Geokaun Mountain & Fogher Cliffs

Most great viewpoints in Kerry demand a hard walk. Geokaun, the modest summit that crowns Valentia Island at a little over two hundred and sixty metres, is the happy exception: a small, family-run hill park has laid a road most of the way to the top, so the view is open to almost anyone. Pay at the barrier on the way in - the fee is small and self-service - and you can drive from one viewing platform to the next as they climb the hillside, or leave the car at the bottom and walk the steep looping trail on foot.

Because the mountain stands alone, treeless and surrounded by water, the reward is out of all proportion to its height. On a clear day the platforms give a sweeping turn of the compass: the Skellig Michael pinnacles out in the Atlantic, the Blasket Islands to the north, the long spine of the Dingle Peninsula beyond, the harbour and coloured houses of Portmagee below, and, inland, the highest peaks in Ireland, Carrauntoohil among them. Interpretive panels dotted along the way pick out what you're looking at and sketch the island's geology, wildlife and lore. There are picnic tables and benches at the top if you want to linger, and on a bright afternoon it's a fine place to eat lunch with half of Kerry laid out in front of you.

A short detour leads to the best bit for many: a viewing deck perched above the Fogher Cliffs, where the ground simply falls away to the sea a hundred-and-eighty-odd metres below. It's a giddy, exhilarating spot, and a fine one to catch the light at either end of the day.

Reaching Geokaun is easy once you're on Valentia, which you can drive onto over the bridge from Portmagee or, in the warmer months, by the Knightstown ferry. Allow half an hour to an hour, wrap up against the wind - it blows hard up here whatever the season - and don't expect much in cloud, when the whole point of the place vanishes into grey.