Kerry Goes Green
~10 Great Ways to go Green in Kerry! ~

The Ring of Kerry, a 179km loop of rugged mountains and jaw dropping coastal drama, is one of Ireland’s best-loved routes. But did you know it’s now a top destination for green holidays too? Since the summer, more than 60 South Kerry tourism businesses were green-certified under the Green Tourism Business Scheme.  

Green businesses on the Ring of Kerry include accommodation and activity providers, restaurants, bars and visitor attractions - and all have taken inspired steps to care for this stunning natural resource. By reducing their energy and water consumption, sourcing fresh produce from local suppliers and improving waste management, they’re helping visitors to reduce their carbon footprint, and enhancing their holidays too!  
You can download the brochure called ‘The Greener Side of the Ring of Kerry’, at www.discoverireland.ie/green, but for now here’s are top tips to go green, stay green and play green on the Ring of Kerry.

Go Green: 10 great things to do...

1. Take a walk
Whether it’s a wintery walks along a deserted Atlantic beach, exploring a Bronze Age ring fort or retracing the old butter roads used to transport butter to Cork in the 19th century, the Ring of Kerry is a haven for walkers, and big on breathtaking views.

2. Visit Gleninchaquin Park
A tranquil valley accessible from Kenmare on the Beara Peninsula, Gleninchaquin Park boasts six walking trails and a 140m waterfall.

3. Go boating
Explore the dazzling Lakes of Killarney by kayak, pedal-boat or canoe, using one of the many green outdoor activity centres in the area.

4. Go fishing
The Iveragh Peninsula is surrounded by ocean, but there’s some great lake-fishing on the Ring of Kerry too. Why not take a day-trip to catch some salmon or sea trout on the beautiful Lough Currane just beside Waterville village?

5. Take a jaunt
Leave the car at home and experience Killarney the traditional way - by jaunting car. These pony-drawn carts have been taxiing visitors around the National Park since its earliest days as a tourist resort.  

6. Look around
Valentia Island’s highest point is at Geokaun, where you’ll find 360-degree views of the Blasket Islands, the McGillycuddy Reeks and Dingle Peninsula.

7. Have the craic!
Festivals rouse the Ring of Kerry year-round. Visit Puck Fair in Killorglin, where the horse fair, parade and street theatre date from pre-Christian times.

8. Bum on a beach:
With five Blue Flag beaches to choose from (Rossbeigh, White Strand, Kells, Ballinskelligs and Derrynane), the Ring of Kerry is full of seaside treats.

9. Grab a bite:
Choose from a menu of restaurants, cafes, artisan producers, farmers’ markets and seafood specialists stretching from Lough Leane to Bolus Head.

10. Stay, play and eat green:
There are over 60 green-certified accommodation options, activity providers, pubs, restaurants and attractions dotted along the Ring of Kerry. Download the brochure at discoverireland.ie/green.

Stay Green...
Green accommodation providers on the Ring of Kerry range from caravan and camping parks right through to family-run B&Bs to self-catering holiday homes and some of the top five-star hotels in Europe, so there’s no excuse not to change your colour!

Play Green...
Visitors can cycle past glacial lakes and through mountain passes; they can take pony treks along the beautiful Rossbeigh Beach or enjoy a fun-filled boat trip around Cahirciveen Harbour. There are kayak and sailing lessons in Kenmare Bay, boat trips out to climb the sheer steps of Ireland’s Machu Picchu at Skellig Michael, and first class surfing on the Blue Flag beach at Derrynane.

Other eco-activities include calf-busting cycling tours along the mountainous spine of the Iveragh Peninsula, to day trips to Ireland’s largest circular stone fort at Castlecove or Valentia Island and the sweeping panoramas of Killarney National Park.  Take a walk through Gleninchaquin Park and Europe’s most westerly garden at Glanleam, which dates from 1830. Other green activities along the Ring of Kerry include Wildlife Tours, Hidden Ireland Tours and fishing outings.

Eat green...
The Ring of Kerry has always looked good enough to eat, but over the years it has nurtured some of the finest restaurants and friendliest pubs in the country too. Whether you taste is for bar food in a snug village pub, snap-fresh bistro fare in cosmopolitan Kenmare or Killarney, or fine dining in a five-star hotel restaurant, the range of eateries along the Ring of Kerry is sure to satisfy your appetite.

Download the brochure, ‘The Greener Side of the Ring of Kerry’, at www.discoverireland.ie/green.