Should You Do The Ring of Kerry Road?
To many tourists, the Ring of Kerry is the ultimate pilgrimage point that everyone visits. Many others feel that other places are far better value. So is the Ring of Kerry worthwhile? Many people on the Ireland Travel Tips Facebook site say no. We disagree.
Author & Photographer: George Mitchell
Our recommendations are not influenced by affiliate links – we do not have any. Our advice is derived from our personal experience and knowledge based on living in Europe for seven years and studying its art, architecture and culture.
All of our recommendations are top-rated by Google Maps Ratings, which is based on everyone, not just tourists. Each place recommended in our post and custom Ireland South Map is appended with a Google Maps Rating (G0 to G5).
The Ring of Kerry Road
Some people complain about the tour buses and the very narrow roads. The road is fine by Ireland standards. There were very few areas where it felt too narrow, like an essentially one-lane bridge.
You do not need to worry about the buses, which travel counter-clockwise. We drove clockwise, not because of the buses but because the pull-offs are on the (left) ocean side and you have a better view as you drive to see if you want to stop. We stopped at many unofficial pull-offs. The itinerary we are presenting is a 123 km round trip, BUT it does not follow the official Ring of Kerry route, much of which is inland.
The first stretch of road west from Kenmare is mostly inland and heavily treed, with no views. This is not the Cape Breton Trail in Nova Scotia. Two days later, we found a nicer route that travelled via Moll’s Gap, then veered left to Sneem. This is barren heath with open views of the mountains. It is much more spectacular than the similar stretch in the Beara Peninsula. Sneem has colourful pubs and cafes and a one-lane stone bridge, which provides a nice view.
O’Carroll’s Cove Beach
The Ring of Kerry becomes a scenic bliss starting at the O’Carroll’s Cove Beach Restaurant Viewpoint (my name). There is a large pull-off before and after the restaurant. Here, a glorious white sand crescent is lapped by partially turquoise waters.
Darrynane Beach
There is something wonderful about driving off the official Ring road to this secluded beach lined with rocks and ringed by islets. There are a few tourists, but not too many. It is also near Derrynane House, which has pleasant grounds, but the beach proper has its own parking lot.
Scarriff Island Viewpoint
This pull-off, only two km later, is marked on Google Maps. It is a superb viewpoint that gives an airplane-like view of the green farmland and the blue coast.
Waterville
The next stop is 5.7 km west at a statue of Charlie Chaplin. What is that doing here? He used to vacation often in the Waterville area.
Ring of Skellig
Just after Waterville, we turned left onto the Ring of Skellig road R567. The narrow Ring of Skellig road is what we call part of the Real Ring of Kerry. It is a must-see. You can stop at Ballinskelligs Abbey, which is just ruins, and is not essential.
Other favourite stops are Killonecaha (12.6 km) above and a private house near St. Finian’s Bay below.
Portmagee or Kerry Cliffs
The Portmagee Cliff View above shows where the cliffs are located below the steeply curved slope on the left — but it is not a view of the cliffs. It is still a glorious viewpoint with Valentia Island in the background.
The land is privately owned and charges €4 per person to view the only cliffs on the Ring of Kerry. It’s a six-minute steep climb to the first level of cliffs, then another six-minute strenuous climb to each of the left and right viewpoints. Definitely do the right one (as you face the ocean) for the most dramatic scenery.
Geokaun Mountain
From the cliffs, continue to the town of Portmagee, cross the bridge to Valentia Island, and follow the signs to Geokaun Mountain.
Wow, what 360° views! That’s the white Valentia Lighthouse in the bottom left corner below.
Return Trip
We spent the whole day just doing the south segment of the Ring of Kerry. We did not think to do the whole Ring Road, including the Killarney National Park (NP) segment in one day because:
- The northern and eastern parts of the Ring of Kerry are inland.
- There is a lot to see in Killarney NP, such as gardens and viewpoints.
- If you have limited time, you can see the NP viewpoints on your drive to Dingle.
Killonecaha
Instead, we returned home the same way (except we bypassed the Ring of Skellig) and took photos of our favourite views with softer, sunset lighting. The view above is near Killonecaha. Leaving at 19:20 hrs., we got back to Kenmare at 21:20 hrs. It was a long day at the office!!
Final Comments on this Itinerary
This is an action-packed itinerary. Most newbie tourists head to sites they have heard about, or what I call name recognition. The places we recommend are all highly rated by local people, as shown by the high Google Map Ratings. Remember, the most important “destination” is meeting the people.
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Itinerary Map & Resources
The Ring of Kerry route of the Ireland South itinerary.
If you have more than a week, then combine this tour with places in the Ireland East, Ireland West and the Best Places for 2 Weeks in Southwest (SW) Ireland itineraries below. Or just visit some of the nearby places listed below.
Google Maps Ratings
Google Maps provides a rating from 0 to 5 for all sights, hotels and restaurants (but not cities). All of our recommendations are appended with the rating (prefixed with a G) from Google Maps. As it is based on feedback from tourists and locals, it is much more reliable than travel booking websites. We consider a score of 4 to 4.39 to be Very Good; 4.4 to 5 to be Excellent.
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