When I was researching things to do in Ireland, the Ring of Kerry popped up everywhere. It quickly made its way to the very top of my list of must-do activities. And, can I say, it certainly lived up to the hype! The Ring of Kerry is a very popular circular loop around the Iveragh Peninsula with incredible scenic views! If you are planning a visit to Ireland, here are my recommendations for what to see and do when driving the Ring of Kerry.
My biggest recommendation for driving the Ring of Kerry is to start your day as early as possible. There is so much to see and do and each view is honestly prettier than the next! That means that you will constantly want to pull over, which we did, but that will make it really challenging to finish the whole drive in one day. To be honest, we made it a little less than halfway around the loop before we had to turn around due to how late it was getting and because a storm was rolling in.
We started in Killarney and decided to drive the Ring of Kerry in a clockwise direction. This way goes against the tour buses (they have to drive counter-clockwise), so you don’t have to worry about being stuck behind them. Truth be told, we were a little concerned about passing the tour buses on the narrow roads. However, we ultimately decided that we would rather pull over to let them pass than stare at the back of a bus the whole way. We actually only passed a handful of tour buses on our drive, and behind each bus would be a huge caravan of cars. I think it’s safe to say we made the right decision!
Ross Castle
Our first stop on the Ring of Kerry drive was to Ross Castle, which is located in Killarney National Park. We really enjoyed walking around the castle – it’s free, beautiful, and sits right on Lough Leane. Make sure you bring bug spray though because we got swarmed by midges!
Torc Waterfall
From Ross Castle, we continued to Torc Waterfall. It’s a short walk up from the parking lot to the waterfall, but you can also take the steps up to a higher viewpoint. Unfortunately, there were also a lot of midges here, so we didn’t end up staying very long. Again, make sure you bring bug spray!
Ladies View and Moll’s Gap
Our next stop was to Ladies View. It’s a gorgeous viewpoint with sweeping views! We read that it is named Ladies View because when Queen Victoria visited, her ladies-in-waiting were very taken with the view – we completely agreed! At this point, we started getting hungry so we had a quick lunch at the cafe across the street. Afterwards, we hopped back in the car and drove to Moll’s Gap, which is another popular viewpoint. Maybe we didn’t make it to the right place (or we were just missing something), but we didn’t actually think the view was that great at this particular spot. Especially when compared to Ladies View! Regardless, the views throughout this whole drive are absolutely stunning! We kept oohing and aahing over every turn!
This is also the part of the drive where we started seeing sheep left and right. They were too cute! We even got a classic sheep crossing, which my mom and I were thrilled by! Every time we saw a sheep in the road we couldn’t stop laughing – it never seemed to get old!
Also, how stunning are these rhododendrons?? We saw them everywhere! I couldn’t get enough of the gorgeous vibrant pink!
Kenmare
Kenmare was our next destination. This little town is another popular place to stay around the Ring of Kerry. We walked around the town (I loved the colorful houses!) and then visited the Kenmare Stone Circle. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it was actually a bit of a spiritual experience. We also had it all to ourselves, which made it even better. As we were leaving, we came upon the cutest cat, who we aptly named Lord Kenmare. He was so friendly, we had to stop and pet him for a few minutes!
Sneem
Ok, so we didn’t actually stop in Sneem, but we pulled over at a turnout a little before the town, and ended up at this beautiful spot! Next to the lot, we spotted a little path that led down the hill to some tidepools. This was a major highlight for us! We absolutely loved exploring the area and searching the tidepools for sea creatures. We ended up losing track of time and spent quite a while here.
I wish I could tell you exactly where to find this spot. If driving clockwise, keep your eyes peeled for a turnout on the left side of the road about 20 minutes from Kenmare. You’ll find a small parking lot with the path to the right.
Derrynane Beach
Next, we continued our drive to Derrynane Beach. It was here that our luck with the weather started to run out. It was incredibly windy and started to sprinkle, but the beach was lovely! Derrynane is clearly a local’s spot as there were a lot of families with young children and dogs spending the day at the beach. I suppose, in Ireland, it’s considered a beach day whenever it’s not raining! We had a great time walking around but we finally turned around when the clouds continued to darken.
We spoke to one local and she highly recommended visiting Derrynane Abbey. She said that to get there, you drive to the furthest parking lot and then walk from Whitestrand Beach to the Abbey. However, it can only be accessed when the tide is out! We tried to drive over to it, but had some difficulty navigating the extremely narrow road that you have to take to get there. It involved reversing up a hill to try to get out of the way of opposing traffic! Needless to say, with the weather and the difficult road, we decided to continue on our way instead. If you find yourself at Derrynane Beach at low tide, I would definitely give it a shot!
Waterville Viewpoint
Our last stop of the day was to a scenic viewpoint near Waterville. It was at this point that we realized the weather was likely going to get worse, and not better. As we were a little less than halfway around the Ring of Kerry and it was getting late, we decided to turn around and head back to Killarney. I was definitely bummed that we weren’t able to do the full loop, but it’s just another reason to take a trip back to Ireland! And honestly, looking at these photos and reminiscing about our wonderful trip is making me want to book a return flight asap!
If you do have more time to continue on the loop, we were planning to visit “Kerry’s most spectacular cliffs” – keep an eye out for the sign that says this. Many tourists we spoke to said this spot was a highlight of their Ring of Kerry drive! The Skellig Ring Road also sounded like a beautiful drive and Ballycarberry Castle was on my list too. Apparently the castle is now closed to the public due to safety concerns, but you can still view it from a distance.
Killarney
Once we arrived back in Killarney, we immediately headed out to dinner, hoping to beat the crowds. We got lucky and ended up finding a table at Porterhouse. I would highly recommend coming here! The food was delicious and we enjoyed listening to the live music.
What I Wore:
My exact olive raincoat from Nordstrom is no longer available. This rain jacket from J. Crew is similar and also comes in petite and tall sizes. For two other options, this raincoat from Kenneth Cole is on sale right now (only $60!) and this parka from Asos also looks nice!
As it was cold on this day, I also wore my Everlane puffer jacket underneath (TTS – wearing an XS). You can read more about my love for this puffer jacket in this post. My white crewneck sweater is from Everlane (I’m wearing an XS) and my high waisted jeans are from American Eagle.
Lastly, my rain boots are also from Everlane (runs TTS – for half sizes, I would size down). As I said in my last post from Ireland, I wore them most days as they are comfortable and keep your feet nice and dry!
In my opinion, driving the Ring of Kerry is a must-do activity! It was definitely one of our highlights from the whole trip! As I said before, make sure you start your day as early as possible so you can give yourself plenty of time to complete the whole loop. For more Ireland posts, check out my recaps of Dublin, Kilkenny, and how we spent a day at the Rock of Cashel, Midleton Distillery, and Blarney Castle.
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