The Dingle Way is traditionally walked in a clockwise direction, heading south of Camp Village and passing through Dingle Town before making the journey northwards and over Brandon Mountain. This approach allows muscles to get accustomed to high-levels of activity before covering some of the more strenuous stages of the trail. The other advantage to travelling this direction is the chance to socialise with other hikers on the route.

Most of the Dingle Way crosses low-lying land and looks up at mountains rather than down from them. The exception to this is the traverse of Brandon Mountain's shoulder which sees the trail reach a height of 660 metres above sea-level.

There is a huge variety of terrain that is covered by the Dingle Way. Small roads known by locals as 'boreens' make up a large part of the trail and assist with a quicker walking pace. Traffic is minimal and long sections will be encountered without ever meeting a car. Beaches also make up a significant part of the Dingle Way, some of which provide an opportunity to take some weight off one's weary feet by taking a swim. The remainder of the walk goes through open farmland and mountainous moorland.

Anyone setting out to walk a long distance trail such as The Dingle Way is embarking on a serious test of physical endurance. Our Advice Page contains some useful safety tips and pointers and we strongly recommend that everyone considering embarking on this walk should spend a few moments to read them and incorporate them in their pre-hike planning.