The Ring of Kerry

The Ring of Kerry is one of Ireland’s most famous, and picturesque, scenic drives. It’s a circular route around the Iveragh Peninsula in southwest Ireland’s County Kerry. The route is more than 179km and takes in rugged and verdant coastal landscapes and rural seaside villages. We were lucky enough to complete the circuit on a day largely filled with blue skies and sunshine.

Our first stop was Ross Castle on outskirts of Killarney. The castle was closed for winter but its lakeside location was still ideal for a scenic walk. From there we went on to the Gap of Dunloe. We were able to drive deep into this scenic valley without incident. The road is incredibly narrow, with very limited passing options. It’s definitely not a place to drive in Summer when the crowds are out in force.

The views are genuinely breath-taking and simply become better and better as you venture further into the valley. Around every corner is another stunning Instagram worth scene. We gave ourselves plenty of time to enjoy this genuinely beautiful piece of Ireland before venturing on to Rossbeigh beach. 

Our next highlight was Cahergall Fort. This restored, ancient stone structure looks rather uninspiring from the road. However, once inside the complex is truly remarkable. A series of internal steps gave us access onto the rim of its broad stone walls. The view atop the wall was magnificent. It spread out across the fields and on to the nearby coast. The day we visited; we were lucky enough to experience the fort alone for almost half an hour.

We then stopped briefly at Waterville. This seaside village was once a favourite Summer haunt for Charlie Chaplin. He remains immortalised by a life-size bronze statue on the waterfront. It then on to Com An Chiste Lookout. Here we stopped to admire a stunning view across the southern coast of Ireland. That’s the view in this post’s opening image.

We then ventured on to Kenmare where we stopped for the night. We booked ourselves into the Brook Lane Hotel, a cosy boutique establishment on the edge of town. At first, we thought we’d based ourselves too far from the village’s quaint town centre for exploratory stroll. However, we discovered a local walking path nearby that curved its way along peaceful hedgerows directly into town. 

The following morning we completed the Ring of Kerry. As we traced our way back to Killarney we stopped to take in scenic spots in the Killarney National Park including Moll’s Gap, Ladies View and Torc Waterfall. I’m glad we stopped overnight at Kenmare as it gave us more time to enjoy the national park at a leisurely pace.

We then finished our final day in Ireland with a visit to Blarney Castle, home of the famous Blarney Stone. We had the almost entire castle to ourselves. We later realised how lucky we were. We encountered queue signs on the entry path advising visitors of a two-hour wait time. The castle is clearly more popular in Summer.

I can proudly say I’ve now kissed the Blarney Stone. It’s said that all who do so are granted a gift of the gab (that is great eloquence and skilful flattery). Bill Clinton once did the same thing, so I count myself in good company. 

Perhaps only disappointing aspect of our visit were the “helpful” service staff standing around the stone. They’ve clearly spent plenty of time assisting American tourists and thus blatantly touted for a tip. It was only place in Ireland where we witnessed such crass behaviour. Everywhere else the people we encountered were warm, generous and kind, and never asked for anything in return.

We spent our final night at the Cork Airport hotel. This made it easy to drop off our rental car that evening and then check-in for an early morning flight the next day. This proved a sage decision. We woke to find the airport and its surrounding dusted by snow. We later heard that there had been traffic delays for many getting to the airport.