The long loop round the Iveragh Peninsula from Killarney, in its nine official stages, village to village over old roads and mountain passes, with the buses of the Ring of Kerry.
Best season: April to September; no closures published. Neither Sport Ireland nor the official site publishes a walking season or a closure. The long stages need long days: in December there are under 8 hours of daylight, less than the 30 to 34 km stages take. The official site asks walkers to check the forecast, as the high passes, river crossings and lakesides are exposed in weather alerts, and Sport Ireland says the off-road sections are often very wet and muddy. Before you go
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Nine official stages round the Iveragh Peninsula, each ending in a village or town. Black Valley and Glencar are remote, with few places to stay and hardly a bus: book them first.
Changing where you stay suggests a new number of days: the fewest that keep each day under 8 h of walking and in daylight, where a place to stay allows.
Days end where the route has a stay, a camp or a village.
Stage 1: Out of Killarney by the Muckross Road, through the National Park past Muckross House and up the short steep climb at Torc Waterfall to the Old Kenmare Road, then by Derrycunnihy Church at Galway's Bridge and down into the Black Valley: 21.4 km, 6 to 8 hours, 863 m of climb, the official site says. The lakeside path from Derrycunnihy Church to Lord Brandon's Cottage floods at times, Sport Ireland says: after heavy rain, ask locally before you set out.
Black Valley Town or village
A remote valley at the foot of the MacGillycuddy's Reeks, where OpenStreetMap lists a few places to stay, and no public bus: book yours before you set out. Sport Ireland warns of long stretches between places to stay.
OpenStreetMap lists at least 3 places to stay within about 1500 m; TrailSplits has not checked which are open.
See the area on OpenStreetMapStage 2: West from the Black Valley church below the MacGillycuddy's Reeks, over Brassel Mountain, through Derrynafeana and over the Bridia Pass and the Lack Road to Glencar: 20 km, 6 to 8 hours, 683 m of climb.
Glencar Town or village
A scattered village below the Reeks, the stage starting at the post office. OpenStreetMap lists one place to stay, the Climber's Inn (with its camp site): confirm it is open when you book. There is almost no bus: Local Link runs here on Fridays (a morning bus) and on two Thursdays a month, so to get home from Glencar plan a taxi, or walk on to Glenbeigh for the daily 280.
OpenStreetMap lists at least 1 place to stay within about 1500 m; TrailSplits has not checked which are open.
See the area on OpenStreetMapStage 3: Along the Caragh River and through Lickeen Wood, then over the Windy Gap to Glenbeigh: 13.5 km, 4 to 6 hours. The optional round of Seefin adds 4.5 km and about 1½ hours; our line takes the Windy Gap.
Glenbeigh Town or village
A village on the Ring of Kerry with places to stay and the daily Local Link 280 bus towards Killorglin and Killarney (some buses run through to Killarney).
OpenStreetMap lists at least 10 places to stay within about 800 m; TrailSplits has not checked which are open.
See the area on OpenStreetMapStage 4: Along the old coach road of the 1790s high above Dingle Bay, by Mountain Stage and the slopes of Drung Hill, then down the spur from Foilmore into Cahersiveen: 30.6 km on the stage page (28 km in the route overview), 8 to 10 hours.
Cahersiveen Town or village
A town off the main line of the Way, reached by its spur from Foilmore; places to stay, shops, and the daily Local Link 280 to Waterville and Glenbeigh (road works on the N70 here from 28 September to December 2026 can delay it).
OpenStreetMap lists at least 6 places to stay within about 800 m; TrailSplits has not checked which are open.
See the area on OpenStreetMapStage 5: Out of Cahersiveen and along the "hog's back" ridges by Mastergeehy to Lough Currane and Waterville: 30.6 km, 8 to 10 hours, 980 m of climb, one of the three long days. A spur to Dromid makes it 34.5 km.
Waterville Town or village
A village on Ballinskelligs Bay with places to stay, and the daily Local Link 280 and 281 buses.
OpenStreetMap lists at least 5 places to stay within about 800 m; TrailSplits has not checked which are open.
See the area on OpenStreetMapStage 6: The coastal option, the popular one, along an old coach road by Loher stone fort with the Skelligs out to sea, to Caherdaniel: 11.5 km, 3 to 4 hours (the Derrynane Mass Path adds 3 km). The inland option over the Windy Gap is 28 km; our line takes the coast.
Caherdaniel Town or village
A small village above Derrynane with a few places to stay, and the daily Local Link 281 bus towards Sneem and Kenmare.
OpenStreetMap lists at least 2 places to stay within about 800 m; TrailSplits has not checked which are open.
See the area on OpenStreetMapStage 7: Along the old Butter Road, with two moderate climbs and views over Kenmare Bay to Beara, near Staigue stone fort, to Sneem: 17.3 km, 5 to 7 hours.
Sneem Town or village
A village with places to stay, and the daily Local Link 281 bus to Caherdaniel, Waterville and Kenmare.
OpenStreetMap lists at least 6 places to stay within about 800 m; TrailSplits has not checked which are open.
See the area on OpenStreetMapStage 8: The longest stage, along the sheltered shore of Kenmare Bay past Derryquin, Dromore and Dunkerron castles to Kenmare: 34 km, 8 to 10 hours, 763 m of climb.
Kenmare Town or village
A town at the head of Kenmare Bay with many places to stay, the daily Local Link 281 west and Bus Éireann 270 to Killarney.
OpenStreetMap lists at least 24 places to stay within about 800 m; TrailSplits has not checked which are open.
