Ladies View

Ladies View is a roadside scenic viewpoint on the N71 between Killarney and Kenmare, about 16 km (10 miles) from Killarney town. The Upper Lake, the Black Valley and the mountain rim spread out in a single panorama. It is worth a brief pull-off on the drive; this is a stop to look and take in the landscape rather than a walk or an all-afternoon visit. The view depends on visibility, so the mountain outlines are easier to read when the clouds lift.

To the left, the Black Valley sits beneath MacGillycuddy's Reeks; to the right, the Upper Lake has rocky islands. For a photo that shows the breadth of the view, include both the water and ridgelines, leaving a little grass or rock at the bottom for scale.

Several parking and viewing spots lie close together on the N71 and give slightly different angles: one looks toward the Long Range feeding the Middle and Lower Lakes, while another gives the Upper Lake panorama. The road is narrow and busy. Pull fully into a designated space and take care when joining or leaving traffic; do not stop on the shoulder to chase a better angle.

A café and bar with a craft shop sit beside the roadside viewing area and offer refreshments. They are a separate business from the viewpoint, making it easy to add a coffee or browse for a gift after taking in the landscape.

Rounded hills here were shaped by the last glaciation. An ice tongue from the Templenoe Icecap pushed north and east toward Torc and the Eagles' Nest, smoothing one side of exposed rock and plucking the other into rough faces—forms geologists call roche moutonnée. The large boulders on the flatter viewing area are erratics: ice carried them here and left them behind about 16,000 years ago.

Ladies View commemorates Queen Victoria's ladies-in-waiting, who came here during her 1861 visit to Killarney. Their excursion gave the viewpoint its name.