Cycling in Killarney and Dingle, Ireland

Cycling on the Dingle Peninsula

After hiking Hungry Hill, we had the car for two more days and decided to do some cycling. First, we did an excellent loop from Killarney, up and over the Gap of Dunloe, and back into Killarney through the National Park. The loop is 26 miles with a mountain pass in the middle and is challenging, but not overly so (any reasonably fit adult could do it). It was a great ride with great scenery and we had excellent weather. This is a highly recommended outing if you'd like something with some (though not excessive) physical challenge. 

Heading up the Gap of Dunloe

Near the top of the climb: Gap of Dunloe.

Heading into the National Park on the way down.

We ended our loop ride in Killarney early enough that we had some time for sightseeing on the way back to Cork. So we took a detour over to Guagan Berra, which was the hermitage of St. Finnbarr (Cork's founder) and contains some short, but beautiful, hiking trails. It was definitely worth the side trip, though I had been reluctant to go after a long day.

St. Finnbarr's church.

Hiking in Guagan Berra.

A restful spot.

The next day we drove further out to Dingle, which is a town on the furthest west peninsula in southern Ireland. There's a loop from Dingle out to the tip of the peninsula that is about 26 miles. We had another great weather day, and the scenery on the ride was truly fantastic -- even better than the Gap of Dunloe Loop. It was a long drive out to Dingle, but it was worth it for this excellent ride. The countryside on this route is classic: hand built stone walls, old fallen down stone buildings, and lots of sheep. We found out that humans lived in that spot for thousands of years. It was a great day.

On both rides we hired bikes from a local shop. I was telling Jen that if we were to do it again, I'd want to go immediately to Killarney, rent bikes and panniers, and spend a few days riding the Ring of Kerry and then some. Cycling is a nice way to see the country. 

Old stone walls and sheep.