 There
are a wide selection of walks of various degrees of difficulty available.
These are few of our favourites:
EASY:
Tomies Wood, the largest Oak forest in Europe,
is a few minutes away. It is a walk of about six miles along the
otherwise inaccessible south side of the Lower Lake and crosses
O'Sullivan's Cascade, a legendary waterfall.
The Gap of Dunloe, also only five minutes away,
is a spectacular glacial breach valley. You can walk all or part
of the gap itself. For the real enthusiast, it is possible to walk
right through the Gap to the Black Valley and back to Killarney
- a distance of some 20 miles.
The Arthur Young Walk. There are a number of walks
starting from Muckross House in the National Park and this is our
favourite. It follows a lakeside route taken by Arthur Young, a
naturalist, in the late 18th century and almost all the features
he describes are still readily discernible. The walk takes about
2½ hours.
MEDIUM:
 Dinis
Walk. Another walk in the National Park, about ten miles
overall, around Muckross Lake and passing the rock from which ,
according to local legend, Danny Mann threw the Colleen Bawn.
Ross Island. This walk encompasses the promontory
on which Ross Castle is built. Ross, built in the 15th century,
was the last castle in Ireland to hold out against Cromwell's General
Ludlow. However, Ludlow having heard the local tradition that the
castle would fall if attacked from the Lake, dragged boats up the
River Laune past Beaufort. As soon as the garrison saw the boats
on the Lake they surrendered.
Torc. A walk that takes you up the side of the
spectacular Torc Waterfall and offers splendid views of the Lakes
from the top.
STRENUOUS:
Old Kenmare Road. A superb walk following the
path of the old green road from Killarney to Kenmare which closed
in the 1850s.
Carrauntoohil. The highest mountain in Ireland
at 3414 feet. The route takes you up the Hag's Glen to the Devil's
Ladder, a rock scree which can be treacherous in wet weather, and
then up to the summit. This can be a dangerous walk if the weather
is less than perfect, but on fine days the effort is well worth
it for the splendid views up to the Shannon Estuary.
FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT:
Donald & Rachel Cameron,
Beaufort House, Beaufort,
Co. Kerry, Ireland.
TEL & FAX: 064 44764
International: + 353 64 44764
E-mail: info@beaufortireland.com
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