The Kerry Way leaves the popular tourist town of Killarney and heads south along the shores of Lough Leane into Killarney National Park. From there the trail reaches Torc Waterfall, then follows the Old Kenmare Road and to reach the remote Black Valley in the shadow of the McGillycuddy’s Reeks, the mountain range which includes Carrauntoohil, Ireland’s highest mountain.
A mountain pass leads into Glencar and Lough Acoose where the trail follows the Caragh River valley before either circling Seefin Mountain or crossing the Windy Gap (#1 of 3) to reach Glenbeigh. The Kerry Way then climbs and follows the hills overlooking Dingle Bay until it reaches Drung Hill, where it turns inland to Foilmore, near Cahersiveen.
From Foilmore, the route bears south and traverses two ridges towards the village of Waterville. Two possible routes lead from there to Caherdaniel: a coastal trail around Farraniargh Mountain or a longer inland trail, crossing Capall River and mountains via Windy Gap (#2) to Caherdaniel.
An old coach road now brings the Way to Sneem and onwards to Kenmare by a trail that follows the coast above Kenmare River. The final section crosses the mountains between Kenmare and Killarney via another Windy Gap (#3), there re-joining the outbound route of the Kerry Way at Galway’s Bridge, and retracing the route through Muckross to the end in Killarney.
Terrain Overview
The Kerry Way covers a wide variety of terrain, from the firm footing of tarmac roads to more rugged sections out on wild mountainous countryside. The trail follows small ‘green’ roads, commonly known as ‘boreens’, long-abandoned coach roads and mass paths that are now overgrown with grass but nonetheless, quite firm underfoot. There are also sections that cross through forestry, national parks and farmland which can become quite boggy in places. Some sections in the mountains and on the open moorland can be very isolated and off-road sections can occasionally be wet and muddy.
Though it skirts around Ireland’s highest mountains, the Kerry Way avoids the higher peaks and opts for the lower reaches of mountain ridges. Total aggregate ascent over the whole route is approximately 5,400m, and there are some sustained and quite steep climbs, especially between Black Valley and Glencar. Along this section, you will also pass over the highest point of the route, which is found at the top of the Lack Road, and is only 385m above sea-level.
Elevation Profile