See the area on OpenStreetMapStage 9: Up the Old Kenmare Road over open moorland and back through the National Park to Killarney, from Derrycunnihy on the way you walked out: 23.5 km, 6 to 8 hours.
Longest day: day 4, 8 h–10 h.
Days end at a stage end with a refuge or a village, or in a village the route passes through. Walking times are the The Kerry Way, official website's published times where it gives one, with our estimate beside it; a day that walks part of a stage gets a share of the stage's time by distance and climb. Running times use 7.5 km/h plus one hour per 700 m of climb: a steady reference, not a prediction. Daylight is sunrise to sunset where the day starts; the time left is for breaks, meals and delays. For villages we count the places to stay OpenStreetMap lists; we have not checked which are open. A plan is not a booking: reserve every night before you commit to these day lengths.
Loading the forecast for low point (sea level) and high point (386 m)…
Typical weather on this trail: at the lowest point (sea level) and the highest point (386 m). Select a month to see why it is rated as it is.
| Month | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weather | Mixed | Mixed | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed |
| Stages rated good on typical weather | 2/9 | 6/9 | 9/9 | 9/9 | 9/9 | 9/9 | 9/9 | 9/9 | 9/9 | 6/9 | 2/9 | 0/9 |
| High point, day / night | 7°/2° | 8°/2° | 9°/3° | 11°/4° | 13°/6° | 15°/9° | 16°/10° | 16°/10° | 15°/9° | 12°/6° | 9°/4° | 7°/3° |
| Low point, day / night | 10°/4° | 10°/4° | 11°/5° | 13°/6° | 15°/8° | 17°/11° | 18°/12° | 18°/12° | 17°/11° | 14°/8° | 12°/7° | 10°/5° |
| Rain, mm | 211 | 158 | 146 | 132 | 124 | 115 | 131 | 145 | 138 | 199 | 232 | 232 |
| Snow at high point | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Daylight | 8 h 15 | 9 h 55 | 11 h 46 | 13 h 50 | 15 h 37 | 16 h 41 | 16 h 17 | 14 h 44 | 12 h 45 | 10 h 46 | 8 h 53 | 7 h 48 |
Source: TerraClimate 1991–2020 monthly averages. Averages for the area at each point’s elevation (4 km grid, corrected for height). Not a forecast or a report of current trail conditions. Snow at the high point is estimated with a simple snowpack model from these temperatures and precipitation, not observed; steep islands and high summits can hold more snow than it shows. Daylight is for the 15th of each month. Hut, transport and park seasons are separate: check them for your dates.
Before you go
Arrange your stays, food and travel first, then check conditions again near departure.
Every stage ends where there are places to stay, but OpenStreetMap lists only a few at Black Valley and Caherdaniel and one at Glencar, and no bus reaches Black Valley: book those nights first. Some of the Way crosses private land by its owners' permission: keep to the waymarked route, use the stiles and leave gates as you find them. Dogs are not permitted on the Kerry Way, Sport Ireland says, and camping is not allowed in Killarney National Park.
Check the forecast before each stage: the official site warns that mountainous and remote areas are more dangerous and exposed in weather alerts, especially near the high passes, river crossings and lakesides. The off-road sections are often wet and muddy, and some moorland is very isolated. The lakeside path from Derrycunnihy into the Black Valley floods at times.
The Kerry Way: the routeUse insect repellent, wear long sleeves and tuck your trousers into your socks: ticks and midges are about in the warmer months, and ticks can, rarely, carry Lyme disease.
The Kerry Way: things to knowThe Way crosses farmland, forest and bog by the owners' permission, with many stiles and bog boards: keep to the waymarked route and leave gates as you find them. Dogs are not permitted on the Kerry Way.
Sport Ireland: the Kerry WayGetting there
Choose a stage or journey above to narrow the travel searches.
Google Maps journey searches, not confirmed services. A mountain endpoint may need a booked transfer or an additional walk.
Killarney has a railway station with 7 to 8 trains a day to Cork and Dublin, and a bus station by the Outlet Centre. The Way starts at the start of the Muckross Road, about 1.5 km (20 minutes) south of both.
The Kerry Way: transportTFI Local Link Kerry runs the 280 every day between Waterville, Cahersiveen and Glenbeigh (some buses through to Killarney) and the 281 every day between Waterville, Caherdaniel, Sneem and Kenmare; Bus Éireann's 270 links Kenmare and Killarney. No bus reaches Black Valley; Glencar has Local Link buses on Fridays and on two Thursdays a month only.
The Kerry Way: transportTake your trip with you
Prepare every day while you still have a connection, and test it offline before you set out.
Keep your route and maps on your phone for places without a signal. For multi-day trips, prepare them in the installed TrailSplits app.
Saving a bookmark is not a map download. Storage can be cleared by your device; keep a backup map for remote trips.
Route & sources
Sport Ireland gives 232.1 km in 9 days and about 5,300 m of climb; the official site's nine stage pages add up to about 202 km on the shorter options. The line here is the route on OpenStreetMap (relation 183744, planet of 27 September 2026), 202.8 km, walked anticlockwise from Killarney as the official stages run and cut at their start and finish points: Cahersiveen by its spur from Foilmore (walked in at the end of stage 4 and out again at the start of stage 5), the Windy Gap above Glenbeigh on stage 3 and the coast on stage 6 (its inland option crosses another Windy Gap, the highest point of the Way at 385 m). The times are the official site's.
Official guidance and mapped-source comparison checked 28 September 2026. Map data is a route reference, not confirmation of today's path, weather or accommodation availability.
The Kerry Way, official website: the routeMap data © OpenStreetMap contributors · Source relation