Nearby

Kenmare is in the Unique position to be on two excellent and internationally renowned tours. These are the Ring of Kerry and The Beara Peninsula

RING OF KERRY

The Ring of Kerry is a tourist trail in County Kerry, south-western Ireland. The route covers the 170 km circular road (N70, N71 and R562), starting from Killarney around the Iveragh peninsula; it passes through Kenmare, Sneem, Waterville, Cahersiveen and Killorglin. Tourist attraction points are, among others, Muckross House (near Killarney), Staigue Fort and Derrynane House, home of Daniel O'Connell.

There is also an established Ring of Kerry walking path which takes its own route and a signposted Ring of Kerry cycling path which uses older quieter roads where possible.

Also there are numerous variations to the route taking in St Finian's Bay and Valentia Island which the official driving ring misses (the official cycling route takes in Valentia island).

"The Ring" is a popular day trip and numerous bus companies offer trips during the summer months. As the narrow roads make it difficult for tour coaches to pass, all tour busses run in an anti-clockwise direction, travelling via Killorglin first. It is recommended that car owners travel in the opposite direction, going first to Kenmare to avoid delays caused by tour busses.

BEARA

The Beara peninsula in Ireland is the southernmost of the main peninsulas on the south-west coast. The northern part of the peninsula, except near the tip of it, is in County Kerry, while the rest lies in County Cork. The main tourist attractions are the ruins of Puxley Mansion, Dunboy Castle and Derreen Gardens. It was the traditional seat of power of the O'Sullivan Clan and was one of the last points of Gaelic resistance after the Battle of Kinsale. It later became a major copper extraction point and became immortalised in the Daphne du Maurier novel "Hungry Hill."

The Ring of Beara is a tourist trail of about 195 kilometres (120 miles) circumnavigating the peninsula. It starts in Kenmare, crossing the Healy Pass through Adrigole, passing Castletownbere, Allihies, the fork to Dursey Island, Eyeries and Ardgroom, ending in Glengarriff. The area has had a long connection with the sea, Castletownbere is one of Ireland's largest fishing ports and excellent sailing and boating facilities.