Best Walks, Hikes & Trails on the Dingle Peninsula
Best Walks, Hikes & Trails on the Dingle Peninsula
When it comes to walking and hiking, one word describes the Dingle Peninsula – PARADISE!
Dingle is a top destination for outdoor adventurers, attracting climbers, walkers and hikers from all over the world each year. Whatever your level of ability, you’ll find a route that is perfect for you in Dingle – from more strenuous ridge walking to more gentle slopes, cliff walks, beach walks, forest walks, etc.
Regardless of what route(s) you choose, you are sure to find yourself immersed in an amazing landscape. You will be breathing in the fresh sea air, listening to the thunder of the waves and the call of the birds, surrounded by a wonderful variety of flora and fauna and most likely passing by some magnificent archaeological and ecclesiastical sites that are dotted throughout the Dingle Peninsula.
There is no shortage of choice, but below you will find a selection of our favourite walks / hikes / trails on the Dingle Peninsula.
Orla & Ronan's Favourite Walks, Hikes & Trails - Summary
1. Dingle Harbour & Lighthouse Loop
A magnificent coastal walk
- 10 km in Length
- 2 hours in Duration
- Moderate in Difficulty
- 159m Elevation Gain
- Loop Route Type
- 0 mins Drive Time
2. Eask Tower Trail Hike
A panoramic climb to Dingle History
- 3.2 km in Length
- 1 hour in Duration
- Moderate in Difficulty
- 248m Elevation Gain
- Out & Back Route Type
- 7 mins Drive Time
3. Ventry Beach Trail
A glorious beach trail
- 8 km in Length
- 1.5 hours in Duration
- Easy in Difficulty
- 34m Elevation Gain
- Partial Loop Route Type
- 7 mins Drive Time
4. Dunquin Cliff Walk
Hike the cliffs at the edge of Europe
- 5 km in Length
- 1.5 hours in Duration
- Moderate in Difficulty
- 145m Elevation Gain
- Loop Route Type
- 19 mins Drive Time
5. Mount Brandon Hike
Scale one of Ireland's highest peaks
- 7 km in Length
- 3 hours in Duration
- Strenuous in Difficulty
- 780m Elevation Gain
- Out & Back Route Type
- 12 mins Drive Time
6. Ballydavid Cliff Walk
A spectacular clifftop loop walk
- 5 km in Length
- 1 hour in Duration
- Easy in Difficulty
- 55m Elevation Gain
- Loop Route Type
- 12 mins Drive Time
Orla & Ronan's Favourite Walks, Hikes & Trails - Detail
No. 1: Dingle Harbour & Lighthouse Loop
Length:
10 km
Difficulty: Moderate
Route Type:
Loop
Duration:
2 hours
Elevation Gain:
159m
Drive Time:
0 mins
One of our absolute favourites and best of all you can start it right here on the doorstep of Cill Bhreac House.
Known locally as “walking out the banks” this walk will take you in by Dingle Marina, past Dingle Fishing Pier, taking a right at the town playground (at Cooleen) you will then start to walk out “the banks” along the shoreline of Dingle Harbour through fields with breathtaking pastoral views of grazing cows and sheep.
If the amazing coastal views and abundant maritime traffic coming and going from Dingle Harbour aren’t enough for you, there is also no shortage of points of interest along the way. You will pass a prominent tower-like structure, known as ‘Hussey’s Folly’, which was built in 1845 to provide relief work to the locals during the famine (and it was subsequently leased by custom authorities in 1850 as a watch tower).
Before you come to the lighthouse, you will pass a laneway down to the small but incredibly picturesque, ‘Sláidín’ beach. Take a moment, sit on the rocks, watch the fishing boats come and go, and enjoy the tranquility of this wonderful setting!
Next up is the Dingle Lighthouse and keepers’ cottage (construction completed in 1896 and electrified in 1986). It was in fact the final Dingle Lighthouse Keeper, Paddy Ferriter, who had the honour of being the first person to spot Dingle’s most famous resident, Fungi the Dingle Dolphin, as he escorted the town’s fishing boats to and from port in 1984.
