Gap of Dunloe
Category 310.8 km
Distance
305 m
Elevation Gain
2.8%
Average Gradient
12%
Max Gradient
The Gap of Dunloe is simultaneously one of Ireland's most dramatic cycling experiences and its most logistically complicated. The 11km gap cuts between Purple Mountain and the MacGillycuddy's Reeks through a glacially carved valley of exceptional wildness: tarns, bare rock, waterfalls, and mountain silhouettes that shift with every bend of the narrow pass road. The road is technically private and motorised traffic is restricted (pony and trap tourist convoys have right of way), which delivers a car-free environment unlike anything else on the Ring of Kerry circuit. The climb to the top of the gap is gradual for the first 7km then steepens with short ramps approaching 12% near Kate Kearney's Cottage. The descent on the south side into the Black Valley is twisty and technical on a rougher surface. Absolutely unmissable.
Pro Tip
The Gap is one-way for motor vehicles (north to south, Kate Kearney's Cottage toward Black Valley) and cycling is permitted in both directions but the experience is best northbound — ascending from Black Valley puts you climbing into the drama rather than descending out of it. Combine with Moll's Gap on the same day via the N71: ascend through the Gap from Black Valley to Kate Kearney's Cottage, return to Killarney, and complete Moll's Gap in the afternoon for a classic Kerry double-pass day of approximately 70km and 1,200m.
Part of
Cycling in Ring of Kerry