While planning our trip to Ireland, I struggled to decide driving through Ring of Kerry or the Dingle Peninsula. Although I wanted to see both places, I only had a week to spend. Thankfully, my in-laws spent 3 weeks in Ireland a few years ago and helped me make my decision.
We flew from London to Kerry, spent a night at the near by Cahernane House. Before heading our way to the Dingle Peninsula, I wanted to at least check out the Killarney National Park. There are so much to do in this region. Since I want to get to Dingle at a decent time, I picked hiking Gap of Dunloe as our morning adventure.
The Gap Of Dunloe (located in Killarney National Park) is a mountain valley that was carved out by glaciers 2 million years ago. Left in the valley are 5 lakes at varying altitudes with steady streams between them.
I read so much about driving or hiking the Gap of Dunloe. Yes, you can drive it and it will for sure cover more grand. Be aware as the locals don’t appreciate cars on the narrow roads. On the other end, hiking through the Gap of Dunloe is the better experience. Not only it’s amazing to see how the landscapes change, we also saw wild goats bouncing around the mountains.
We started our hike at Kate Kearney’s cottage and it’s about 3.7miles to the Head of the Dunloe. The entire hike took us about 3 hours, including stops for pictures.
Staring down the Gap we noticed a horse drawn carriage called a trap, carrying 4 people up the hill. It looked fun and can be an alternative if you are tired of walking.
Denim Jacket: Everlane (see here)
Jeans: Zara (see similar here)
Boots: M. Gemi (see here)
Backpack: Will Leather Goods (see here)
Scarf: Foxford (see similar here)
