Why You Should Avoid Dooks Beach if Driving

Do not visit Dooks Beach if you are driving. If you do, you’re in for a stressful encounter!

One of the more popular beaches near Killarney, there is zero parking at Dooks and, as the ‘road’ leading to it is extremely narrow, it can be a nightmare to turn your car around.

I’m speaking for a particularly stressful experience this winter where, despite the place being empty, I couldn’t find a place to park and ended up having to reverse for what felt like a lifetime.

However, if you’re on foot or bike, you’re in for a real treat here – this is one of the more impressive beaches in Kerry, as you’ll discover below.

Some quick need-to-knows about Dooks Beach

Getting to Dooks Beach can cause confusion for some, so its worth taking 20 seconds to read the points below, first:

1. Location

Dooks Beach is located in County Kerry, near the village of Glenbeigh. It’s just off the Ring of Kerry route, around 15 minutes from Killorglin and 45 minutes from both Killarney and Tralee.

2. Parking

Parking is non-existent at Dooks Beach. If you look at the map above, I’ve stuck in a photo of the ‘road’ that passes it – it’s extremely tight, there’s nowhere safe to park and it’s a nightmare to turn a car.

3. Swimming

As there are no lifeguards at Dooks Beach, please use caution if you enter the water (take a minute to read these water safety tips).

4. The closest beach to Killarney

While there’s a handful of beaches near Killarney, at 45 minutes away Dooks Beach is the closest. However, as parking is very limited, I’d recommend heading to nearby Rossbeigh Strand instead!

About Dooks Beach

Dooks Beach is a sheltered, sandy cove. More often than not you’ll find yourself alone on the gorgeous sands, and it’s somewhat of a hidden gem amongst the many beaches in Kerry.

This is perhaps due to the fact that it’s not very easy to find. However, they do say that Dooks Beach is hard to find but harder to forget…

From the cove, you can see the spectacular Inch Beach across the bay, as well as views of the mountainous Dingle Peninsula, and on a clear day you can even see the Blasket Islands off in the distance.

When the tide is out, you can even walk across the bay over to Reennanallagane Beach, which is handy, since it’s even more difficult to find parking for that beach!

Things to do near Dooks Beach

So, if you drove to Dooks and decided against trying to park, don’t worry – many of Kerry’s top attractions are a short spin away.

Here are some of my favourite places to visit nearby (see the map above for reference!):

1. Rossbeigh Strand (20-minute drive): A large Blue Flag beach that’s popular amongst surfers
2. Kells Bay (25-minute drive): Home to Kells Bay House and Gardens
3. Ballaghbeama Gap (30-minute drive): A scenic drive that takes you through the mountains of the Iveragh Peninsula
4. Gap of Dunloe (30-minute drive): A famous mountain pass that can be walked in 5 hours