Walking the Gap of Dunloe With Kids

 

Kerry is one of our favourite counties in Ireland. It always has such a happy and laid back atmosphere and we always enjoy our days out there whenever we go. One place which we had never been as a family was the Gap of Dunloe and I really wanted to go there.

 

There are so many beautiful sights to see in the Gap of Dunloe and it was one of the most beautiful walks we've ever been on in our lives. At the beginning of our walk we spotted a family of wild deer - my favourite animals, such a beautiful sight.

 

Beau was also making friends with this lovely horse at the beginning of the walk - he's such an animal lover. Although, I did feel sorry for this horse and it's friend as they were either overworked or ill. I hate seeing animals in such a way, so we showed them some kindness before setting off walking again.
 

The Gap of Dunloe is such a beautiful place and one that all of us really enjoyed. The rocky landscape looks beautiful dotted with lakes and mountain sheep everywhere you look. It has a real sense of 'old Ireland', which I love. One of the most prominent features is the winding road which leads up the hillside. It made for a great view.

 

We ended up walking the route to the beautiful viewing point of the Gap and back, which totalled 10 miles. We're lucky in that our boys don't mind walking for long distances and the snack breaks and taking in the view breaks we had along the way made the experience all the more enjoyable for them.

 

Walking the Gap of Dunloe with kids in tow is a real adventure. There's so many twists and turns (literally!) that they saw it as a great adventure, with something new to look at around every bend.

 

Just past the first bridge (pictured above) is a snack van and a lovely sitting area to stop and look over the lake. We stopped here for a quick break before walking on.

This adorable mother sheep and lamb were so sweet and Beau even introduced himself to them by saying - "Hi sheep! I'm Beau and this is my mommy" - so sweet! A moment I'll never forget.

If your children are any way adventurous there are lots of rocks to climb safely around the Gap of Dunloe. Jacek and the boys climbed up these giant rocks and up the mountainside when we got to the end viewing point. Tyler is still talking about it to this day!

At the viewing point we took in the view of the Gap of Dunloe itself, watched the cars and walkers coming up the winding road and the boys did some exploring. It was glorious. Such a simply thing to do but so enjoyable and the kids really enjoyed it too.

As a family, we love the outdoors and going on adventurous and the Gap of Dunloe provided lots of perfect opportunities to enjoy both. I'm so glad we visited and decided to walk the route. It gave a much better experience than going in the car ever could and we had the best time together exploring.

We were also blessed with the weather on our visit, it was a warm sunny day. So warm, in fact, that the boys decided to cool down in the middle lake on the walk back. Is it even an outing if you don't strip off to enjoy the water? The middle lake was shallow and perfectly safe for them. They had a great time exploring an 'island' - a small piece of rock in the lake. In hindsight, packing swimming togs with us wherever we go is probably a good idea with our boys!

If you're planning on walking the Gap of Dunloe with kids I'd recommend bringing:

• Comfortable footwear for all the family
• Plenty of drinks and snacks and a picnic for lunch
  
• Sunscreen
• Sunhats
• Swimming togs - if your kids like to paddle in water too

We thoroughly enjoyed our experience of walking the Gap of Dunloe with kids and would do it again in a heartbeat!

Visit my Instagram @dollydowsie to see more photos and videos from our trip to the Gap of Dunloe.

For more days out inspiration with kids check out my family days out section.