The K Kinsale as a base to explore West Cork and Kerry…

Located roughly mid-way along the southern coastline of the island of Ireland, Kinsale provides a gateway to some of Ireland’s most dramatic and contrasting landscapes. From our base at the K Kinsale, the region known simply as “West Cork” and beloved to all who know it as a place apart and the Killarney Valley of County Kerry make for memorable day-trips bringing travellers into contact with extraordinary natural and cultural riches.

West Cork

Exploring West Cork can be enjoyed as a half or full-day’s drive. Leaving Kinsale, rolling folds of beautiful pastoral landscapes punctuated by colourful villages and small market towns draw the traveller westwards into an area rich in archaeology, in particular the great megalithic monuments left behind by Neolithic and Bronze Age communities as well as many wonderful early-Christian remains. After an hour or so, options present to trace journeys further out onto the magical peninsulas of either Mizen, Sheeps Head or Beara –  great rocky spines of spectacularly folded rock where the scenery is of mountain and ocean.

For those who wish to bike or hike, trails hereabouts are well signed and simply magnificent. (Our favourite is The Sheep’s Head Walking or Cycle Route). A return route via Glengarrif (stopping perhaps to enjoy a taste of the world-renowned cheeses or other local specialty Slow Foods from the region at Mannings Food Imporium near Bantry and taking in the glorious mountain and lake-side retreat of St. Finbarr at Gougane Barra will lead back to Kinsale.

Killarney & Kerry

Renowned throughout the world for its breath-taking scenery, the Killarney Valley is little over an hour’s drive from Kinsale. Following the Lee Valley at first through rich agricultural land, the entrance into County Kerry marks an altogether more mountainous place with attractions for all tastes, ranging from well-trodden trails to special places where it might seem you are to first discoverer!

Of particular recommendation is that visitors take the time to explore the lake-land of the Killarney National Park and wider region, ideally by taking a boat through the famed waterway that drains from the Black Valley and our highest peaks, The McGillycuddy Reeks and then journeying on foot, by bike or traditional jaunting car through the dramatic pass, the Gap of Dunloe. A range of touring options present of course for this region – all accessible from Kinsale, including doing some or all of Ireland’s best known route; The Ring of Kerry – or possibly, venturing out onto the Dingle Peninsula.

Talk to us for details and further advice based upon your desires and interests.