The Ring of Kerry is a 179 km (111 mile) circular route around the Iveragh Peninsula, and the Dingle Peninsula sits immediately north of it with the Conor Pass and the Slea Head Drive. Ridden together they are the best two days in Ireland, and they are completely different in character — the Ring is a wide, well-surfaced national road with tour coaches on it, while Dingle is narrow, tight and occasionally single lane. The trick to enjoying both is timing and direction. This guide covers how each one rides, how to stay out of the coach convoys, and what the Conor Pass actually demands.
The ride in one paragraph
The Ring of Kerry runs clockwise from Killarney on the N71 to Kenmare, then takes the N70 around the Iveragh Peninsula through Sneem, Waterville, Cahersiveen and Glenbeigh to Killorglin, before returning to Killarney on the N72. It is a national road for almost all of that, which means it is fast and smooth by Irish coastal standards, with mountain sections at Moll's Gap and Ladies View that are the best riding on the loop. Dingle is the opposite: the Conor Pass is a twisty one-lane road over the peninsula's spine at 456 m (1,496 ft), and the Slea Head Drive out to the westernmost point is a narrow coastal circuit with stone walls at the edge and something worth looking at every kilometre. Do the Ring in a morning, Dingle in an afternoon, and you will remember Dingle.
Route at a glance
| Ring of Kerry length | 179 km (111 miles), circular from Killarney |
| Ring of Kerry roads | N71 to Kenmare, N70 around Iveragh, N72 back to Killarney |
| Conor Pass | 456 m (1,496 ft), R560, one of Ireland's highest paved passes |
| Conor Pass restriction | Vehicles over two tonnes prohibited |
| Slea Head Drive | R559 loop from Dingle around the westernmost point of the peninsula |
| Coach traffic | All tour buses run the Ring anti-clockwise, via Killorglin first |
| Time on a motorcycle | Two full days for both peninsulas with stops |
Open the Ring of Kerry loop in Google Maps — Killarney to Kenmare and round the Iveragh Peninsula clockwise, so you can send it straight to your navigation before you leave.
The Ring of Kerry, and the coach problem
The single most useful piece of planning information about the Ring of Kerry is this: because the narrow sections make it difficult for tour coaches to pass one another, all tour buses run the route in an anti-clockwise direction, going via Killorglin first. Everything else follows from that. Riding clockwise — Killarney to Kenmare first, which is the standard description of the route — means you meet coaches head-on, which is a brief inconvenience, rather than queueing behind them for an hour, which is not. Some sources recommend the opposite for exactly the opposite reason: going anti-clockwise means you never have to overtake a bus at all. On a motorcycle, where passing is straightforward when the sightlines allow it, clockwise is generally the better call.
The other lever is time of day. Coach tours leave Killarney in a block in the morning. Starting at 07:30 or riding the loop in the late afternoon puts you comfortably out of phase with them.
The sections worth slowing down for
The N71 from Killarney to Kenmare is the best riding on the Ring: it climbs through Killarney National Park past Torc Waterfall and Ladies View, then crosses Moll's Gap — a genuine mountain road section with rock cuttings and tight bends, and the one part of the loop that feels like a pass rather than a coastal drive. West of Kenmare the N70 opens out through Sneem and Castlecove, passing the Staigue stone fort and Derrynane House, the home of Daniel O'Connell.
Beyond Waterville the road climbs to the Coomakista pass with a long view down over the Skelligs, then runs north through Cahersiveen and Glenbeigh. The official route misses Valentia Island and St Finian's Bay — both are worth the detour, and Valentia is reached by bridge from Portmagee or by the short ferry from Reenard Point.
The Conor Pass
The Conor Pass carries the R560 across the spine of the Dingle Peninsula, linking Dingle in the south-west with Brandon Bay and Castlegregory in the north-east. At 456 m (1,496 ft) it is one of the highest mountain passes in Ireland served by an asphalted road, and at its highest point it runs between the peaks of Binn Dubh and Sliabh Mhacha Ré.
What makes it interesting is the road itself. It is a twisty one-lane asphalted road, but traffic operates in both directions — so a face-to-face encounter means one vehicle reversing to the previous shouldered section. Vehicles over two tonnes are prohibited precisely to keep that from happening more often than it does. The southern approach from Dingle weaves around sharp cliff faces past high corrie lakes with a drop on the outside and no barrier for much of it. On a bike it is short, spectacular and genuinely committing in fog, which is common at the top.
