Tango Street Food
A family-run Killarney restaurant serving Argentinian food, wood-fired pizza and handmade empanadas. Check Instagram for current opening times and bookings.
Muckross Road, Dromhale, Killarney, Co. Kerry, V93 FP40EasyWoodland · Killarney
Coill na dTóimí
and O’Sullivan’s Cascade.
An easy, dog-friendly loop through Coill na dTóimí (Tomies Wood), following quiet woodland tracks to O’Sullivan’s Cascade and the shore of Lough Leane.
Also known as Tomies Wood.
DISTANCE
7.18km
ASCENT
179m
HIGH POINT
216m
My time 1 hr 36 · woodland tracks and gentle climbing 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?
WOODLAND PROFILE
27 m to 216 m.
The loop climbs gradually from the edge of the wood to 216 m before returning to lower tracks beside Lough Leane.
Reading the forecast
179 m ascent · 181 m descent
THE LINE
Oak woodland with a working past.
The loop leaves the northern edge of Tomies Wood and climbs gradually beneath the trees. It reaches its high point on the southern side, drops to O’Sullivan’s Cascade, then turns back through the woods with glimpses across Lough Leane. Broad tracks and little climbing make it one of the easiest walks here.
The wood is younger than it looks. A 2004 study of Irish oak by Muir and colleagues cites records of Tomies being felled and replanted early in the nineteenth century. The sessile oak on the lower slopes now is the wood that grew back.
Out on the lake, in view from the wood, is Innisfallen, the most important monastic site in the Killarney valley. The Annals of Innisfallen are named after it. Ross Castle stands across the water on its own peninsula.
- 01Tomies Wood trailheadThe loop begins at about 64 m and enters the woods on a clear track.
- 02Southern high pointA gradual woodland climb reaches approximately 216 m.
- 03O’Sullivan’s CascadeThe route drops to the cascade and its stepped woodland falls.
- 04Lakeside returnLower tracks lead back through Tomies Wood towards the trailhead.
The woodland history follows Muir, Lowe, Fleming and Vogl (2004), High Nuclear Genetic Diversity… in Irish Quercus petraea, Annals of Botany 93, 691–697 ↗, which cites historical records of felling and replanting at Tomies. The monastery and Annals are described by Heritage Ireland: Innisfallen Augustinian Abbey ↗.
Forecast for around 200 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.
Woodland tracks can be muddy, wet and slippery after rain.
Take particular care on damp rock and steps around O’Sullivan’s Cascade.
Some waterside edges are unguarded. Keep children and dogs close near fast water.
Access arrangements and temporary forestry or conservation notices can change. Follow signs on the day.
The route stays on a compact woodland loop. If conditions become uncomfortable, turn back along the known track rather than taking an unsigned shortcut through the woods.
INSIDE TOMIES WOOD
My photographs.
03 · GO
Getting there.
Start well.
STARTTomies Wood trailhead
Select coordinates to copy
Use the main Tomies Wood car park and follow all National Park signs. This is a dog-friendly walk, but keep dogs under close control, and on a lead around wildlife, livestock and other walkers.
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.
Distance, track, time and elevation come from my own recording of the walk.
Download original GPXtomies-wood.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 routes nearby
All 33 routes →AFTER THE WALK
Post-hike picks.
A small, personal shortlist around Tomies Wood and Killarney.