Dingle Peninsula De-stress Walking Tour

ITINERARY

We meet in Killarney on the Thursday evening before Day 1.

Day 1: Friday

Trip: Connor Pass/Dingle (habitat: mountain/heath)
Route: Dingle town – Old Butter Road to top of Conor Pass. From here, there are some of the most spectacular views of Dingle harbour spread out below to the west and down to the dunes and beaches of The Maharees to the north. From here we climb up along the Conor Pass ridge, descending back to Dingle.

Day 2: Saturday

Trip: Mount Eagle (habitat/coastal mountain)
Route: Dingle – Ventry – Mount Eagle – Slea Head – Coumeenole Beach – Ventry. The western-most extremity of Ireland is at the tip of the Dingle Peninsula in the ancient parishes of Corca Dhuibhne. For today’s walk we will make our way west of Dingle, out to the village of Ventry/Dun Chaoin. We will follow the rough track up to the top of Mount Eagle and from here we will follow the ridge and drop down to Slea Head. We will then walk by road to Coumeenole Beach which was used in the film Ryan’s Daughter. After that we will walk back to Dun Chaoin where we will be picked up and brought back to Dingle.

Day 3: Sunday

Trip: Blasket Islands (habitat – island)
Route: Blasket Islands. An island walk has a unique charm, that feeling of being far removed from the outside world and the toil of your daily existence. Today we will travel out to Dun Chaoin where we will embark on a 20-minute boat ride that will take us to the larger of the Blasket Islands – the Great Blasket. This is a delightful circular walk around the steep cliff-rimmed and heather-clad hills of this most westerly of mountainous islands. When we finish our walk you can relax and enjoy one of Ireland’s scenic beaches.

Day 4: Monday

Trip: Ballydavid Head coastal walks (habitat – coastal cliffs)
Route: Feohanagh – coastline cliffs – Beenmore – Feohanagh. The rocks of Kerry are as old as life itself and where better to start to discover it than at the beginning – where the volcanic rocks formed more than 400 million years ago and now form the path solidly beneath your feet as you walk along the tip of the Dingle Peninsula. On this walk we will begin in the small village of Feohanagh, seven miles from Dingle and under the shadow of Mount Brandon. This is a moderate circular walk that follows an ill-defined path along the coastline cliffs. We will climb up to the top of the headland and along to an old watchtower. The views from along the cliffs are spectacular. We will finish at the peak of Beenmore and make our way back to Feohanagh.

Day 5: Tuesday

Trip: Dingle to Slea Head (habitat – coastal)
Route: The Kerry Way – Dingle – Ventry Beach – Slea Head. This is a varied walk of hill, beach and track following the Kerry Way. We begin just outside Dingle town, following track and road to the top of Ventry Beach. We skirt the side of Mount Eagle and finish at Slea Head. 

Day 6: Wednesday

Trip: Annascaul (habitat – mountain peaks)
Route: Annascaul – lake and mountain track. This walk begins in the village of Annascaul, the birthplace of Tom Crean, the renowned Antarctic explorer. We will proceed up to Annascaul Lake, lying north of the village. This is a moderate climb up a fine old green road. We will complete this circular walk around the mountain top and back down to the lake. 

Day 7: Thursday

Depart for home.

Additional options: Cloghan/Brandon, Com a Lochaigh (a great example of glaciating) and The Maharees, an area of great coastal dune walks.

Note: Due to the nature of Irish weather our walking holidays will have a number of options that we can alter depending on the condition. If we are going to an island we will be able to alter our walking days to pick the best time to take advantage of sea conditions. We will also be able to alter high level walks to coastal walks depending on conditions on the hills.