Ring of Kerry
Circular Tourist Route Of About 179 Km Round The Iveragh Peninsula; Part Of The Wild Atlantic Way · Killarney, Kerry
The Ring of Kerry is the roughly 179 km road loop round the Iveragh Peninsula in County Kerry, usually driven from Killarney through Killorglin, Glenbeigh, Cahersiveen, Waterville, Caherdaniel, Sneem and Kenmare and back over Moll's Gap and Ladies View. It is the most famous drive in Ireland and part of the Wild Atlantic Way: a day of Atlantic bays and islands, bog and mountain passes, stone ring forts older than most castles, Daniel O'Connell's home at Derrynane, the long beach at Rossbeigh and the coloured villages of Sneem and Kenmare. People come for the views from the Coomakesta Pass over Derrynane and the Skelligs, for the Skellig Ring and Valentia Island detours, and simply to see the southwest coast at its most dramatic. The honest caveat: in summer the main road carries a steady stream of tour coaches, the road is narrow and walled with few places to pass, and rain or low cloud can hide every view for the whole day - the Ring rewards an early start, flexible plans and a willingness to leave the main road.
N70 and N71 loop of the Iveragh Peninsula, about 179 km from Killarney via Killorglin, Cahersiveen, Waterville, Sneem and Kenmare, Killarney, Kerry, Ireland
The road is open all day and all year; there is no toll, gate or ticket for the loop itself. The paid stops keep their own hours: Kerry Bog Village, Derrynane House and the Skellig Experience on Valentia are fullest from roughly Easter or May to September, with shorter hours or closures in winter - confirm before you go. The Valentia car ferry from Reenard Point runs only in the warmer months (roughly April to October - confirm); the bridge at Portmagee is open all year. Killarney is the usual start: by train or bus from Dublin or Cork, or from Kerry Airport at Farranfore about 20 minutes away. Without a car, day coach tours leave Killarney each morning in season - book a day or two ahead in July and August. Rooms in Killarney, Kenmare and the villages book out in summer.