Tour Highlights
- Brooding mountains, lakes and beaches. Just fantastic scenery. When you leave the peninsula, you will just know you have left somewhere special behind.
- Pre and early Christianity…everywhere! Stones, rows, huts, churches, wells. Links to our very early days.
- Cloghane & Brandon villages, nestling under the hills and seas. Your photos will forever bring you back to this quiet corner. The Loch a Duin valley is another world.
- Castlegregory & the Magharees, swept by Atlantic winds and tides, their economy is carrots and cows! Do the Magharees boat trip into Tralee Bay.
- Fresh, fresh, fresh seafood!
Itinerary
Day 1 – Arrival to Camp Village
Travel to Camp via Tralee on scheduled bus service or by taxi. Camp is situated overlooking Tralee Bay to the north with the majestic Gearhane and Caherconree peaks to the east. It has been an historic crossing point of the Slieve Mish Mountains since the first settlers were here in 1700BC . Camp is a small settlement, with plenty of local colour and a short circular walk to limber up for the kilometers ahead!
Overnight accommodation in Camp village.
Day 2 – Camp to Anascaul via Inch Strand
Hike to the south on turf cutting roads, through the glorious bogland of Slieve Mish- the wilderness of the blanket bog is punctuated with conifer forest and the stacks of drying turf. Skirt Ardroe Hill, overlooking the magnificent 8km of sand dunes and beach at Inch, with views south to the Ring of Kerry and Ireland’s highest mountain range, before following the “Maum” (pass) down to Annascaul village.
Distance 18.5km. Ascents 460m. Approximate walking time 6 hours.
Optional extra hike over Brackaloon Hill, 5km (2 hours).
Overnight accommodation in Annascaul village.
Day 3 – Anascaul to Dingle
Follow Acres Hill to the staunch remains of 12th century Minard Castle, mostly destroyed by Cromwell’s army in 1650. Turn inland again on minor roads to the railway village of Lispole. All the way you are within scent of the seas of Dingle Bay and encircled by the Kerry Mountains. From Lispole, the Way follows mostly sheep farming country before climbing An Cnoc Maol Mor and descending the old green droving road into Dingle town.
Distance 23km. Ascents 560m. Approximate walking time 6-7 hours.
Overnight accommodation in Dingle town.
Day 4 – Dingle to Dunquin
Minor roads take you from Dingle to Ventry; beyond is some of the most spectacular scenery you could hope to find. Cross the magnificent Ventry harbour, weave through fuchsia hedges and climb an old track on the foothill of Mount Eagle past the early Christian beehive huts at Fahan. Behind are views south to the Ring of Kerry and Valentia Island. Ahead the route opens up to Slea Head and the Blasket Islands. This is the most westerly point in Europe, beyond is North America!
Distance 25km. Ascents 650m. Approximate walking time 7 hours.
Optional route over Mount Eagle add 5km and 2 hours
We include notes for this climb, only advisable in good weather conditions.
Overnight accommodation in Dunquin village.
Day 5 – Dunquin to Ballydavid
We recommend a visit to the Blasket Island Interpretative Centre before departing Dunquin, illustrating the harshness of life on the Blasket Islands until the last inhabitants resettled to the mainland in 1953. The route follows the Norse named Smerwick Harbour and a detour takes you to Dun an Oir, the Fort of Gold, where Italian and Spaniard soldiers were besieged by troops of Elizabeth 1 in 1580. Ballydavid is a thriving fishing harbour and a Gaelic speaking community.
Distance 16km. Ascents 240m. Approximate walking time 5 hours.
Optional route over Cruach Mharthain add 1 hour.
Overnight accommodation in Boherboy or Feonanagh. (+3-5km from Ballydavid village)
Day 6 – Ballydavid to Cloghane
You are in the cradle of early Christian civilization here, with as many as sixty notable sites of cultural and religious development from the 5th to 9th centuries. Today’s hike takes you up; up to the saddle of Mas an Tiompain (the Pass of the Drum) below Mount Brandon, Ireland’s second highest mountain at 950m. The scenery is superb – Tralee Bay, the Magharees against the hues of the Slieve Mish mountains. The descent to Cloghane is nothing short of thrilling on a clear day, and well-earned respite is available in the village!
Distance 22km. Ascents 750m. Approximate walking time 7-8 hours.
Overnight accommodation in Cloghane village.
Day 7 – Free Day in Cloghane
Option to climb Mount Brandon, Ireland’s second highest mountain at 951m.
