Killarney National Park

Killarney National Park and the surrounding Ring of Kerry – a scenic 179 kilometer/111 mile drive around the edge of the Iveragh Peninsula in County Kerry – showcase some of the best natural landscapes Ireland has to offer. Rugged coastline, Ireland’s tallest mountains, quaint villages and lots of hiking trails to explore it all. We’d been doing quite a bit of driving as we’d worked our way south along the Wild Atlantic Way and had seen a lot of impressive coastline further north, so steered away from a day in the car exploring the Ring of Kerry and instead headed into the mountains of Killarney National Park from our base in Gneevgullia. We had our sights set on the peak of Caher on the western edge of Killarney National Park, it was a grueling and incredibly steep 2.9 mile/4.7 kilometer route each way with 2759 feet/840 meters of elevation gain. The first half out of the basin below the mountains was steep but manageable, but once we hit the peat bogs halfway up the trail turned to absolute shite (as the locals would put it…). It’s astonishing just how much water the peat held, we’d step on grass that appeared to be solid and sink into muddy peat up to our ankles. It was like traversing a minefield crossing the bogs, trying to hop between high ground to avoid anything that looked remotely waterlogged. I managed to escape with only one sopping wet sock and shoe.

A dense layer of clouds a few hundred feet thick was cloaking the peaks of the mountains of Killarney National Park as we ascended. We scrambled up the scree above the peat bogs, it was one of the steepest trails of our trip, in some spots we could almost touch the ground with our hands in front of us as we climbed. It was a little disorienting to climb across the jagged rocks with the clouds swirling around us, not being able to see anything through the fog as the cliffs dropped a couple of thousand feet below the trail to our left. We made it to Caher West Top and sought refuge in a rock shelter a blessed soul had built at the peak, escaping the gale force winds for long enough to grab a snack. It was not a pleasant spot for lunch so we started to head down, but as we were leaving the clouds parted for a few seconds and provided some incredible views of the mountain peaks surrounding Lough Coomloughra. We even caught a glimpse of Carrauntoohil – Ireland’s tallest peak – which poked through the clouds a few hundred feet to our east. The views gave everyone a shot of adrenaline, lots of hooting and hollering as we all took in the view. Max and I stayed up at the peak in the freezing gale a little longer than the girls, watching the wind blow the rolling clouds over us time and time again. It was about as close as one could come to flying without being in a plane. I think we were pretty lucky to score views ofCarrauntoohil and the surrounding peaks during winter, it would be an incredible hike in summer with 360 degree panoramas from the top.

The temperature at the top of Caher West Top was just above freezing, but with the gales blowing, the wind chill must have been quite a bit below that. Fortunately the clouds continued to part and blessed us with some late autumn sun on the way down, it felt so good on our legs and backs as we descended. Even with the sun, though, it took me until about halfway down before I could feel my fingertips again (which were clad in merino wool!). As we reached the bogs on the way down we could see Caher West Top and our little rock refuge thousands of feet above us, the views would have been amazing had we still been up there but if we’d started our hike any later we would have been racing the sunset on the way down. The constant game of cat and mouse with daylight hours at this time of year in the UK and Ireland… It wasn’t our longest hike of the trip nor the hike with the most elevation gain, but it sure was a grueling one. In mile three we gained 1444 feet of elevation, definitely up there with the steepest sections of our hike to Viševnik in Slovenia. The kids punished it like it was a walk in the park, but my quads and Lisa’s calves were definitely feeling the burn on this one.

We enjoyed a stroll, a few pints and dinner in the quaint town of Killarney post-hike. Quite a touristy but very charming enclave, there were more pubs than one could poke a stick at and plenty of great window shopping along the main street. Killarney reminded us of some of the lovely villages in the Lake District in northern England, with all their outdoor stores and excellent pubs.

I don’t have any photos of our digs in County Kerry in the sleepy village of Gneeveguilla, but Nono’s Cottage was an excellent spot to spend a few nights as we were passing through. It was more like a hotel than a self-contained cottage, with ornate bedrooms and even a Christmas tree setup in the living room for us. For me, however, the most memorable part of our stay inGneeveguilla was the country bar located directly next door to our cottage, and the local gents that patronized the drinking hole each night after work. I very much enjoyed chatting to Mary – the bar’s owner – as well as the dairymen, cattle farmers and contractors that would religiously stop by on their way home each night. Some exceptionally friendly folk, all equally as interested in hearing about our travels as they were in telling me about County Kerry. The thickness of their Irish accents was such that I honestly had trouble understanding them unless I was looking at their lips whilst they were talking! On our second night inGneeveguilla we left the kids watching a movie and Lisa accompanied me for a couple of Guinness with Mary and the gents next door, only to be joined half an hour later by two pajama-clad children worried that we’d have trouble finding our way home. Mary had a quick chat with them and sent them home with a bag of chips each, which were enjoyed following our hike to Caher West Top the next day. After the kids were tucked in, Lisa made the mistake of asking a gent what language he was speaking as he was chatting away across the bar. Her question was met with raucous laughter from the rest of the bar, and a response of “English!” from Mary the proprietor through the din. Good times and great memories!