One of the greenest, friendliest and most impressionable places I’ve ever visited is the west side of Ireland. Between the Ring of Kerry, Killarney National Park and Dingle Pennisula, there are so many ways to enjoy Kerry County.
Ring Of Kerry
The Ring of Kerry is a road that follows the coast of lower Kerry Peninsula, with breathtaking viewpoints of mountains and the Atlantic Ocean. Here are my favorite hidden gems of the Penninsula.
1. Sneem is one of the villages in the Ring of Kerry that lies on an estuary in the Sneem River. It’s a precious little town with nearby hiking trails and a gorgeous river running through the middle.
2. Lady’s View is a scenic point along the Ring of Kerry. It’s name apparently stems from the admiration from Queen Victoria’s ladies-in-waiting during their visit in 1861.
3. Scarriff Inn is acclaimed to be the most scenic restaurant in the entire country. We stopped there for lunch as we made our way back to Killarney. They served the best Shepard’s Pie I’ve ever eaten, and I surly wasn’t complaining about the view while chowing down.
4. Watervill is another charming town in the Ring of Kerry. The town’s Irish name, Coirean, refers to the shape of Ballinskelligs Bay on which the town sits. There town is also infamous for its association with Charlie Chaplin. There’s usually a street entertainer dressed up as Charlie near the statue they built of him when you first drive into town. It’s known as his favorite holiday spot and his big yellow holiday home isn’t too hard to find in a town of its size.
Dingle Penninsula
Inch Beach: This three-mile beach stretches along the south east side of the Dinngle Penninsula. It’s so different than any beach that I’m used to because you’re surrounded by mountains and sheep!
From Inch Beach we took Slea Head Road along the coast and stopped at viewpoints like the Cross at Slea Head to see the Sleeping Giant, which is an island close to shore that looks like a sleeping man with the head on the right side of the island (pictured below).
The best view of all from Dingle Penninsula is up by Fearann by the famous geological landscape called The Three Sisters. There is a lookout point that’s recent known as a filming location for the upcoming Star Wars movie.
Killarney Town
Killarney is by far my favorite city in Ireland so far. It’s quaint with buildings of all different colors, bricks and textures. Most pubs play live music every night of the week and there is plenty of good food. If you want to try a local beer that isn’t Guinness, I recommend going to Donloe Lounge for a Murphy Extra Stout. Seafood restaurants like Danny Mann Pub serve up some of the best seafood chowder I’ve ever tried. Wherever you decide to go for drinks, food or music, you’re bound to have a true taste of Killarney.
Killarney National Park
One of the best things about Killarney is the huge national park just steps from the city centre. There are plenty of walking trails that are mostly paved, which is great for renting a bike to get around to most of the north side of the park. The views are worth checking out especially if you’re looking for mountains, lakes, deer, and hilly fields.
Adventures With Erica 