The Dingle Way - 8 Days & 7 Nights

Trip Type:

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!

Activity:

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

Grade & Terrain

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. 

Navigation

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.

Experience & Fitness

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.

• Overnight accommodation in hand picked B&B's, guesthouses and small hotels in en suite rooms wherever possible.
• Door-to-door baggage transfers
• A detailed information pack and guidebook
• Transfer as per the itinerary
• Access to the maps via the Macs Adventure smartphone navigation app
• 24-7 Emergency telephone support from our office in the event of any issues

• Travel to starting point/from finish point
• Lunches, dinners, snacks and drinks
• Travel Insurance
• Personal Equipment
• Taxi transfers or public transport should you need to skip a stage.

• Additional Transfers
• Extra nights before, after or during your walk

When To Go

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. 

Getting to the Start

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.

Getting from the End

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

Baggage Transfer

Daily door-to-door luggage transfers are included in the price of your trip, allowing you to set off on each walk carrying a light backpack. 

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. Ninety-nine percent of the time they will only transfer one bag per person, but the allowed weight ranges from anything between 15 and 20kg per bag, depending on the tour you are taking. We do not have control over the limits that these providers set. Therefore, 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 (including shopping bags or boots) and 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.

On this trip, we ask you to keep your luggage to a maximum weight of 15 kilograms per item. Although most airlines have a standard baggage allowance of 23kg, we kindly ask you to distribute any excess weight over a separate bag. Please note that 2 bags per person are allowed, meaning 4 bags per couple.

General Information

The distances and ascent / descents are approximations of the recommended routes. Please be prepared by packing all necessary items, for example, proper rain gear (jacket and pants), sun hat and sunscreen. Your information pack has a detailed equipment list which includes standard walking gear such as good walking boots or shoes, warm and waterproof clothes for the cooler months and lightweight clothing for summer, and a day pack.

Travel Insurance

It is a requirement of booking this tour with Macs Adventure that you have suitable travel insurance which covers you for the activity and emergency evacuation and hospital care.