Proceed with caution past the Lighthouse along the cliffs and you will soon arrive at beautiful ‘Beenbawn’ beach – very popular with swimmers (and indeed brides & grooms for their wedding photography). It is well worth strolling down the stony pathway onto the beach itself.
Leave ‘Beenbawn’ beach via the road, continue up through the local village and past Dingle Racecourse until you reach a T junction with the main ‘N86’ road. Turn left and walk along the N86 for 1 minute past a large red brick house on your right. Turn right and proceed up the remote country boreen/lane. At the next junction turn left and you are now on the ‘backroad’ into Dingle. Ascend to the crest of the hill and enjoy the magnificent views that open up over Dingle town and harbour as you descend into Dingle town. Continue straight up Main Street, straight up Goat Street, down the ‘High Road’, crossing over Milltown Bridge and you will return home to Cill Bhreac House once again.
No. 2: Eask Tower Hike
Length:
3.2 km
Difficulty: Moderate
Route Type:
Out & Back
A short but true hidden gem of a trail that is very much off the beaten path.
Looking out across the water from our home to the southerly side of Dingle Bay, you can’t help but notice the commanding tower on the summit of CarhooHill, Eask Tower. This is an extraordinary structure with a history to match. It is built of dry stone and is solid right through – 35ft high, 43ft in circumference and 14ft in diameter. It can be seen for miles from any direction proudly presiding over our beautiful town.
In times past, pre-radar days, the journey through Dingle Harbour’s mouth was a precarious one for the local fisherman. From the Atlantic Ocean finding the entrance alone was never an easy task and for this reason Dingle Harbour is referred to in nautical terms as a ‘blind harbour’. Things change somewhat is 1847 when three beacons were erected under the Famine Relief Programme to help guide the local fishermen from the choppy waters of the Atlantic Ocean into the peace and tranquility of Dingle Bay. The first of these beacons was the remarkable Eask Tower.
Protruding from the left side of Eask Tower, is a large piece of wood in the form of a hand with fingers pointing towards the mouth of Dingle Harbour. This gives the key to its purpose. The local fisherman often referred to it as the ‘Hand of God’ guiding them to safety of their beloved harbour after their endeavours at sea.
It is well worth hiking the 1.6km zig-zag climb to the summit of Carhoo Hill for an up-close look at this historic landmark. Aside from getting up-close to a little piece of Dingle history, you will also be rewarded with some incredible panoramic views of the Dingle Peninsula including Dingle & Ventry Harbour, Slea Head & the Blasket Islands, the Iveragh Peninsula, Skellig Michael and two of Ireland’s highest mountains – Carrauntoohil and Mount Brandon. While at the top, keep your eyes peeled on the waters on the other side of Eask Tower – periodic sightings of whales, dolphins and basking sharks are not uncommon.
Note: There is a €2 fee per adult to hike this trail.
No. 3: Ventry Beach Trail
Length:
8 km
Difficulty:
Easy
Route Type:
Partial Loop
Only 5km west of Cill Bhreac House, nestles beautiful Ventry Beach. With 2.5km of golden sands, set in sheltered Ventry Harbour and sitting in the shadows of Mount Eagle (516m), its majestic setting makes it a popular destination with both locals and visitors alike.
Ventry Beach is a Blue Flag beach, recognized for its cleanliness, safety and water quality. The beach curves in sweeping arc around Ventry Habour, a Natural heritage area rich in flora and fauna. Ventry Beach comprises of a small dune system, a small lake, wet grasslands and an extensive Common Reed swamp.
This spectacular setting makes this our favourite ‘beach walk’ and forms part of the official ‘Dingle Way’ hiking route. You have the option to do a simple ‘out and back’ 5km walk along the beach. Alternatively (and our preference), you can extend your walk to 8km, and exit the beach at its natural end by Cuan Pier (or exit a little bit before Cuan Pier at the markers for the ‘Dingle Way Hiking’ route, if you would prefer to avoid the climb across the rocks) where you can walk back through very picturesque minor countryside roads that will loop you back onto the Ventry Beach again closer to your starting/finishing point.
