After our long distance walking through the Scottish Highlands last year, it became evident to both of us that we wanted more of this kind of experience. It took no time for us to settle on The Kerry Way in Ireland. A 214 km trail that leaves Killarney and ventures into Killarney National Park and circles anti-clockwise around the Inveragh Peninsula. The views will range from forested trails, to farmland and livestock, to the Atlantic Ocean. This trail is longer than our last with 12 days of hiking with "zero" days at the beginning, middle and end. Our longest day brings us 31 km of distance.
As our departure date came closer, we learned of a minor hiccup in our hotel accommodation when we returned to Dublin. An NFL football game will be held in the city while we are there, and our hotel rates were increased by more than double! Bill seemed to have spare time on his hands to ponder over the options. After much thoughtful consideration - more like 15 minutes - we opted to cancel our additional 5 days to travel to Northern Ireland and take a short section of The Dingle Way after we finish the Kerry Way. The dates lined up perfectly, so we jumped at the opportunity!
During our final days of preparation, we have been watching the weather in Killarney. A connection I've made on The Kerry Way Facebook group, who has just started the trail, has informed me that there has been a fair amount of flooding on trail. Hopefully this changes before we get there. In the meantime, I remind myself that I am not made of sugar, and all of those rainy golf days this summer have conditioned me for rain. 😂 We shall see.