Gap of Dunloe Boat Tour

"We did the gap of dunloe boat tour on a bright July morning and the water on the Upper Lake was so still you could see the whole ridge doubled in it. Our boatman grew up in Beaufort and pointed out the old copper mine workings on the far shore without ever sounding rehearsed. Bring a fleece, the wind off Purple Mountain has a bite even in summer."

"The stretch through the Meeting of the Waters under Old Weir Bridge was the part I keep thinking about — the oak canopy closes right over the boat and the light goes green. We had booked the turas bád through the Gap the evening before and there was still space. Sturdy shoes matter more than anything else you pack."

"Started at Kate Kearney's Cottage around nine and had the pass almost to ourselves before the jaunting cars filled it up. By the time we reached Lord Brandon's Cottage the sun was properly out and the boats were waiting at the stone quay. The Killarney lakes tour from there back to Ross Castle took about an hour and a half."

"Rained for the first twenty minutes on the water and the open boat gives you nowhere to hide, so pack a proper waterproof rather than an umbrella. It cleared and the rest was superb — Brickeen Bridge, the arbutus trees, a sea eagle overhead near Innisfallen. Only reason for four stars is the long wait at the landing when three groups arrived together."

"I travelled alone and the small boat made it easy to talk with the other passengers. The scale of the valley walls is hard to judge from photographs; standing at the top of the pass you feel very small. Ross Castle at the end was a good place to finish with coffee."

"We compared a few Killarney landmarks options and chose this one because you actually move through the landscape instead of past it. The gap of dunloe boat tour tickets were straightforward to arrange and included the transfer back into town. Serpent Lake and the little arched bridges along the old road are the details I remember."

"I've now done the gap of dunloe boat tour tour in spring, autumn and high summer, and the August water is the warmest and the calmest of the three. Watch for the red deer on the Purple Mountain side in the early evening. The boatmen row the shallow section by hand and it is worth sitting quietly for that bit."

"Booked one of the guided gap of dunloe boat tour tours that starts with the walk and ends on the lakes, which meant no backtracking and no car to collect. The 11km through the pass is long but gentle, mostly downhill after the summit. Torc Mountain looked enormous coming across the Lower Lake."

"Late season means fewer people and the bracken on the slopes turns bronze, which is worth the shorter daylight. Our group of eight fit into two boats and we crossed all three lakes before dusk. The boatman knew the water levels well and warned us about the rapids under the bridge before we went through."

"Plan for a full day rather than a half — between the pass and the crossing to Ross Castle we were out nearly seven hours. Bring water and something to eat, as the cottage café had a queue when we passed. The Lakes of Killarney from boat level are a completely different view than from the road."