Things to Do in Ring of Kerry

Ladies View

From the bend in the N71 just north of Killarney, the Upper Lake spills out below like melted pewter while oak woods carpet the valley in every shade of green you can imagine. On blowy days the wind whips the scent of wet gorse across the stone wall where coach drivers still pause for the photo Queen Victoria's ladies-in-waiting once sketched. Worth the stop.

Valentia Island ferry from Reenard Point

The five-minute crossing to Knightstown hums with diesel and seaweed. From the deck you'll see the Skelligs rising like broken teeth on the horizon while currachs bob in the tide. Once ashore, the road to Bray Head smells of hot furze and crushed kelp, and every turn gives a new angle on the Atlantic's bruised-purple water. Breathe deep.

Skellig Michael landing

If the swell allows, you'll transfer to a small open boat at Portmagee, engine thudding through your ribs as you taste salt on your lips. Six hundred uneven steps climb to beehive huts where monks once listened to gannets shriek instead of office noise. The summit smells of guano and wild garlic, and the ocean drops away so steeply you feel the island breathing. Epic.

Kenmare Stone Circle at dusk

Fifteen stubby stones lean together in a field behind the post office, their surfaces warm from the day's sun. You can run your palms along the quartz veins that glitter like fish scales while rooks argue overhead and the faint smell of curry drifts from the nearby Tandoori. It's unexpectedly quiet after the coach crowds leave. Stay longer.

Coomakesta Pass viewpoint

A narrow lay-by south of Glenbeigh puts you on a cliff edge where the wind tastes of ozone and sheep droppings. Below, Rossbeigh Strand curves away in a caramel stripe while breakers explode white against the rocks. On clear evenings the sun drops straight into the Atlantic and everything turns metallic orange for about ninety seconds. Pure magic.

Killarney town for pubs that spill onto the street and live trad after 10 pm

Kenmare's two neat rows of coloured facades and morning bakery smells

Waterville's golf-front hotels where you can hear surf at night

Portmagee's white cottages clustered round the harbour

Cahersiveen's long main street with castle ruins behind B&Bs

Sneem's two squares where the river smells of wet stone