New lease of life for Cork & Kerry walking books

WITH the upsurge in walking groups and trails, a much-loved local guide book has been given a new lease of life.

Walking enthusiasts everywhere will be delighted to know that Kevin Corcoran’s books West Cork Walks and Kerry Walks are now available in revised editions.

Kevin published his first book West Cork Walks, with O’Brien Press Ltd in 1989, which continues to this day to be a trusted and faithful guide. ‘Nothing short of superb,’ is how one reviewer described his books, and it’s not hard to see why.

‘In revising the books,’ Kevin told The Southern Star, ‘you keep them contemporary so the descriptions perfectly match the walkers’ experience and this gives them a sense of surety while out walking the hills and valleys of Cork and Kerry.’

The books are a good way to discover the wilderness and beauty of our landscape. 

The West Cork book features 12 of the finest walking routes through different types of ecology and terrain, while the book on Kerry features 20 popular routes that take in the four corners of Kerry from the Dingle Peninsula to the Paps, just outside Killarney.

These twenty walks explore heathland and bog, Ireland’s highest mountains, coastal peninsulas, beaches, islands, forest, rivers, and lakes. The walks vary in duration from three hours to eight hours, and are graded from casual to tough.

Kevin Corcoran has an intimate knowledge and love of the Irish landscape. 

An environmental biologist, he has studied the West of Ireland, both professionally and as a rambler, and lectures on ecology and environmental studies. 

His books about walks are the result of extensive study of the area and their natural habitats, flora and fauna and wildlife. As well as giving clear instructions and detailed maps, the books are beautifully illustrated by the author himself. Kevin’s philosophy is simple: ‘I keep the books cheap and update them regularly so they remain relevant. With a lot of walking books, they are expensively produced and rarely reprinted, which makes them outdate quickly. I am happy to say that my books continue to meet the needs of true walkers everywhere.’

‘I’m also happy to see more and more people joining walking groups. West Cork is particularly blessed to have groups in Skibbereen, Clonakilty, Bantry, Castletownbere, Dunmanway and Bandon. They know the health benefits. But to everyone else who is just starting out,’ Kevin said, ‘take the first step.’