I recently did about 84 miles of the Kerry Way, in Ireland. I wish I’d done the whole thing! Work interferes with outdoor life way too much. This was not “true” backpacking because I did a luggage-supported trip, but I hope that moderators will allow it, because it is a style of hiking others might find appealing, especially older or newer backpackers, or folks wanting to do a solo with some safeties built in. You can actually backpack it, but places to wild camp are few and far between; much of the trail passes through private property, pastures, farm tracks, and through villages. I chose a supported trip, for a variety of reasons, and this was an unusual luxury for me and quite expensive.
But it was fun! Not the spectacular grandeur of the U.S. mountain west, nor the social scene of the eastern U.S. popular trails. I rarely saw other hikers during the day. I would describe it as relaxing, only moderately challenging, with a wide variety of terrain and underfoot textures, including some road walking (not too much). It’s more of a cultural nature hike than a “wilderness” trip. Also, I had posted on here about footwear, and for my trip, trail runners were entirely sufficient. I did get wet feet in the rain and in the muddy pastures, but that is not a problem for me. If folks have gear questions, lmk.
I started at Killarney but chose to go by boat to start my hike up the Black Valley and then over the Gap of Dunloe. I skipped some sections due to time; they would have been wonderful to walk. Staying in villages at night allowed me to carry very little weight, which was a nice treat. Here are some photos.
