The Caha Pass and Moll's Gap

The N71 from Glengarriff to Killarney is the grand way into Kerry from the south: up through the rock tunnels of the Caha Pass, down to Kenmare, then over Moll's Gap and past Ladies View into the lakes and oak woods of Killarney National Park.

The drive

Glengarriff sits at the head of Bantry Bay, sheltered and green. The N71 climbs out of it into the Caha Mountains, and near the top it goes through the rock in a run of short tunnels, crossing from Cork into Kerry as it does. The far side runs down through Bonane to Kenmare, a neat little town and a good place for lunch.

From Kenmare the road climbs again to Moll's Gap, named after Moll Kissane, who ran a shebeen up here while the road was being built in the 1820s. Then it drops in long bends towards the Upper Lake.

Ladies View is named, so the story goes, for Queen Victoria's ladies-in-waiting, who liked it best of all they saw on her visit in 1861. It looks down the valley over the lakes of Killarney. Below it the road runs on through the national park's oak woods, past Torc Waterfall and along Muckross Lake into Killarney.

Worth knowing

• The tunnels on the Caha Pass are narrow, so a tall van or a caravan will want a careful look first.
• Moll's Gap and Ladies View are on the Ring of Kerry, and busy with coaches in summer. Early or late in the day, you'll have them to yourself.
• Torc Waterfall is a few minutes' walk from the car park beside the road.
• Through the national park the road is narrow in places, with deer, cyclists and jaunting cars about.