Things to see or do
Amenities
- Directions: A-B. Starting from the barrier at the forestry entrance, follow the forestry road for 50m to reach a Y-junction. Continue straight on here and follow the green (and blue) arrows along the forestry road for almost 1km to its end. (The blue arrows are for the longer Bernard Brothers Loop). Proceed straight on entering the forestry. B-C. Follow the forestry track for 50m to reach a footbridge - cross it and veer right. Continue to follow the forestry track along the stream for 600m to cross another downhill stream where the blue (longer) loop turns left. You proceed straight on here. C-D. Now follow the forestry track along the edge of the forestry (on your right) to reach a footbridge where you turn right – and rejoin the blue loop for the return part of the loop.. D-E. Now the loop ascends steeply to reach a sandy tractor trail. Continue to follow the green arrows as the loop ascends again along the edge of forestry. After 500m the loop turns right and enters the forestry via a stile. E-A. The loop now takes you along tracks to reach the ‘far’ edge of the forestry (a viewing point outside the wire fence gives you superb views of the Slieve Mish Mountains). Turning right, follow the edge of the forestry to join a sandy roadway briefly and turn left again onto a lovely old roadway through broadleaf woodland on the final section to the trailhead. Directions to Trailhead From Castleisland take the N21 in the direction of Tralee. After approx 6km turn right at O’Riada’s Public House. Follow this minor road for approx 600m to reach a T-junction where you turn left. After 100m pass a narrow roadway on your right and turn right at a second one after 300m. Follow this narrow road for over 1km to reach the forestry entrance on your right at the bottom of a hill
- Distance: 4km
- Terrain: Forest tracks, riverbank, cross country
- Estimated Time: 1hr 20mins - 1hr 40mins
- Ascent: 215m/170m
- Grade: Moderate
- Trailhead: Entrance to Glenageenty Loop OS Sheet 71, Q944 1435
- Minimum Gear: Hiking boots, raingear and fluid
- Services: Castleisland 8km
- Theme: Nature
Glanageenty Loop
Castleisland
Kerry
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Ireland South
Glenageenty is an area of mystery, myth and folklore, a wild and rugged landscape that was once the sanctuary to some famous heroes and bandits alike. This loop is the shorter of two loops and it takes you along its riverbanks and woodlands to listen to singing birds, gurgling streams, and the underfoot crunch of fallen hazelnuts and oak leaves - a paradise of peace and tranquillity. For those with an interest in birdlife, ravens, hen harriers, kestrels, pheasants and cranes are all regular sightings - for nightimers it's a haven for bat life! Wild goats can frequently be seen sunning themselves in forest clearings. Tree lovers will encounter oak, birch, sallow, hazel, mountain ash, white and blackthorn, sycamore and various types of spruce in abundance. It was in this glen that Gerald the last Earl of Desmond was beheaded in 1583 after months of hiding in dense woods - a plaque now marks the spot where his blood stained the earth. The loop takes you by the site of the Desmond Castle and on via the Ravens Glen waterfall to the ruins of Sean Thaigh Og’s cabin where in 1916 Robert Monteith evaded his enemies after the unsuccessful landing of arms at Banna Strand. From this secluded glen we can see the route and the hideaway taken by Stephen Fuller in 1923 when he was sole survivor of the Ballyseedy massacre. There are glorious vistas of Carrantuohill, Ireland’s highest mountain, the gap of Dunloe and Mount Brandon. More recently, valley floor, the Glounageenty River the rugged hillside and the forest glades inspired and honed local mountain man John Lenihan into peak fitness in 1991 before he traveled to the Matterhorn in Switzerland to become first Irishman to win the world title for mountain racing.
