Is there a recommended direction for driving the Ring of Kerry? We will be driving a small rental car and weren't sure if Counter Clockwise was better than Clockwise. This may sound like a dumb question, but It will be my first trip to Ireland.

Vince

Some people believe that the ROK should be driven in a counter-clockwise direction, which is the way the tour buses drive it, because then you won't have them coming toward you in the opposite direction. However, I would disagree because if you drive in that direction and you get behind a tour bus, you are likely to be stuck behind it for a good while as the road doesn't lend itself to passing.

We drove the ROK in a clockwise direction in May. We never got behind a tour bus and we only came across a couple during the entire trip. We found it rather easy to drive it in our tiny rental car.

No matter what your opinion is of Rick Steves, he does have an excellent explanation in his Ireland book of how to drive the ROK and avoid the tour buses. (Although we did not exactly follow his plan, I did read it and it made a great deal of sense.)

The information from the tourist office is Anti Clockwise. I have driven both ways and it doesn't make much difference Sept-May but when the season kicks in and if you a timid driver then following the bus's makes sense. Remember also that there are places off the main road and a good map will help you explore.

Please do not take the word of he who would be god. Get a good guide book written by someone who actually knows what they are talking about.

I have done it both ways and personally prefer counter clockwise (same direction as busses). Driving this way also means that you are on the inside when meeting traffic as opposed to clockwise when you are on the outside with no guardrails when meeting traffic. Actually the road is wide enough so meeting regular traffic is not an issue.

For many years I traveled in summer (teacher schedule) and never found busses a problem in either direction.

Whoa, Tony! What did Rick Steves ever do to you? Kick your dog or key your new car?

I know he rubs some people the wrong way, but to give the devil his due, he does know what he's writing about. If you don't like his travel books or his advice, just recommend a guidebook or two that you do like instead of making unhelpful disparaging remarks.

Thank you for your advice. It appears that it doesn't make much difference the direction, especially being a late September trip. I won't get into the debate about Rick Steves, because I really don't have an opinion about him or his advice. I take most traveling advice with a grain of salt, because traveling is filled with personal preferences. I do like the practical advice of knowing which direction the busses go and that traveling on the outside of the road with no guardrails may be a little frightening.

How long should I plan on spending touring the RoK, with stops? I would like to take in Skellig Michael, but understand this would add another 4-5 hours.

I do the ROK in a clockwise manner, but also do it where I begin just after lunch. I've done this several times and found that not only do I not have to deal with buses, but also most of the traffic is gone. I'd much rather meet them oncoming for a few seconds than have to be behind them for 4 hours.

Doing it this way in the summer really works out great, because you have so much more daylight time.

just my two cents

dave

You can basically drive round the ring in a couple of hours sticking to the main road. But there is a lot more to the Iveragh Peninsular than the ring. There are several villages, coves viewpoints on the outer shore and some good lanes and Pass's inland. People spend a week on the much smaller Dingle Peninsular but rarely get of the track for anything other than Skellig or Vallentia on the main spur. (Skellig does require extra time due to the crossing which might not be that easy in September). I don't profess to be an expert on this area but have driven and explored a number of times over the years. As with most of Ireland you get out what you put in and the more you are willing to explore the more you will be rewarded.

Rick Steves is like Marmite. Either love him or hate him. I fall into the mainly Irish camp.

Skellig Michael does not run in rough weather and by end of September, could be really iffy. With a car, you can take a short detour to visit the Staigue Fort, prehistoric, 12 foot thick walls. Busses can't go up the lane, so you will likely be by yourself. It is just west of Sneem. Lots of other little things to see just off the main route. Port magee has the Skellig Center which explains what you will see there--lots of photos and a film.

Skellig Michael does not run in rough weather and by end of September, could be really iffy. With a car, you can take a short detour to visit the Staigue Fort, prehistoric, 12 foot thick walls. Busses can't go up the lane, so you will likely be by yourself. It is just west of Sneem. Lots of other little things to see just off the main route. Port magee has the Skellig Center which explains what you will see there--lots of photos and a film.

Tony and irishface, Thank you for your added input. I would love to hear more about side trips on the ring. It sounds like Skellig may be out, so I would have some extra time to explore.