Drung Hill rises straight up from the sea. It’s a less-frequented portion of the Kerry Way, but this is its charm. On a clear enough day, you can find yourself alone for miles with panoramic views that take in South Kerry, West Kerry and the Reeks District.

On an overcast day, this hike is like walking along the edge of the world. After the initial climb, the path levels out and hugs the side of the hill, which drops dramatically on your right. As you progress, there is nothing below the steep drop but the immensity of the ocean.

The path you follow is visibly rutted, having been used as a stagecoach road until the 1800s. Over Mountain Stage, you can see tunnels where the train once made its way to Valentia Island in the 20th century, parallel to the modern Ring of Kerry Road further down. On the shoulder of Drung, turn left, leaving behind the Kerry Way. A steep climb through heather will bring you to a cairn on the summit where you can see Valentia Island, the Dingle Peninsula, Castlemaine Harbour, the sand bars of Inch Beach and Rossbeigh Strand, Curra Hill and MacGillycuddy’s Reeks beyond.

Drung comes from the Irish for a gathering of people. The ogham stone near the summit marks the spot where people used to gather for religious pilgrimages in the medieval period and probably earlier.

From here, you can call it a day and turn back, but if you have enough time, you can continue on to Beenmore and walk along the lip of Coomasaharn Horseshoe, which overlooks Coomasaharn Lake.