Adventourus Active Vacations

7 day Escorted tour

Kerry is world famous for its deep blue lakes, wild mountainous landscapes, rugged coastline and subtropical flora. What better way to spend a week than walking amidst such splendour! We base ourselves in the village of Glenbeigh and bustling town of Dingle both accessible to some of the best walks in the area.
From Glenbeigh we will walk a part of Kerry Way – one of the most famous walking routes in Ireland. We will also visit Valentia Island – the site for the first transatlantic telegraph cable which connected Irish village of Cahersiveen with New York. The Skellig Islands are spectacular and a boat trip there is one of the most amazing day trips you can take anywhere in Ireland.
The Dingle peninsula offers wonderful opportunities for walking including the very western tip of Slea Head peninsula (Ireland’s most westerly point) and if the sea is calm Great Blasket Island one of the finest walks in the southwest of Ireland. The town of Dingle offers many distractions itself and is a great base from which to enjoy traditional music.

From there, we will transfer the group to Glenbeigh; our base for next 3 nights. (The journey takes approx 2.5 hour.)

Following an old coaching road across the hillside, offering great views across Dingle Bay to the mountains of Dingle. (14 km, 400 m ascent)

Day 3: Travel west to Valentia Island (13 km)

Walk out to the northern coast of the island and up to the Bray Head Signal Tower. It is a commanding viewpoint looking out to the Blasket Islands and Skellig islands in addition to the great views across the mountains of the Iveragh Peninsula. (13 km, 250 m ascent)

Drive around the Ring of Kerry to Portmagee, in the west of the peninsula. A small fishing boat (cost aqprox €35.00) may be hired to take you 13 km out into the Atlantic to visit one of the most remarkable islands in Ireland. The journey takes approximately 1.5 hour. The Skelligs are a pair of rocky islands rising steeply from the Ocean. The first of the islands, Little Skellig, is home to 23,000 pairs of nesting Gannets, in addition to many other sea birds and Atlantic Seals. We will visit the second island, Skellig Michael (Archangel Michael’s Rock) which is a larger island, rising to 230 m. Many puffins nest on the island during the early summer along with a host of other sea birds, but the island is probably most noteworthy for its remarkable sixth century monastery that perches just below the summit of the island.
Please note that the crossing to the island is subject to wind and weather conditions and may, in some cases be taken earlier in the week at the discretion of the guide.
Transfer to Dingle town.

From Ventry, then around the flanks of Mount Eagle past the old Celtic stone beehive dwellings around Slea Head to Cumeenole Beach at the very western tip of the peninsula. (14 km, 210m ascent).

They are a group of islands off the tip of the peninsula. The Islands were inhabited until the population dwindled in the mid 20th Century forcing evacuation to the mainland in 1953. Great Blasket is the largest of the group and boats regularly run visitors out during the summer months. The walk over the 300m crest of the island is one of the very best in SW Ireland. (Up to 15 km, 500m ascent)

Typical of many of the western seaboard of Ireland the Dingle peninsula is littered with many old ecclesiastic antiquities around its western extremities. Today you will follow a section of the Saint's Road, a route that links together many of the ancient old sites such as Kilmakeadar Church, and Gallarus Oratory; an early Christian oratory and is one of the best preserved Romanesque buildings in Ireland . (13 km, 150m ascent)

After breakfast your tour comes to an end, and you may begin your journey home. We would also be more than happy to extend your stay in Europe.

PRICE & DETAILS

Price & Schedule

DEPARTURE DATES:

Any Saturday if you have a minimum of 8 in your group.

- 7 nights B&B accommodation (a mixture of guesthouses and hotels). All rooms have an ensuite bathroom

- Packed lunches & 4 evening meals

- Tour guide with a minibus to offer maximum flexibility to the walking options

- Set transfer to and from Shannon on the start date

Not included:

- Boat ticket to Skellig Island (35€)

- Skellig Visiter Centre (5€)

EASY TO MODERATE: Routes of medium difficulty on good trails and paths. Daily walking distance up to 5 hours. Good fitness level is required for some parts as you walk up to 15 km with hills. Good hiking gear is required.