The South Kerry Greenway follows the bed of the old Killorglin–Valentia railway, once the most westerly line in Europe, and the stretch worth planning a day around is the Glenbeigh end. From the trailhead the path climbs gently through woodland to Mountain Stage, where it is cut into the flank of Drung Hill more than 100 m above the sea, with Dingle Bay opening up below. If you only walk or ride one section, make it that one.
The full route will one day run 32 km from Glenbeigh to Reenard, south-west of Cahersiveen, but most of it is still a building site. What is finished is genuinely good; what isn’t, isn’t there yet.
The open sections
Two separate lengths carry walkers and cyclists today:
- Glenbeigh to Kilkeehagh (6.2 km): the main event. It climbs from the Glenbeigh trailhead to Mountain Stage (opened April 2026) and on to Kilkeehagh, a further 2.2 km added later in 2026. The surface is firm compacted grit-stone, fine for a hybrid bike, and the gradients stay gentle the whole way.
- Golden’s of Kells to Kells Station (3.1 km): opened in December 2025, a shoreline stretch by Kells Bay with the remains of the old station at one end.
One honest caveat: the Glenbeigh–Kilkeehagh run is not yet fully traffic-free. Two short stretches drop onto ‘quiet road’ shared with the odd car, so keep children and dogs close on those.
What you’ll see
This is coastal railway engineering at its most theatrical: the line was built to cling to cliffs, and the greenway inherits the views. Dingle Bay fills the horizon to the north, with the Skellig Coast and the open Atlantic beyond. The whole route lies inside the Kerry International Dark Sky Reserve, so if you can stay until dusk the star-fields here are among the darkest in Ireland.
Worth folding into a visit:
- Rossbeigh Beach: a Blue Flag strand near the Kells section, good for a swim or a walk.
- Gleesk Viaduct: the iron viaduct over the Gleensk River, the line’s signature structure, awaiting restoration before it can carry the trail.
- Cahersiveen: at the far end stand Ballycarbery Castle and the stone forts of Cahergal and Leacanabuaile.
- Valentia Island: by ferry from Cahersiveen, with the lighthouse, the tetrapod footprints and Geokaun Mountain.
The old railway
The Killorglin–Valentia Harbour line operated from 1893, linking Killorglin, Glenbeigh, Kells and Cahersiveen to the terminus at Valentia Harbour. It ran for little more than sixty years: the last train made its final journey on 30 January 1960. The corridor lay abandoned for decades before Kerry County Council took it in charge and, after planning delays and court cases resolved in 2021 and 2022, began the slow work of turning track-bed into trail.
Getting there and access
The practical way in is by car. From Tralee, take the N70 to Glenbeigh and turn onto the Curra Road for the northern trailhead, which has parking and toilets. For the Kells section, mind the difference between the car parks: the temporary one at Golden’s of Kells is steep and no use for wheelchairs or buggies, while the former Kells Station has the accessible spaces. The nearest train station is Tralee.
Dogs are welcome on a lead. Some of the old railway ground beyond the finished surface is steep and unstable, and closed bridges and viaducts are off limits – stay on the marked trail and mind the signs.
Where it’s going
The greenway is part of a €360 million national active-travel programme; Kerry drew down over €13 million in 2026, with €9.2 million of it aimed at this 32 km route. Construction carries on along the coast towards Reenard, section by section. Check the Kingdom of Kerry Greenways site for the current open length before you set out, since it grows in stages – and pack a windproof layer whatever the forecast, because this coast is exposed the whole way.