A week-long hike, a three-day hike, or a day out — the Kerry Way has it all

The 210 kilometre Kerry Way has numerous routes featuring dramatic peaks and windswept loughs, while encountering hidden glens, wild moorlands, and magnificent coastal vistas

The Bridia Valley, Kerry Way. Pictures: John G O'Dwyer

In the 19th century, long-distance hiking hardly existed as an endeavour. Ordinary people were fixated on a daily struggle to lift themselves from poverty with the result that esoteric practices, such as multi-day hikes, didn’t really feature as leisure options. Walking was dictated by necessity and people avoided it if they could since it was seen, not as pleasurable, but as a means to an end.

Change came in the early 20th century with a movement in the USA that viewed extended hiking not as a chore, but as having merit in itself.