County Kerry (South West)
Ring of Kerry
Driving the Ring of Kerry for UK travellers: the 179km loop from Killarney, which way to go to dodge the coaches, real drive times and whether the Skellig detour is worth it.
In short
Ring of Kerry at a glance
The Ring of Kerry is a 179km loop around the Iveragh Peninsula, almost everyone starts and ends it in Killarney, and the single most useful thing to know is which way to drive it. Tour coaches all run anticlockwise (Killorglin first), so self-drivers go clockwise — out of Killarney to Kenmare first — to keep the coaches coming towards you rather than crawling in front of you all day. The pure driving is only about 3 hours, but with stops at Kenmare, Sneem, Derrynane, Waterville and Ladies View it's a full 7–8 hour day. Build it around two or three nights in Killarney rather than trying to bolt it onto a Dublin trip.
The Ring of Kerry is the most famous drive in Ireland, a 179km loop around the Iveragh Peninsula that almost everyone starts and finishes in Killarney. The mistake people make is treating it as a quick spin — it’s only about three hours of moving, but with the viewpoints over Ladies View and Moll’s Gap, the beach at Derrynane, the photo stop at Coomakista and a lunch in Waterville, it eats a full day. Give it 7 to 8 hours and don’t try to bolt it onto a Dublin itinerary; base yourself in Killarney for two or three nights and do it properly.
The one piece of advice worth more than any other is which direction to go. The tour coaches all run the loop anticlockwise — out of Killarney through Killorglin first — because the convention keeps them from meeting each other on the narrowest sections. So you drive it clockwise, leaving Killarney towards Kenmare. That way the coaches come towards you on the open stretches rather than sitting in front of you for the day, and you reach the popular car parks slightly out of sync with them. Leave by 9am and you’ll be ahead of the worst of it.
If you’ve got the time, the Skellig Ring detour at Portmagee is the bit that makes the day. The road over the Coomanaspig Pass is too narrow for coaches, so it’s the one stretch you’ll largely have to yourself — the Kerry Cliffs, the drop down to Portmagee, the Atlantic doing its thing. It adds roughly an hour. Landing on Skellig Michael, the monastery island offshore, is a different proposition: a weather-dependent boat trip booked months in advance that cancels often, so admire it from the Coomakista viewpoint and treat an actual landing as a separate pilgrimage, not part of the loop.
The route
A one-day clockwise loop from Killarney, written so the tour coaches (which all run anticlockwise) come towards you rather than block you. Drive times are between stops, not from Killarney; the whole circuit is about 3 hours of moving and 7–8 hours with stops.
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Morning
Killarney → Kenmare (N71)
Leave Killarney by 9am clockwise on the N71 over Ladies View and Moll's Gap — the two big lake-and-mountain viewpoints, both with car parks. Kenmare is about 40 minutes out: a tidy heritage town for a coffee and the loo before you commit to the long western leg.
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Late morning
Kenmare → Sneem → Staigue Fort
Pick up the N70 west. Sneem is a postcard village split by a river, good for a leg-stretch; just past it a signed side road climbs to Staigue Fort, a roughly 2,000-year-old Iron Age dry-stone ring fort with a small honesty-box charge and no coaches — they can't get up the lane.
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Midday
Derrynane & Coomakista
Detour down to Derrynane: Daniel O'Connell's house and one of the best beaches in Ireland, white sand and turquoise water on a clear day. Back on the N70 the Coomakista Pass viewpoint looks back over the bay and out to the Skelligs — the classic Ring of Kerry photo.
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Early afternoon
Waterville → Portmagee (Skellig Ring optional)
Waterville is the lunch town — Charlie Chaplin's old holiday spot, with a seafront strip of cafés. If you've made good time, branch onto the Skellig Ring via Portmagee and the Kerry Cliffs and the Coomanaspig Pass; it adds roughly an hour and coaches can't follow.
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Late afternoon
Cahersiveen → Killorglin → Killarney
Rejoin the N70 through Cahersiveen and Glenbeigh, with Rossbeigh strand if you fancy a last beach walk, then Killorglin and back into Killarney on the N72. You'll be running with the day's last coaches at your back, not in front.
Where to base yourself
Pick one or two bases rather than moving every night.
Killarney town
££ mid-rangeThe default and the right call for a first trip: the largest town on the peninsula, the most hotels, B&Bs and restaurants, a lively pub scene and Kerry Airport 20 minutes away. Do the Ring as a day loop from here and you come back to somewhere with actual dinner options.
Best for: First-timers, dining and nightlife, airport access
Kenmare
£££ premiumA smaller, prettier, more upmarket base at the south-east corner of the loop — colourful shopfronts, strong restaurants and a calmer feel than Killarney. Slightly fewer beds and they go fast in summer, but it's a lovely two-night alternative if you want quieter evenings.
Best for: Couples, foodies, a quieter base
Portmagee / Valentia Island
££ mid-rangeFar out on the western tip and only worth it if Skellig Michael is your priority — this is where the landing boats leave. A handful of small guesthouses; book the boat first and the bed to match. Atmospheric and remote, but a long way from a supermarket or a backup plan if the weather turns.
Best for: Skellig Michael landings, remote scenery
Getting around Ring of Kerry
This is a self-drive route, full stop — public transport around the Iveragh Peninsula is thin and the joy of it is stopping where you like. Hire a car at Kerry Airport (20 minutes from Killarney, roughly £40–£50 a day in summer) or pick one up in Killarney itself. Remember Ireland drives on the left like the UK, so there's no wrong-side adjustment, but the N70 is single-carriageway with blind bends and the detour lanes (the Skellig Ring, the road into Derrynane) are properly narrow. If you'd rather not drive, day coaches run from Killarney — but they go anticlockwise, skip the narrow best bits like the Skellig Ring, and you're tied to their stops.
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Ring of Kerry FAQs
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