The Dingle Way () is a
long-distance trail
A long-distance trail (or long-distance footpath, track, way, greenway) is a longer recreational trail mainly through rural areas used for hiking, backpacking, cycling, horse riding or cross-country skiing. They exist on all continents exc ...
around the
Dingle Peninsula
The Dingle Peninsula ( ga, Corca Dhuibhne; anglicised as Corkaguiny, the name of the corresponding barony) is the northernmost of the major peninsulas in County Kerry. It ends beyond the town of Dingle at Dunmore Head, the westernmost point ...
in
County Kerry
County Kerry ( gle, Contae Chiarraí) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and forms part of the province of Munster. It is named after the Ciarraige who lived in part of the present county. The population of the co ...
, Ireland. It is a long circular route that begins and ends in
Tralee
Tralee ( ; ga, Trá Lí, ; formerly , meaning 'strand of the Lee River') is the county town of County Kerry in the south-west of Ireland. The town is on the northern side of the neck of the Dingle Peninsula, and is the largest town in Count ...
and is typically completed in eight days. It is designated as a
National Waymarked Trail by the National Trails Office of the
Irish Sports Council
Sport Ireland ( ga, Spórt Éireann), formerly the Irish Sports Council, is a statutory authority that oversees, and partly funds, the development of sport within Ireland. It is located at the National Sports Campus in the townland of Sheephill ...
and is managed by the Dingle Way Committee and
Kerry County Council
Kerry County Council ( ga, Comhairle Contae Chiarraí) is the authority responsible for local government in County Kerry, Ireland. As a county council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The council is responsible for housing a ...
.
Route
The trail begins in Tralee, following the
towpath
A towpath is a road or trail on the bank of a river, canal, or other inland waterway. The purpose of a towpath is to allow a land vehicle, beasts of burden, or a team of human pullers to tow a boat, often a barge. This mode of transport w ...
of the
Tralee Ship Canal
The Tralee Ship Canal () is a canal built for freight and passenger transportation from Tralee Bay to the town of Tralee in County Kerry, Ireland. The canal fell into disuse in the mid-20th century but has since been restored.
History
The Tral ...
to
Blennerville
Blennerville (, meaning "the seat/home of the Morans") is a small village and now a suburb of Tralee, County Kerry, Ireland. It is approximately west of the town centre on the N86 road to Dingle, where the River Lee enters Tralee Bay. The vill ...
, after which it follows the road for a while before climbing up to a mountain track along the northern flanks of the
Slieve Mish Mountains. From here it descends towards
Tralee Bay and the village of
Camp
Camp may refer to:
Outdoor accommodation and recreation
* Campsite or campground, a recreational outdoor sleeping and eating site
* a temporary settlement for nomads
* Camp, a term used in New England, Northern Ontario and New Brunswick to descri ...
. The next few stages – Camp to
Annascaul
Annascaul or Anascaul () is a village on the Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry, Ireland. It is situated 32.9 kilometres west of Tralee on the N86 Tralee - Dingle national secondary road near its junction with the R561 regional road to Castlemai ...
, via Inch Strand; Annascaul to
Dingle
Dingle ( Irish: ''An Daingean'' or ''Daingean Uí Chúis'', meaning "fort of Ó Cúis") is a town in County Kerry, Ireland. The only town on the Dingle Peninsula, it sits on the Atlantic coast, about southwest of Tralee and northwest of Kill ...
, via
Lispole; and Dingle to
Dunquin
Dunquin ( ) is a Gaeltacht village in west County Kerry, Ireland. Dunquin lies at the most westerly tip of the Dingle Peninsula, overlooking the Blasket Islands. At 10°27'16"W, it is the most westerly settlement of Ireland and of Eurasia, exclu ...
, via
Ventry – mainly follow minor roads and
boreen
A boreen or bohereen ( ; ga, bóithrín , meaning 'a little road') is a country lane, or narrow, frequently unpaved, rural road in Ireland.
"Boreen" also appears sometimes in names of minor urban roads such as Saint Mobhi Bóithrín ( ga, Bó ...
s. The latter section of the stage between Dingle and Dunquin follows a cliff path around
Slea Head
Slea Head (Irish: ''Ceann Sléibhe'') is a promontory in the westernmost part of the Dingle Peninsula, located in the barony of Corca Dhuibhne in southwest County Kerry, Ireland. It belongs to the province of Munster and the county of Ker ...
. The section between Dunquin and Ballycurrane follows a mixture of roads, beaches and cliff paths. The most mountainous stretch of the Way now follows as the trail ascends a saddle between
Brandon and Masatiompan mountains. At , this is the highest point reached by any of the National Waymarked Trails in Ireland.
The Way then descends to
Brandon village and follows a trail to the village of
Cloghane
An Clochán (anglicized as Cloghane; from ''clochán'', a local type of dry-stone hut) is a village and townland on the Dingle Peninsula of County Kerry, Ireland, at the foot of Mount Brandon. In 1974 the village was added to the Corca Dhuibhne ...
. From Cloghane, the trail follows Fermoyle Strand, Ireland's longest beach, to
Fahamore
Fahamore () is a townland and small hamlet/village on the Maharees peninsula in County Kerry. It consists of about 50 houses and one pub, Spillane's. Fahamore was historically much more populated than it is now as evidenced by two old schoolhou ...
, before following roads to the village of
Castlegregory. The final stage follows the coastline to Camp before retracing the outward route to Tralee.
Usage
A review of the National Waymarked Trails in 2010 found both multi-day and day usage of the Dingle Way to be high and recommended that work should commence to upgrade it to a National Long Distance Trail, a proposed new standard of trail in Ireland intended to meet international standards for outstanding trails. It also recommended that the development of looped walks off the main route should be considered.
References
Notes
Bibliography
*
*
*
External links
dingleway.iedingleway.com
{{coord, 52.267, N, 9.706, W, type:landmark_region:IE, display=title
Long-distance trails in the Republic of Ireland
Geography of County Kerry
Tourist attractions in County Kerry