LOCAL KNOWLEDGE

Distance: 270km (five days) Grade: It all depends how many days you break it down into! Download: komoot.com/tour/171547225

GETTING THERE Killarney, the starting point for the Ring of Kerry, has a train station and is well-connected by several main roads. The nearest airport is Cork, around 80 minutes away by car. We took the ferry from Pembroke to Rosslare, a four-hour crossing.

WHERE TO STAY

The Ring of Kerry certainly doesn’t lack provision for tourists, with campsites, B&Bs, hotels and spas aplenty peppered throughout the peninsula. Once you head inland into the mountains it is a bit more remote and places to stay are sparse, so be sure to plan accordingly.

Our accommodation highlights include Cronin’s Yard ( croninsyard.com) close to the Gap of Dunloe, which has camping or, if you fancy a night not under canvas, you can stay in their cosy wooden camping pods (although there are no beds so you’ll need a camping mat and sleeping bag). The lovely Horizon View Lodge on Valentia Island is well worth a stay, as is Beara Camping ( bearacamping.com).

FOOD AND DRINK

While we were cycle touring, we didn’t carry any cooking equipment, which meant lots of eating out. The best of the bunch was the Knightstown Coffee Shop and Bistro on Valentia Island.

BIKE SHOPS

Casey Cycles and Gas Supplies, a bike shop that doubles as a white goods store, is in Cahersiveen. It has bikes for hire and a workshop, which came to our rescue. bikehirekerry.com

RING OF KERRY

CHARITY CYCLE

If you want to complete the Ring of Kerry in one swoop, consider this sportive, a partially closed-road event that now attracts 10,000 riders. ringofkerrycycle.ie