Ascents 950m. 8 hours return, only recommended in good weather and to experienced hikers.
Alternative walk to the Valley of Loch a Dúin, inhabited from the early Bronze Age. What is important in the valley is an unbroken line of habitation for 4000 years. There are approximately eighty stone structures, wedge tombs, standing stones, cooking sites or fulacht fia and rock art.
Distance 10km, Ascents 100m Approx. walking time 4 hours.
Overnight accommodation in Cloghane village.
Day 8 – Cloghane to Castlegregory
Back at sea level, today’s walk follows the coast around the Castlegregory promontory via the surfing beaches of Brandon and Scraggane Bay to the limestone Isles of Magharee. The fishing harbour of Kilshannig is one of the last places where the traditional namhog is made – a fishing boat with a tarred canvas skin on a light wooden frame. Crabs caught freshly here are transported to the tables of France and Spain. A cross slab bearing the Greek Chi-Rho symbol of Christ is in the 15th century Kilshannig Church. Castlegregory is a traditional village serving the area.
Distance 13km or 28km. Ascents 30m. Approximate walking time 4 or 7 hours.
Overnight accommodation in Castlegregory village.
Day 9 – Castlegregory to Camp
A nice coastal route along Tralee Bay. The optional route visits the deserted village of Killelton, its inhabitants evicted by their landlord in the 19th century. There are also the remains of a 12th century oratory. It is a wonderful place with immense views of Tralee Bay.
Distance 12km. Ascents 80m. Approximate walking time 3 hours.
Optional route via Killelton famine village 8km. Ascents 20m. Approximate walking time 2 hours.
Overnight accommodation in Camp village.
Day 10 – Departure from Camp
Scheduled bus services from Camp to Tralee (20 minutes) for onward connections.
Prices & Booking
€315 single supplement.
What’s Included
* Nine nights Bed & Breakfast guesthouse accommodation
* Luggage transfers each day
* Detailed route descriptions
* Relevant 1:50000 maps
What’s not included:
* Other meals
* Entries or excursions
* Transfers to/from Camp
Guest Reviews
August 2021 – Guido & Alicia, Switaerland
We just went back from ireland yesterday and let me tell: We really enjoyed our hiking tour around the dingle peninsula! Everything was perfect and well organized. Thank you so much.
July 2021 – Marie & Hans, Holland
Thank you for making our stay in Ireland so well. The last day we had to take the bad weather tour from Bally David. Everything we was wearing was wet. We got a lift to the pub with the owner and the dinner was super. We took a sticky tofee pudding , we were really worth it. The B&Bs were all very good. The food at Donquin was excellent.
June 2019 – Joan & Angelika, NY
Thanks for your note and even more so for arranging the trip. We had an absolutely amazing time. As you know the weather was perfect, as we we heard from everyone we met along the way very unusual and special for Ireland. This made for easy walking and brilliant scenery. It was not hard to imagine really needing “gaitors” along the way from Tralee to Camp! I think the only day that we had even the slightest bit of overcast was as we climbed Mt Brandon. This in fact, was much appreciated as the trails in the US generally have switchbacks, so the breeze and overcast skies made walking straight up just a little easier. (BTW we had full sun by the time we reached the top!) It did not keep us from dawdling a bit along the way, and we had time enough to take over 250 pics along the way to prove it! I can’t imagine deleting anything that we saw!
June 2019 – Anna & Dirk, Belgium
Just wanted to let you know that we had wonderful holidays in Ireland.
Walking “the Dingle Way” was an amazing experience- we truly enjoyed it.
This is really a gorgeous part of Ireland and the weather couldn’t be better.
May 2019 – Debbie & Peter, Auckland NZ
We did have a great trip!!!
We enjoyed hearing spoken Irish which is one of the things we felt made The Dingle peninsula particularly special. The weather was fantastic and we very much enjoyed all our hosts.
May 2019 – Cindy & Hazel ran the Dingle Way, Utah, USA
Great! The accommodations and hosts have been first rate. Also, the food in the villages has been excellent. Thank you for making lovely arrangements! The logistics have worked seamlessly so far.
May 2019 – Ivar & Daniel, Norway & California USA
We finished the Dingle Way last week and it was fantastic. The route was as advertised. Your notes were accurate and helpful. I could tell that you are walkers yourself and not just tour operators. Thanks!
I will thank you for the wonderful Dingle-trek . I am so impressed, by the nature, the friendly people, the excellent B&Bs, I have so many pictures, so many stories to tell my family and friends, and I hope to “walk with you” again.
Location & Grade
