy Gap above Caragh Lake and drops to Glenbeigh. From Glenbeigh the trail follows the slopes above Dingle Bay to the town of Cahersiveen, then turns south over open hills and bog to Waterville. The south coast is greener and milder, with palm trees in sheltered gardens: the trail goes round the coast at Derrynane to Caherdaniel, then on to Sneem and along the Kenmare River to Kenmare. The last stage climbs north over the hills and returns through the national park to Killarney.

This guide follows the route as mapped on OpenStreetMap and splits it into 9 stages, about 23.4 km each. It includes the waymarked spur into Cahersiveen, so you walk about 9 km into the town at the end of one day and the same 9 km back out the next morning, and the coastal loop at Derrynane. The section between Killarney and Galway's Bridge is walked twice, on the first and the last day. About a third of the Way (77 km) is on quiet local roads; the rest is on tracks, field paths, bog roads and open moorland. The Way avoids the high peaks: its highest point is only 385 m, at the Windy Gap between Glenmore and Caherdaniel on the inland variant.

Highlights

• Killarney National Park: Ireland's first national park (1932), with Muckross, Torc Waterfall, old oak woods and Ireland's only native herd of red deer
• The Black Valley: a remote valley below the MacGillycuddy's Reeks and Carrauntoohil (1,038 m), Ireland's highest mountain
• The Windy Gap above Glenbeigh: a narrow pass with views over Caragh Lake and Dingle Bay
• The Atlantic side: long views over Dingle Bay and Ballinskelligs Bay between Glenbeigh, Cahersiveen and Waterville
• Derrynane: the sheltered coast near Caherdaniel and Derrynane House, the home of Daniel O'Connell
• Sneem and Kenmare: a colourful village and a lively small town on the Kenmare River, with good food and pubs

When to walk the Kerry Way

Most people walk the Kerry Way between March and October, and May is often recommended. Many B&Bs, hostels and campsites in the small villages are open only in this period; the campsite in Glenbeigh, for example, opens from early April to the end of September. July and August are the busiest months, so book beds early. Rain is likely in any season, and the bog and moorland sections are often wet and muddy, so bring good waterproofs and boots. In winter the days are short and some sections are very isolated.

How many days do you need?

The classic plan is 9 days, and this guide uses the same 9 stages. Several days are long: Glenbeigh to Cahersiveen, Cahersiveen to Waterville and Sneem to Kenmare are each more than 30 km. The kerryway.com guide advises adding rest days or walking shorter days. Dromid Hostel, about 2 km off the trail, splits the stage from Cahersiveen to Waterville, and Greenwood Hostel and Valhalla B&B, about 10 km before Kenmare, split the stage from Sneem. Some walkers skip the 9 km walk in and out of Cahersiveen by bus or taxi. Buses along the Ring of Kerry also make it easy to walk only part of the route.

Getting there and logistics

Killarney, at the start and finish, has a railway station and buses to other Irish cities; Kerry Airport at Farranfore is the nearest airport. Along the route, TFI Local Link bus 280 links Killarney, Glenbeigh, Cahersiveen and Waterville, and bus 281 links Waterville, Caherdaniel, Sneem and Kenmare, with onward buses from Kenmare to Killarney. Timetables change, so check them before you go.

Most nights are in B&Bs, small hotels and hostels, with a few campsites. The Black Valley has very few beds since the Black Valley Hostel closed (it now rents two self-catering apartments, for at least two nights), and there is no shop, pub or restaurant there, so book early and carry food. There is no right to wild camp in Ireland: use campsites or ask the landowner, and do not camp in Killarney National Park. Dogs are not allowed on the Kerry Way.

Difficulty

Sport Ireland grades the Kerry Way as strenuous. The hills are not high, but there are some long, steep climbs, and the official total climb is about 5,300 to 5,400 m (about 4,500 m on the line in this guide). The hardest parts are the remote moorland sections, which can be wet, boggy and hard to follow in mist, and the long distances between beds. On the road sections, walk facing the traffic. On the first day, the path between Derrycunnihy Church and Lord Brandon's Cottage can flood after heavy rain, so ask locally before you go.

History

The Kerry Way was proposed in 1982 by members of the Laune Mountaineering Club and the Kerry branch of An Taisce, led by Seán Ó Súilleabháin. He saw that a web of old roads and paths could be joined into one route around Kerry. The first section, from Killarney to Glenbeigh, opened in 1985, and the whole route was finished in 1989. Many sections follow old roads, such as the Old Kenmare Road through Killarney National Park. Today the trail is managed by South Kerry Development Partnership and marked with the yellow arrow of Ireland's National Waymarked Trails.