Of all the walks that radiate out from the hotel, the Derrynane Mass Loop is the one we send our most curious guests on. At 6.3 km it is short enough to fit between breakfast and lunch, long enough to leave you happily tired, and historic enough that you will keep thinking about it long after the heather is brushed from your boots.

The route

The loop begins on Derrynane Beach itself, climbs through coastal woodland, and rises onto the Kerry hillside before doubling back over Caherdaniel. On the high ground you get a panorama that takes in Kenmare Bay, the Beara Peninsula, and on a clear day the soft outline of the Skellig Islands far out to sea.

A walk through history

The loop is named for the Mass Rock at its summit — the makeshift stone altar that local Catholics used during the 17th-century Penal Laws, when celebrating Mass was a crime punishable by death. Walking it is to step quietly through one of the more powerful corners of Irish history, and the hillside still holds a hush about it.

How long, how hard?

Most people complete the loop in around two and a half to three hours. There are a handful of steep sections but nothing technical, and the path is well-marked throughout. Wear walking shoes with grip; the upper section can be soft underfoot after rain.

Before you set out

Drop into reception and we will print you a map, mark the trailhead, and pack you a flask and sandwiches for the summit. It is a wonderful walk in any weather — but our favourite hour on it is mid-morning in May, with the gorse in flower and the bay below catching the light.