What
to do in Beautiful Killarney
Itinerary for a 2 or 3 day stay
Day
1
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From
Ross Castle Lodge, walk or drive the short distance to Ross Castle.
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Visit the Castle itself and if you have not yet taken a castle tour, this
is your chance. |
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From
Ross Castle pier take a waterbus or watercoach on Lough Leane. You cruise the most scenic sections of
the lake for one hour and the captain gives an interesting commentary on the
history of the surrounding area. |
Afterwards return to Ross Castle Lodge and drive to the top of the Ross
Road, turn right and drive the 2 miles or
so to MUCKROSS ABBEY. The entrance is opposite the Muckross Park Hotel.
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Muckross Abbey was built by McCarthy Mor for the
Franciscans around 1448. The Gaelic Chieftains and three of the Gaelic
poets of Kerry are buried here. (No entrance fee) |
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Take the lake shore path or return to your car and drive further on to
MUCKROSS HOUSE AND GARDENS. This is the most visited place in Ireland
outside Dublin Zoo. Parking is free.
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Take a tour of the house itself (€5.75, seniors €4.50) which can be combined
with a tour of the traditional farms (Joint ticket €9.50, seniors €7.50).
The farms are quite authentic and represent farm life as it was lived in
Ireland up to the 1950's. A minibus circles the farms so you can, if you
wish, use it to travel from farmhouse to farmhouse where you can see the hay
being saved, corn being reaped or threshed and the cows and fowl being tended.
These tours are very good value.
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Visit
the Gardens (no fee) which can be very beautiful in late spring and early
Summer when the azaleas and rhododendrons are in bloom |
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Take
one of the many short walks by the lake or visit Reenadeena wood which is one
of the last natural yew woods in Europe. Visit the craft shop. |
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Well Satisfied with your first day in Killarney, return home to Ross Castle Lodge. |
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Day 2
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The Ring of Kerry On a 'right' day The Ring of Kerry which starts and ends in Killarney, has been described as the most beautiful circular drive in Western Europe. The best way to drive it is anti-clockwise through Killorglin. We will only be too glad to go over the route with you and give you some hints and recommendations. |
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A better way to do it is to leave your car behind and take a coach tour.
Book at Ross Castle Lodge and be collected and returned here in the evening.
The tour lasts for most of the day and costs 20 Euro.
Day 3
The Famous Gap Trip
This trip has been done by visitors to Killarney since the late Eighteenth Century. It involves a boat ride through the Killarney Lakes and a walk or ride through The Gap of Dunloe, a mountain pass gorged out during the last ice age and very beautiful. Now read on..
The traditional way of doing it and still the one favoured by most is to
take a coach to Kate Kearneys Cottage, a famous pub at the entrance to the Gap.
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Then
take a jaunting car ride or walk the 7 mile journey through the Gap of Dunloe
and the Black Valley to Lord Brandons Cottage at the top of the Lakes. Lunch or a snack can be had here. |
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Boats
Depart at 2.15 from Lord Brandons Cottage for the trip through the Killarney
Lakes back to Ross Castle. |
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You
are taken along the Long Range River under the Eagles Nest Mountain.
Here the majestic golden eagles of Killarney once swooped and soared.
Conservationists will be horrified to learn that during the 19th Century, the
boatmen fired shots from a blunderbuss as the boats passed under the mountain
so that the tourists could view the Eagles as they left their nests. To
make matters worse, chicks were robbed from the nests to grace the aviaries
of the rich. It goes without saying that the golden eagles of Killarney
soon became extinct. Fortunately
with the reintroduction of the white-tailed sea eagle to Kerry, eagles can be
seen once more soaring over the lakes and gliding through these majestic mountains. Watch out for them. |
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The boats will linger here for a short time before the last leg of your journey through beautiful lough Leane. |
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Disembark
at Ross Castle at around 4.30pm. You will be picked up by coach for the
journey home although you may prefer to walk back to Ross Castle Lodge. |
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Trip
costs €28. Pony and trap and saddle ponies can be hired separately Book at Ross Castle Lodge and you will be collected at the door |
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Alternative Route
This time you will be doing the trip in reverse.
The alternative way of doing the trip is to hire a bicycle in the town. Cycle to Reen Pier near Ross Castle (Reen Pier is about 100 meters to the right of Ross Castle....Go over the wooden bridge). The boats depart at 10.45 am and your bike will be taken on board.
The road surface through The Gap is not good however, so you will need to be cautious.
Stop at Kate Kearneys Cottage before the last leg of your cycle tour back to Killarney.
A word of advice.. Wear warm clothing and take rainwear with you as you may get sudden showers in The Gap during unsettled weather.
It is necessary to book the boat tour. You can book at Ross Castle Lodge.
Note: Prices and times are subject to change
View the interior of Ross
Castle Lodge
Take a look at things to do
within walking and driving distance of Ross Castle Lodge
