Kerry Way
| Kerry Way | |
|---|---|
 Path above Dingle Bay |
|
| Data | |
| length | approx. 214 km |
| location | County Kerry , Ireland |
| Markers | Stylized hiker in white or yellow on a brown background  |
| Starting point |
Killarney 52 ° 3 '32 " N , 9 ° 30' 31" W. |
| Target point |
Killarney 52 ° 3 '32 " N , 9 ° 30' 31" W. |
| Type | Long-distance hiking trail |
| Height difference | 385 m |
| The highest point | Windy Gap, 385 m |
| Lowest point | Waterville, sea level |
| Level of difficulty | medium |
| season | All year round |
| particularities | National Waymarked Trail in Ireland. Walking version of the Ring of Kerry . |
Map with all coordinates: The Kerry Way ( Irish Slí Uíbh Ráthaigh ) is a long-distance hiking trail in County Kerry in the southwest of the Republic of Ireland . It is a 214 km loop trail that starts and ends in the town of Killarney . Usually it is divided into nine daily stages. It is the longest of the "National Waymarked Trails" according to the Irish Sports Council system; The County Kerry local authorities are responsible for maintaining the trail. The Kerry Way circumnavigates the Iveragh Peninsula and is based on the famous Ring of Kerry road .
history
The Kerry Way opened in 1985 as one of the first five official long distance walking routes in the Republic of Ireland. The course of many old roads and paths in the south-west of Ireland could be taken into account for its course. The whole route was opened in 1989.
A 2010 survey found the Kerry Way to be one of the most widely used Irish long distance hiking trails. It was then recommended that it and four other Irish long-distance trails be included in a new category called "National Long Distance Trails" and that the trails in this category should be expanded to meet international standards for outstanding hiking trails.
course
The original start of the trail was on the River Flesk, about 1 km outside of Killarney. In the meantime, however, the starting point has been moved to the center of Killarney. The first stage leads over the grounds of Muckross House and from there further into the Killarney National Park , along the lakes Lough Leane and Muckross Lake to the Torc waterfall . After Torc the path follows the "Old Kenmare Road", crosses the oak forests of the Esknamucky Glen and leads along the shores of Upper Lake to the Black Valley.
The second stage always leads below the Macgillycuddy's Reeks through the Black Valley, then through Cummeenduff Glen to the Bridia Valley. After crossing a pass, the route leads along the lake from Lough Acoose to the village of Glencar.
The third stage follows Glencar along the wide valley of the Caragh River towards the coast. The trail goes around Mount Seefin and reaches Glenbeigh . Seefin Mountain can be circled using two marked alternatives, the shorter one leads west over the Windy Gap pass, the longer one east along Lough Caragh with a view over Dingle Bay .
On the fourth leg, the trail climbs up past Glenbeigh and traverses the hills on Dingle Bay until it reaches Drung Hill, where it turns inland. It leads high above Dingle Bay along the coast and offers impressive views of the bay. From the village of Foilmore you can reach the city of Cahersiveen via an 11 km long connecting path, which is the starting point for a possible detour to Valentia Island or the Skellig Islands.
The fifth stage is usually started again in Cahersiveen, first leads back to Foilmore and from there over two ridges to Waterville back to the coast.
From there, there are two options for the sixth stage to reach the next town Caherdaniel . The coastal route leads around Mount Farraniargh, the inland route is based on the banks of Lough Currane , then crosses the mountains at the second pass, which is called "Windy Gap" on the route and leads from there to Caherdaniel.
On the seventh stage between Caherdaniel and Sneem , the path follows an old stagecoach route through the hill country.
The eighth stage leads behind Sneem always above the coast, and offers many views of the bay of the Kenmare River. Only to cross the Blackwater River does the path leave the immediate vicinity of the coast. The stage ends in Kenmare , which is the connection between the peninsulas Iveragh and Beara .
The last stage crosses the mountains between Kenmare and Killarney, meets the first part of the route at Galway's Bridge and follows this again past the grounds of Muckross House to the end point Killarney.
Connection to other hiking trails
The section from Kenmare to Killarney is part of the European long-distance hiking route E8 , which leads from Dursey Island in County Cork (southwestern end of the Beara Peninsula ) to Istanbul in Turkey. After Kenmare, the E8 turns into Beara Way and leads to its western end at Dursey Island. From Killarney it first leads to Shrone , then turns into the Blackwater Way and then crosses Ireland to the east coast.
Attractions
Along the way or a short distance from it are Innisfallen Abbey , Ross Castle , Muckross House , Muckross Abbey , Derrynane House (former residence of Daniel O'Connell ), Staigue Fort and the stone line of Eightercua .
Photographs
Signposting of the way
Muckross Lake
Oak forests near Upper Lake
View of the Black Valley
View from Drung Hill over Dingle Bay
Kenmare River
Waymarking
Crannóg in Glencar Lough
Web links
- Kerry Way on IrishTrails.ie
- The Kerry Way Experience
- The Kerryman
literature
- Hartmut Engel: Outdoor Handbook Ireland. Kerry Way . 2nd Edition. Conrad Stein Verlag, Welver 2005, ISBN 3-89392-362-4 .
- National Trails Office: Setting New Directions. A review of National Waymarked Ways in Ireland . Ed .: Irish Sports Council. Dublin 2010 ( irishtrails.ie [PDF]).
Individual evidence
- ↑ National Waymarked Trails on the Irish Trails Office website. Retrieved January 22, 2019.