Four Night Stay
Suggested Itinerary
Cycle to Ross Castle in the afternoon
Check in to Cahernane. Have a light snack and welcome drink in The Cellar before taking our complimentary bikes out to explore the Killarney National Park. At the top of the hotels driveway, take the cycle path to the left. At the Amber petrol station, turn left and cycle to the end of Ross Road where you will see Ross Castle. This is a 4k cycle in total.
Once you are at Ross Castle, you have some options. Park your bike and do a tour of the castle (1 hour duration) or you can continue cycling to the Copper Mines, Governors Rock and Library Point all on Ross Island. Killarney had a thriving copper mining business in the 19th century and you will see some of the remnants of buildings and works along the paths. Make sure to stop along the way as there are some magnificent views.
Return to Cahernane to relax for the evening.
If cycling isn’t for you, you can drive to Ross Castle and do the same itinerary as above.
Muckross & Dinis taking in Muckross Abbey & House, Dinis Cottage, The Meeting of the Waters, Torc Waterfall before returning to Cahernane
After a hearty breakfast, you have two options to see Muckross. Either take our bikes or you can drive to the main entrance of Muckross House and Gardens and park there.
Either way, once you get to Muckross, take the path for Muckross & Dinis. This is a 10km loop from Muckross. On the way you will pass Bricin Bridge where the Lower Lake meets the Middle or Muckross Lake. Continue on the Dinis Cottage, an old hunting lodge which belonged to the Herberts of Muckross. A coffee shop now operates from here (their rhubarb tart is delicious!).
Behind Dinis Cottage is the Meeting of the Waters where the 3 lakes meet – Upper Lake, Middle (Muckross) Lake and Lower Lake. You can also walk to the Old Weir bridge (it can be mucky in inclement weather) but definitely worth a look.
If you are feeling tired at this stage, you can take a small motor boat back from Dinis to Muckross Boat house. Just ask for John or Gerry and they will take care of you. €10 per person. The boat will take bikes too.
For those of you still walking or cycling, continue on your path. You will come onto the main N71 route. Cyclists take a left and loop back to Muckross on the main road. Walkers can cross the road and there is a small path parallel to the road.
Continue on to Torc Waterfall and admire the cascades. From here you can loop back to Muckross House and Gardens and back to Cahernane.
Drive the Dingle Peninsula – Inch Beach – Dingle – Slea Head - Conor Pass
The Dingle Peninsula stretches almost 50 kilometres into the Atlantic Ocean on the south-west coast on Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way. The magnificent coastline consists of steep sea-cliffs such as Slea Head with the award-winning beach at Inch in the south and the Maharees to the north.
From Killarney, take the N72 west towards Killorglin. At the Golden Nugget pub (4km from Killarney), take a right and head past Milltown and Castlemaine.
Make a stop at Inch Strand. The beach is a 5km long sand spit jutting into the sea between the outer Dingle Bay and inner Castlemaine Harbour overlooking magnificent Iveragh and Dingle Peninsulas. It is no surprise that this location was the film spot for Ryan’s Daughter many years ago. Inch has an easy gradient and plenty of space providing a safe environment for all types of water sports including Surfing, Kayaking, Windsurfing, Kite Surfing, Hangliding and Fishing.
The beach is lifeguarded during the bathing season.
After a spot of fresh air here, continue to Dingle town. A stroll through the beautiful narrow streets is a must, on a warm day some Murphys Ice-Cream or a spot of lunch with some fish and chips, fresh off the trawlers. Dingle has some amazing restaurants, pubs, interesting little cafes and shops. There are many local artisan producers of clothes, jewellery and food here.
We recommend you follow the signs for the Slea Head Drive and take a small detour from this drive to visit Gallarus Oratory, a tiny early Christian church that resembles an upturned boat with its sloping side walls. Built using a system called corbelling, the Oratory has withstood the harsh Atlantic weather for at least ten centuries without the need for mortar!
The views on Slea Head are amongst the best you will see on your trip to Co. Kerry.
Come back to Dingle town and take the Conor Pass drive. Do be careful as the road is very narrow but well worth the drive for the views at the top. Make your way down the other side of the pass and the road will lead you back to Tralee and then Killarney.
A stop at Blennerville Windmill is a nice way to wrap up a busy day.
Gap of Dunloe trip – Boat from Ross Castle to Lord Brandon’s Cottage and then walk / jaunting cart to Kate Kearney’s Cottage
The Gap Trip is one of those that is on many peoples Bucket List.
After a great breakfast at Cahernane, a driver will collect you at 10am from the hotel. You will be taken to Ross Castle where you take a small motor boat 14kms up through the 3 lakes of Killarney – Lower, Middle and Upper Lake which takes 90 minutes. Your boatman will fill you in on much of the history of the town and the lakes (perhaps some tall tales too !).
At the end of the boat trip, you will arrive at Lord Brandons Cottage. Have a spot of lunch or and Irish Coffee before setting off the 10km to Kate Kearneys Cottage. You can either walk this distance or take a Jaunting cart (horse and cart).
Once you arrive at Kate’s your bus driver will meet you to take you home to Cahernane (approx. 4.30pm). A day you will never forget !
And there's more
We hope you have enjoyed all that Killarney and Co. Kerry has to offer.
After breakfast this morning, we recommend that you drive to St Mary’s Cathedral and park in the adjacent car park. If you have time, make a visit to the Cathedral. Then cross the road and enter the National Park at Knockreer. There are several paths at this end of the park, a favourite is the River Walk, approx. 30 minutes long.
There is a spectacular viewing point at Aghadoe. From the town center, take the N22 towards Tralee. Take the first left and follow the signs for Aghadoe. You will see the Lower Lake, Bricin Bridge, Ross Castle and on a clear day, the tip of Carrauntoohil peeps out.
