The Filling Station Camp
A handy coffee stop in Camp after returning from the King’s Table. Check Instagram for current opening times.
Camp, Co. KerryHardMountain glen · Dingle
King’s
Table.
A mountain route up Derrymore Glen to the King’s Table, a monolith beneath the Slieve Mish ridge.
Also known as Fin Mac Cool’s Table.
DISTANCE
7.78km
ASCENT
584m
HIGH POINT
615m
My time 3 hr 36 · rough, pathless glen and high, exposed ground GRADE GUIDE ↗
Reading the map…
INTERACTIVE TERRAIN · ACTUAL GPX TRACKACTUAL GPX TRACK
A recorded time is not a planning estimate. Build your own from pace, ascent, ground, weather and daylight.
01 · DECIDE
Is this your day?
ELEVATION PROFILE
75 m to 615 m.
Every height on this profile was measured on the walk, not estimated between the ends.
Reading the forecast
584 m ascent · 584 m descent
THE LINE
Into Derrymore Glen beneath Slieve Mish.
The Table itself is a monolith at the back of the glen, behind the boulder field and below the high ridge, and the maps have not always called it the same thing. The historic six-inch sheet names it Fin Mac Cool’s Table, the anglicised Fionn Mac Cumhaill. The modern sheet calls it King’s Table. Locally it is the table of Cú Roí, whose fort stands on Caherconree along the same range.
The schoolchildren of Drom an Tacair had the same man as the older sheet, writing it down as the table of Fionn Mac Cumhaill. Their account says the stone carries a very faint, worn engraving of forks and knives, and some strange letters. The writer could see the mountain from their own doorway, and said that on a clear summer day you could pick out the stone itself from the Tralee side. Almost nobody goes to it.
- 01Derrymore Glen startThe walk begins at about 75 m near the northern approach.
- 02Into the glenThe line follows rising ground between the enclosing Slieve Mish slopes.
- 03The King’s TableThe block stands among rough rock and open mountain grass.
- 04High groundThe route reaches approximately 615 m beneath the ridge.
- 05ReturnThe route retraces the same line to the start.
The Schools’ Collection account was written down at Dromthacker national school by Cáit Ní Drisceoil and Josie Talbot under Siobhán Bean Mhic Talbóid: read the original on dúchas.ie ↗. What the “strange letters” are is not identified in the account, and is not guessed at here. The map labels are Fin Mac Cool’s Table on the historic six-inch sheet and King’s Table on the modern sheet; the Placenames Database returns no entry for either, so no Irish form is given. The Cú Roí association is local tradition. His fort appears on the Cathair Conraoi route; the broader glen history is on the Derrymore Glen Loop.
Forecast for around 600 m
Reading the forecast…
NOW
WIND
TODAY’S PEAK RAIN CHANCE
Reading the forecast…
–cloud
–humidity
–km/h peak gust
Strongest wind today–
Peak gust–
RECENT RAINFALL · LIKELY GROUND
NEXT SIX HOURS · swipe
Reading the forecast
Forecast. This is a modelled estimate for this route’s high ground; conditions can differ sharply across the mountain. Derived from Open-Meteo forecast data ↗.
HAZARDS & OPTIONSKnow the commitment.
The upper glen is rough, pathless mountain ground requiring confident navigation.
Steep grass and rock may be slippery after rain.
Cloud can remove the shape of the glen and ridge very quickly.
The route reaches high, exposed ground where wind may be much stronger than at the start.
The route comes back the way it went up. Turn back early along known ground if cloud, wind or footing deteriorates, and avoid improvised descents from the high slopes.
FROM THE MOUNTAIN
My photographs.
03 · GO
Getting there.
Start well.
STARTDerrymore Glen
Select coordinates to copy
The walk starts near the Derrymore Glen approach. Confirm current parking, land access and ground conditions locally before setting out.
ROUTE FILE
Take the route with you.
The original GPX, exactly as walked. Load it into your watch, phone or offline mapping before you leave signal.
Track and heights come from my GPX and GeoJSON. The file has no timestamps, so the time shown is my own note of how long it took.
Download original GPXkings-table.gpx · as recorded
Confirm the download when your browser asks, then open the file from your browser’s downloads and your mapping app will offer to take it. HiiKER and Garmin Explore both do; the route loads on HiiKER’s free tier, though its EastWest mapping of the Irish uplands is a paid layer. Onto a watch: import the GPX into Garmin Connect, Komoot or Strava and send it to the device from there.
Read the ground. Keep your margin.
Conditions can change the seriousness of any route.
Before you leave
- Check the forecast and warnings
- Plan your daylight
- Save the GPX or an offline map
- Pack footwear and layers
- Share your route and return time
Leave a plan.
Tell someone your route and return time. For emergencies in Ireland call 112 or 999 and ask for Mountain Rescue.
More in Dingle
All 33 routes →AFTER THE WALK
Post-hike picks.
A small, personal shortlist around Derrymore Glen and Camp.