The Kerry Way · Stage 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.
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
Facts read from the guide's sources and OpenStreetMap on 28 September 2026. A page can change after we read it, so confirm with your accommodation before you rely on a date or a bed.
Stage start
Town
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 (read 28 September 2026). TrailSplits has not checked which are open.
Stage end · overnight
Town
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 (read 28 September 2026). TrailSplits has not checked which are open.
Make it your trip
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.
The nine official stages, a night in each stage village.
Plan this journeyThe first three stages, past the Reeks to the coast, with a daily bus back from Glenbeigh.
Plan this journeyThe south coast in three stages, with the daily 281 bus at both ends.
Plan this journeyLoading the forecast for low point (sea level) and high point (189 m)…
Typical weather on this stage: at the lowest point (sea level) and the highest point (189 m). Select a month to see why it is rated as it is.
| Month | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weather | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Mixed |
| High point, day / night | 8°/3° | 9°/3° | 10°/4° | 12°/5° | 14°/7° | 16°/10° | 17°/11° | 17°/11° | 16°/10° | 13°/7° | 10°/6° | 9°/4° |
| 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 | 184 | 141 | 125 | 108 | 103 | 100 | 105 | 122 | 120 | 170 | 198 | 202 |
| Snow at high point | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Daylight | 8 h 15 | 9 h 55 | 11 h 46 | 13 h 50 | 15 h 37 | 16 h 40 | 16 h 17 | 14 h 43 | 12 h 45 | 10 h 46 | 8 h 53 | 7 h 49 |
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.
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
Travel around Sneem to Kenmare.
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