Dingle Way, walking trail in Ireland
The Dingle Way (Irish: Slí Chorca Dhuibhne) is a 162-kilometre circular long-distance trail around the Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry, Ireland, beginning and ending in Tralee and usually walked in eight days. From Tralee it follows the Tralee Ship Canal towpath to Blennerville, then climbs a mountain track on the northern flanks of the Slieve Mish Mountains before descending to Camp. Later stages use minor roads and boreens via Inch Strand, Annascaul, Lispole, Dingle, Ventry and a cliff path around Slea Head to Dunquin.
The trail passes ancient monuments including standing stones, ogham stones, and beehive huts that reveal Ireland's Celtic and early Christian past. Gallarus Oratory, an early stone chapel shaped like a beehive, stands as a notable landmark of ancient Christian heritage along the route.
The trail's Irish name, Slí Chorca Dhuibhne, refers to the Corcu Duibhne, the early medieval people who gave the peninsula its name. A section linking St. John's Roman Catholic Church in Tralee to St. James Church of Ireland in Dingle is known as the Kerry Camino, walked by pilgrims heading to Santiago de Compostela.
The trail divides into manageable stages that walkers can customize based on time and fitness, though sections near Mount Brandon become steep and exposed to weather. Towns and villages are spaced regularly along the route, offering accommodation, food supplies, and rest stops without requiring hikers to carry provisions for the entire distance.
The Kerry Camino is a marked section of the Dingle Way linking St. John's Roman Catholic Church in Tralee with St. James Church of Ireland in Dingle, echoing the Camino de Santiago. A 2010 review of the National Waymarked Trails found both multi-day and day use of the Dingle Way high and recommended upgrading it to a proposed National Long Distance Trail standard.
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