The Slea Head Drive
The Slea Head Drive is the signed loop west from Dingle on the R559 around Slea Head, the promontory at the westernmost part of the peninsula. It is the best coastal road in Ireland and it is only about an hour of riding without stops, which is why almost nobody manages it in an hour. Along the way are Ventry Beach, a prehistoric fort, clusters of beehive huts, the Dingle Famine Cottage, views out to the Blasket Islands, Coumeenoole Beach below the road at Slea Head itself, and the Gallarus Oratory. The loop returns towards Dingle, so it works as a self-contained half-day.
The road is narrow, with stone walls and earth banks at the edge and coach traffic on it in summer — the coaches run the loop in one direction only for the same reason as on the Ring of Kerry, and following the signed direction keeps you with the flow rather than against it. Blind bends with a tour bus behind them are the main hazard.
The practical details that decide the trip
Traffic and season. July and August put the maximum number of coaches, hire cars and cyclists on both peninsulas at once. May, June and September are much better. Whatever the month, early mornings belong to riders.
Weather. Kerry gets a lot of rain, and the Conor Pass generates its own cloud — the pass can be in fog while Dingle town is clear. Wind on the exposed sections at Slea Head and Coomakista is strong enough to matter on a laden bike.
Surfaces. The N-roads on the Ring are good. The R-roads on Dingle are patched, often damp in the shade, and frequently have gravel washed onto the corners after rain. Mud from farm traffic on the Slea Head loop is routine.
Fuel. Killarney, Kenmare, Cahersiveen and Dingle town are reliable. The Slea Head loop and the north side of the Conor Pass are not — fill up in Dingle before heading out either way.
Where to base yourself. Killarney is the obvious hub for the Ring and has the most beds, at the price of being the busiest town in Kerry. Dingle town is a better base for the peninsula and a nicer place to spend an evening. Kenmare splits the difference and sits on the road towards Beara.
Gear notes for Kerry and Dingle
Coastal Kerry has decent mobile coverage in the towns and much less on the western headlands and over the Conor Pass, so anything navigation-related should already be on the device before you leave Killarney; our GPS navigation setup guide covers getting a full multi-day route stored offline. Both peninsulas are wet-weather country, and a riding system display stays usable in rain that makes a phone screen useless — which matters when the alternative is stopping in a lane with a coach coming. The Conor Pass and Moll's Gap put real work into brakes and tyres at low speed, so it is worth running through our pre-ride check before a full day, and a TPMS sensor is the cheapest way to know that the gravel you rode through on Slea Head did not cost you a tyre. Riders on the JADO S6 get the map, the pressures and front and rear cameras on one screen, which is worth having on roads shared with tour coaches. If you are riding the wider coast, our Wild Atlantic Way guide puts both peninsulas in the context of the full route.
FAQ
Should you ride the Ring of Kerry clockwise or anti-clockwise?
All tour buses run it anti-clockwise, via Killorglin first. Riding clockwise from Killarney to Kenmare means meeting them head-on rather than queueing behind them, which suits a motorcycle. Anti-clockwise avoids ever needing to overtake one. Both work; the time of day matters more.
How long does the Ring of Kerry take on a motorcycle?
The 179 km loop takes about three hours of riding without stops, and a comfortable full day with them. Adding Valentia Island or the Skellig Ring pushes it to a long day.
Is the Conor Pass difficult?
It is narrow rather than steep. The road is effectively one lane with two-way traffic, so meeting an oncoming vehicle means one of you reversing to a wider section. Vehicles over two tonnes are prohibited. In clear weather it is straightforward on any bike; in fog it demands full attention.
Can you ride both peninsulas in one day?
You can, and it is a poor use of Kerry. The Ring alone fills a day, and Dingle with the Conor Pass and the Slea Head Drive fills another. Two days is the minimum that lets you stop.
Which is better, the Ring of Kerry or Dingle?
Dingle, for most riders. The Ring has the bigger name and the wider roads; Dingle has the Conor Pass, the Slea Head Drive and a fraction of the coach traffic once you are past the first few kilometres.