No. 4: Dunquin Cliff Walk / 'Lúb na Cille'
Length:
5 km
Difficulty:
Moderate
Route Type:
Loop
Waymarking:
White Arrow on Green Background
Dunquin Cliff Walk / ‘Lúb na Cille‘ is an absolutely stunning cliff walk and is a regular favourite with our guests. It is one of Ireland’s National Looped Walks. This hiking trail starts and finishes in the Blasket Island Interpretive Centre car park in Dún Chaoin and the scenery along the trail is simply amazing. You will experience breathtaking views over Clogher Beach, Ceann Sibeal, the headlands of Ceann Sratha, An Dún Mór, Mount Brandon, Mount Eagle and the Blasket islands.
The is a moderate hike that will suit people of varying fitness levels. The trail brings you along minor roads, sandy paths and coastal tracks. The start of hike is uphill initially then downhill or on the flat and includes a cliff top stretch, passing the schoolhouse built for the film Ryan’s Daughter. There are about half a dozen stiles to cross over along the route.
After your walk, we highly recommend a visit to the wonderful Blasket Island Interpretive Centre. Aside from housing a café to enjoy some well earned refreshments, this is a fascinating heritage and cultural centre/ museum which honours the unique community who lived on the remote Blasket Islands until their evacuation in 1953.
No. 5: Mount Brandon Hike
Length:
7 km
Difficulty:
Strenuous
Route Type:
Out & Back
Mount Brandon is one of Ireland’s most iconic mountains, and the top of its mountainous spine provides the spectacular backdrop to the magnificant views at the rear of Cill Bhreac House. Mount Brandon is Ireland’s highest peak (952m) outside of the Macgillycuddy Reeks (1,038m) – which coincidentally are the highest peaks that you can see as you look out across the Dingle Bay from Cill Bhreac House.
Mount Brandon can be a relatively strenuous climb to the summit (albeit not as challenging as the likes of Carrauntoohil), but the views that you will be treated to along the way make it all worthwhile. They really are spectacular. Please be mindful though to check the weather before you set out.
The mountain is named after Saint Brendan (who many believe discovered America before Columbus!). The foot of Mount Brandon marks the end of an old Christian pilgrimage trail known as The ‘Path of the Saints’ or Cosán na Naomh which connects many of the early Christian sites on the Dingle Peninsula. An extension of Cosán na Naomh now culminates on the spectacular summit of Mount Brandon. The route of the pilgrimage is clearly marked to the summit of Mount Brandon with 13 stations of the cross marking the trail up the mountain with cross number 14 awaiting you at the very top.
Note: If you fancy an even longer and more challenging route, Mount Brandon can also be scaled from the eastern side of the peninsula (starting in Faha in the village of Cloghane). Fabulous also.
No. 6: Ballydavid Cliff Walk
Length:
5 km
Difficulty:
Easy
Route Type:
Loop
The spectacular Ballydavid Cliff Walk is a flat and easy clifftop loop walk that is suitable for all ages.
The trail offers spectacular views of Ceann Sibéal and the peaks of the Three Sisters across Smerwick Harbour / Cuan Ard na Caithne as well as great vistas of the surrounding landscape and towards Mount Brandon and neighbouring mountains.
The trail will bring you along the beautiful Ballydavid coastline via a clifftop trail from Baile na nGall to An Ghlaise Bheag before returning by via an inland countryside route (grazing cows and sheep) along minor roads where you will pass by the Kerry studios of Ireland’s gaelic speaking radio station, RTE’s Radio na Gaeltachta.
The trail starts and ends at the beach in Baile na nGall / Ballydavid by Tigh T.P.’s bar & restaurant.
For more great walks and hikes on the Dingle Peninsula check out this ‘Walking Guide To The Dingle Peninsula’ booklet. Obviously we will be more than happy to tailor some additional recommendations for you during your stay also.