The Filling Station Camp
Rob’s pick for a coffee in Camp after the walk. Check Instagram for current opening times.
Camp, Co. KerryHardTwo summits · Dingle · recorded
Stradbally and Beenoskee
from Killiney Cross.
A long climb from Killiney Cross to two mountain summits above Lough Acummeen, with Brandon Bay and the Maharees stretching out below. The recorded walk returns to the same start.
DISTANCE
14.64km
ASCENT
883m
HIGH POINT
815m
Rob’s recorded time 5 hr 26 · long climb to an exposed mountain ridge · 943 recorded track points 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.
ONE · BEFORE YOU COMMIT
Is this your day?
The grade, the hazards, the forecast and the ground the route actually crosses. Everything you need to decide whether to go at all.
WEATHER AT A GLANCE
Forecast for around 800 m
Approx. 800 mNOWReading the forecast
WINDReading the forecast
TODAY’S PEAK RAIN CHANCEReading the forecast
Forecast. This is a modelled estimate for this route’s high ground; conditions can differ sharply across the mountain. Detailed planning guidance follows. Derived from Open-Meteo forecast data ↗.
RECORDED ELEVATION
From near sea level to the high ridge.
The supplied elevation series climbs from around 31 m at Killiney Cross to a file high point of 815 m, with a dip between the tops and a long descent back to the start. These are the GeoJSON elevations, which differ from mapped summit heights.
815 m30 m
Reading the forecast
0 km883 m ascent · 883 m descent14.64 km
THE LINE
From the forest tracks to the ridge above the lough.
The walk starts in Killiney, off the R560 between Dingle and Tralee, through a Coillte forest gateway. The first three kilometres follow easy forest tracks, climbing steadily to around 250 m before the route leaves the trees for open mountain. From there, the climb becomes more sustained as the shoulder leads towards Stradbally Mountain. The rough grass gives way to increasingly stony ground, with the sea opening out behind.
On the high ridge, Lough Acummeen sits below the steep mountain wall. Stradbally and Beenoskee frame the corrie, while the long, low shape of the Maharees reaches into the Atlantic beyond. The route crosses the dip between the tops and climbs again to Beenoskee before turning back. Allow time and energy for that second climb as well as the long descent.
The return comes back across the high ground and down towards the forest approach, with small variations from the outward line. Much of the lower track is retraced to Killiney Cross. The photographs show both clear coastal views and mist on the slopes: the ridge can feel very different once the lough and coastline disappear.
The names on the ridge
The Placenames Database gives Beenoskee as Binn os Gaoith, and files the mountain under two civil parishes at once: Cill Aighne and An Sráidbhaile. Stradbally Mountain is Cnoc an tSráidbhaile, the hill named from the village on the plain below, which the same database records simply as the village. The lough in the corrie between the two tops is Loch an Choimín, Lough Acummeen.
Mapping spells that lough Loch a Choimín, the same name with a lighter hand on the article. The corrie holding it is named Coumnagower on the hill mapping, but it has no Placenames Database entry of its own, so its meaning is not something this page can give you.
Killiney and its spellings
Killiney is Cill Aighne, and the Placenames Database glosses it as the church of Aighne with a question mark of its own. Aighne is read as a saint’s name, but the reading is not settled. The historical forms wander: Killaghny in 1306, Kyllene in 1473, Killoyne in 1590, Killeiny in 1655, and four spellings at once in the Ordnance Survey of 1841, Killiney, Killinie, Killiene and Killeiny.
Present-day mapping and the Archaeological Survey both write it Cill Éinne, which points at a different saint again. A large sandstone cross, 2.86 m tall and dressed smooth on every side, stands at the old church and graveyard in the village, about 600 m off the walk. Whether the crossroads takes its name from that cross or simply from the roads meeting there, the record does not say.
- 01Killiney CrossStart off the R560, around 31 m above sea level, and enter through the Coillte forest gateway. There is room for 2–3 cars without blocking access.
- 02Forest approachFollow easy forest tracks for the first three kilometres, climbing steadily to around 250 m before continuing onto open mountain.
- 03Stradbally MountainA sustained climb gains the high ridge, where views open across Lough Acummeen, Brandon Bay and the Maharees.
- 04BeenoskeeCross the dip between the summits and climb again over rocky ground to the route’s high point before turning back.
- 05Return to Killiney CrossCome back across the high ground and descend towards the forest tracks. The lower return largely retraces the approach to the same start.
