Kerry & the Beara

3 days · 5 driving roads · 223 miles of them · best May–September

The south-west peninsulas. The Ring of Kerry is the famous one, but the Healy Pass over the Beara and the climb to the Conor Pass — Ireland's highest — are the roads people remember. The Gap of Dunloe is here too, with a warning attached.

Getting there

⛴ Pembroke – Rosslare — Irish Ferries, about 4 h, 2/day. Check sailings.

Worth knowing: Drive the Ring of Kerry anticlockwise — the coaches go clockwise and the road is narrow. The Gap of Dunloe is heavily discouraged for cars in season: it's single-track shared with jaunting cars and walkers, so early morning or off-season only.

The roads, in order

1. Ring of Kerry N70 / N71 · Killarney → Killarney (loop) · 111 mi · 3 h 30 min (full day with stops) ⚠ Drive ANTI-clockwise or spend the day stuck behind tour coaches (they run clockwise) 📷 Ladies View · ☕ Avoca, Moll's Gap · 🍽️ Scarriff Inn
2. Gap of Dunloe Gap of Dunloe pass road · Kate Kearney's Cottage → Moll's Gap · 11 mi · 50 min ⚠ ⚠ Driving is heavily discouraged in season (roughly Easter–October): a narrow single-track pass shared with jaunting cars, ponies, cyclists and walkers, with signs at Kate Kearney's Cottage advising against cars. Drive it early morning or off-season only. 🍽️ Kate Kearney's Cottage · 📷 Head of the Gap · ☕ Lord Brandon's Cottage
3. Healy Pass R574 · Adrigole → Lauragh · 8 mi · 25 min ⚠ ⚠ Narrow with tight hairpins — take it slow, meet sheep ⛽ O'Sullivans filling station, Glengarriff · 📷 Healy Pass summit
4. Ring of Beara R571 / R572 · Glengarriff → Kenmare · 85 mi · 3 h ⛽ O'Sullivans filling station, Glengarriff · 🍽️ MacCarthy's Bar, Castletownbere · 📷 Dursey Cable Car
5. Conor Pass R560 · Dingle → Cloghane · 8 mi · 25 min ⚠ ⚠ Weight/width limits; single-track cliff section — check bus/campervan restrictions ⛽ Dingle town · 📷 Conor Pass summit · 🍽️ O'Connor's, Cloghane

Drive it

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