The Dingle Way - 8 Days & 7 Nights

The Dingle Way is a bracing cliff-top walk in one of the most stunning, historic and remote parts of Europe. With its well way-marked path, unforgettable scenery and welcoming people, the Dingle Peninsula is a great place to forget about the worries of modern life.

Classic Routes | If you’re the active, outdoorsy type, who’s interested in taking on the great routes of the world or looking for a challenge, then our Classic Routes are for you. We’re talking the West Highland Way, Tour Du Mont Blanc and the Passau to Vienna Danube Cycle Path, to name but a few!

Inn to Inn Walking | Walk from place-to-place changing accommodations each night. Generally staying in B&Bs, inns, and guesthouses.

Solo Travellers

The minimum age for this tour is: 12 Years

Our Dingle Way itineraries are graded moderate and are suitable for regular walkers. The route does not go any higher than 650m (the ascent over a spur of Mount Brandon) and elsewhere the route never rises above 350m making it a low-level, but undulating route. Most days offer between 6 to 8 hours of walking on good terrain which includes historic paths such as boreens (narrow country roads), farm tracks, cliff-top paths, wide sandy beaches and some minor roads. Beaches make up about 17% of the route and it should be noted that overall about 48% follow tarmac roads (bitumen). Although the amount of road walking is more than walkers might expect, the roads are scenic, varied, and mostly along quiet lanes. This reflects the fact that rights of way are almost non-existent in Ireland, and this is something that the Dingle Way has in common with other Irish trails. From time to time there may be some busier stretches where you will need to be cautious of traffic. 

This route is suitable for most regular walkers of average fitness. You should train by walking some daily walks of similar daily distances to your planned itinerary.

The accommodations along the Dingle Way are small and varied, you will stay in family-run B&Bs, guest houses, and hotels. A warm welcome is guaranteed as well as traditional Irish hospitality.

We will always try to accommodate you at the locations that are detailed in the itinerary, but this may sometimes be difficult due to limited availability in remote areas. Sometimes we might have to accommodate you elsewhere and if this is the case, you will always receive directions to and from the trail or in some cases, return transfers from the path. Please be aware that this may result in slightly longer or shorter walking days. Booking as far in advance as possible is recommended to secure the preferred overnight locations.

We will be happy to accommodate your party with single rooms if requested and this trip is also available to solo walkers.

There is a lack of accommodation in Dunquin which can make it more difficult for us to secure an overnight stay in this area. This means that you are likely to be accommodated in Dingle town instead and return taxi transfers to and from the path will be provided. The same applies to Camp, where the choice of accommodation is small and tends to run out of availability early in the season. This means that you will be accommodated in Tralee instead and transfers will be provided at an additional supplement.

Meals

A hearty breakfast is included each morning. Lunch and dinner are not included so you are free to choose from the available options. Most of your accommodations will more than happy to provide a packed lunch on request and this can be booked on arrival. Alternatively, you can buy lunch at local shops or stop in a café. Dinner is available either at your accommodation or at nearby pubs or restaurants.

The Dingle Way is waymarked throughout and easy to follow. Our recommended route and the general best practice is walking the Dingle Way circuit in the traditional clockwise direction.

Navigation is straightforward as you can use the Macs Adventure Smartphone App which has maps, GPS tracks, and daily route information. Simply download the GPS tracks for offline use and follow the route on your phone with the assurance that navigation will be simple, and you can’t get lost. You will find more information on downloading the app in your Macs Adventure Account.

Please note that depending on the time of year and recent weather, the trail may be boggy in places that could reduce your average walking speed.

Recommended Reading

If you would like more information on the route please see our recommendation below:

• The Dingle Way Rucksack Readers Guide

The Dingle Way is available from April to October and you can start your trip on any date of the week within the season. As the Irish weather is so famously changeable, it is hard for us to indicate the very best time to go. However, we believe that anytime between April and October should offer a wonderful experience. The Irish weather is changeable but not often extreme, although it is important to be prepared for any conditions!

This is one of the most popular classic trails on the Emerald Isle and for that reason, we suggest booking as early as possible to secure our preferred accommodations and avoid disappointment. 

Most visitors to Ireland will arrive in Dublin by air or by ferry. Regardless of your place of arrival, Tralee is well connected and easily accessible by bus or train from all major cities.

There are excellent train services from here that run to Tralee with Irish Rail. There are about 6 services daily between Dublin Heuston and Tralee train stations. Most services require a change at Mallow, with an average journey duration of around 4 hours. For train timetables and tickets, see the website of Irish Rail. 

You can also fly to Kerry Airport and take a bus (30 mins-1h30) to Tralee. For bus timetables and tickets, see the website of Bus Eireann. If there are no direct flights from your nearest airport, it may be good to know that there are flights between Dublin and Kerry with Aer Lingus. 

If your itinerary has a different starting point to Tralee, you will still need to travel here first and then get on a bus to Annascaul or Dingle from there. From Camp to Tralee and vice-versa takes approx. 25 mins. From Tralee to Annascaul takes approx. 55 mins. For bus timetables and tickets, see the website of Bus Eireann.

This tour also finishes in Tralee, so you can simply follow the directions in reverse.

Your bags will be collected from your accommodation each day and moved onto your overnight accommodation. We ask you to limit your luggage to one bag of up to 18kg per person.

At Macs Adventure, we work in partnership with many luggage transfer providers who set a limit on how many bags/suitcases they will transfer per person, and also the weight of the bag/suitcase.  Your booking includes a transfer of 1 bag per person.  It is very important that you read the luggage information specific to your tour before departure. If you do not adhere to these limits, there is a great possibility that you will be charged locally both for extra bags or if they are too heavy. This limitation can be a challenge, especially as airlines generally have limits that are higher. However, our luggage providers have reasons for these limits (usually due to the Health and Safety of their employees), which we must respect.