Kerry has been drawing visitors for two centuries, and with good reason. The combination of mountain, lake and Atlantic coastline is extraordinary — and the county is large enough that the famous Ring of Kerry is only the beginning.

The Ring of Kerry is a 179-kilometre circuit of the Iveragh Peninsula, and it is genuinely beautiful. But the coaches drive it clockwise and stop at the same viewpoints. Drive it anticlockwise, take the mountain roads that cut across the interior, and you will have it largely to yourself.

Killarney is the base most visitors use, and it earns its reputation: the national park is magnificent, the lakes are extraordinary, and the town itself has a warmth and energy that makes it easy to linger. But the real Kerry is found in the smaller places — Kenmare, Sneem, Portmagee — and on the roads that lead away from the circuit.

The Skellig Islands, twelve kilometres offshore, are one of the great experiences of Ireland: a sixth-century monastic settlement perched on a rock that rises 218 metres from the Atlantic, reached by a boat crossing that is itself an adventure. Bella Via can arrange private landings when conditions allow.

Kerry rewards those who resist the obvious route and take the time to find their own version of it. We will help you do exactly that.