The supplied track defines this walk and its return. The shared forest approach and mountain ridge are also described by Dingle Hillwalking Club ↗, whose longer four-summit crossing finishes at Baile Dubh. This recording returns to Killiney Cross. The Irish forms, glosses and historical spellings are from the Placenames Database: Binn os Gaoith, record 101038 ↗, Cnoc an tSráidbhaile, record 1165822 ↗, An Sráidbhaile, record 22784 ↗, Loch an Choimín, record 1414798 ↗, and Cill Aighne, record 22513 ↗, where the gloss carries its own question mark and the spellings are dated. A search for Coumnagower returns nothing there. The cross is Archaeological Survey record KE036-003004, part of the Killiney church and graveyard complex KE036-003, described in J. Cuppage, Corca Dhuibhne: Dingle Peninsula Archaeological Survey (Ballyferriter, 1986), no. 854; the Survey heads that entry Cill Éinne. Its distance from the recorded line is measured from the GPX to the published coordinate. Nothing on the record connects the crossroads to the cross. The recorded line passes no monument on the Survey: the nearest is a ringfort, KE036-005, about 310 m away near the start.
Reading the forecast
WIND NOWReading the forecast
—cloud
—humidity
—km/h peak gust
Strongest wind today—
Peak gust—
RECENT RAINFALL · LIKELY GROUND
Reading the forecast
RAIN, GUST & VISIBILITY WINDOW
Reading the forecast
BEST HIKING WINDOW
Reading the forecast
DAYLIGHT PLAN
Reading the forecast
MET ÉIREANN · KERRY
Reading the forecast
NEXT SIX HOURS · swipe
Reading the forecast
HAZARDS & OPTIONSKnow the commitment.
This is a strenuous mountain day with a long ascent and a substantial return after the summits.
The high ridge is exposed to wind and cloud, and the correct descent can be difficult to identify in poor visibility.
Steep cliffs and broken slopes enclose Lough Acummeen. Keep a generous margin from the corrie rim.
Loose stone, wet grass and boggy ground can make the climb and descent slow or slippery.
Forest tracks may carry working vehicles. Keep entrances clear and follow local access notices.
Turn back down the known approach if wind, cloud or tiredness builds before the ridge. On the high ground, retrace a line you can navigate confidently and avoid shortcuts towards Lough Acummeen or down unseen corrie slopes. Keep enough daylight and energy for the return through the forest.
ABOVE LOUGH ACUMMEEN
Rob’s photographs.
TWO · YOU’VE DECIDED
Getting there.
Where it starts, the recorded file, and the checks worth making before you leave the house.
PLAN THE GROUND
Start well.
RECORDED STARTKilliney Cross
Select coordinates to copy
There is space for 2–3 cars at Killiney Cross, off the R560 Dingle-to-Tralee road. The walk enters through a Coillte forest gateway. Park without blocking the gateway, road or farm access, respect local signs and leave gates as found. The small parking area can fill quickly.
ROUTE FILE
Take the recorded route with you.
The GPX preserves the supplied coordinates and timestamps but contains no elevation values. The map’s elevation profile uses the accompanying GeoJSON.
Distance is calculated from the 943 supplied track coordinates. Ascent, descent and elevation come from the GeoJSON; the GPX and KML contain no elevations. The displayed time is the 5 h 26 min between the GPX’s first and last timestamps, not a planning estimate. All three route downloads are preserved as supplied.
Download original GPXstradbally-and-beenoskee-from-killiney-cross.gpx · 943 track points · original supplied GPXGeoJSONKML
Onto a watch: import the GPX into Garmin Connect, Komoot or Strava and send it to the device from there. On a phone, the Garmin Explore and OS Maps apps take the file straight from the share sheet.
BEFORE YOU GO
Read the ground. Keep your margin.
Conditions can change the seriousness of any recorded route.
Your quick checksOptional and saved only in this browser.
0/5 checkedThese checks support your planning; they do not confirm that the route is safe.
- 01Check conditionsReview forecasts and warnings before leaving.
- 02Navigate independentlyCarry suitable mapping and know how to use it.
- 03Protect your marginTurn back early if the day exceeds your experience.
- 04Share your planLeave your route and expected return time with someone.
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 29 recorded routes →AFTER THE WALK
Post-hike picks.
A small, personal shortlist around Camp and Stradbally. Check current opening times before making the journey.
Tomásín’s Bar & Restaurant
Food or a post-hike drink in nearby Stradbally. Check current opening times before travelling.
Stradbally, Castlegregory, Co. Kerry, V92 AD65