Absolutely — here’s a family-friendly Kerry plan built around Killarney as your base, with the Ring of Kerry spread over the week, one full family-visit day in Camp, and enough flexibility for the kids so the holiday stays enjoyable rather than rushed. For your dates, this works best as a mostly circular route with 2–3 bases, because trying to do Killarney, Dingle, Valentia, Kenmare, Tralee, and Camp from one overnight every night will feel too busy with an 11-year-old and 8-year-old.heritageireland+2

Best overall structure

I’d suggest 3 bases:

Killarney for 3 nights at the start.
Portmagee / Cahersiveen / Valentia area for 1–2 nights for the south-west Ring of Kerry and Skellig Coast.
Tralee / Castlegregory / Camp area for the final 2 nights so your family day in Camp is easy and your drive home on Sunday is manageable. This keeps the long scenic loop enjoyable, and puts you close to your Camp visit and a beach for football and sunset.ballyroe+2

Suggested itinerary

Monday 10 Aug

Drive from home to Killarney and keep day one light. A good first afternoon is Ross Castle, a gentle walk in Killarney National Park, or a short lakeside spin rather than anything too ambitious after the drive. Killarney National Park is especially good for families because it gives you flat walking, wildlife, and easy access to other sights.muckrosspark+2

Tuesday 11 Aug

Do your Killarney lakes day: cycle around Muckross Lake, stop at Dinis Cottage for ice cream/coffee, and use the boat back if the kids are tired. That is one of the nicest family days in Kerry because it combines activity with a “reward” stop and lets you keep it flexible. Add Muckross House & Gardens and, if everyone still has energy, Torc Waterfall.killarneyguide+2

Wednesday 12 Aug

Use this for the full Ring of Kerry western/southern section or a Dingle day depending on weather and how the kids are coping. If you want to keep friction low, choose the Ring of Kerry side and include Moll’s Gap, Ladies View, Kenmare, and maybe a short Kenmare activity stop such as Star Outdoors. If the family are up for a big day, Dingle can work well too, but it is better treated as its own full day rather than squeezed in.kenmarebayhotel+2

Thursday 13 Aug

Make this your Dingle day if you didn’t do it Wednesday. The Dingle Aquarium is a solid kid choice, and a boat trip from Dingle is a good add-on if weather allows. If the children like animals and boats, this is one of the strongest “kid appeal” stops on the peninsula.familytravel411+1

Friday 14 Aug

Head east/south-east toward Valentia Island, Portmagee, and Cahersiveen for the Skellig Coast part of the trip. This is the day for Skellig Chocolate Factory and Kerry Cliffs if you want them, and the Valentia Island ferry from Reenard Point to Knightstown is a nice family experience if you want to use it. The playground in Knightstown / Cracow Park is a very good child stop, and Valentia is also handy for a relaxed roam without feeling too structured.valentiaisland+2

Saturday 15 Aug

This should be your Camp family day. Given your note that you have “lots of family to visit,” I’d keep the whole day there and not plan anything ambitious before or after. For the nearby beach and football, Camp Beach is a practical choice, and for sunset, Banna Strand is one of the strongest options in Kerry for a big open western sunset with plenty of space.tripadvisor+2

Sunday 16 Aug

Keep this as a homeward day and leave Kerry by late morning or early afternoon so you can get back to home by 7 pm without stress. If the kids need one final stop, a short breakfast stop in Tralee or a quick beach walk before leaving is better than trying to fit in another attraction.trips+1

Where to stay

For a budget-conscious family trip, I’d break the overnights like this:

Killarney: guesthouse or family B&B close to town or the National Park for 3 nights. Killarney is the best starting base for Ross Castle, Muckross, the lake cycle, and easy town access.thevictoriakillarney+1
Valentia / Cahersiveen / Portmagee area: a simple family guesthouse, holiday home, or mobile home for 1–2 nights if you want the Skellig Coast without long daily backtracking. Valentia and Cahersiveen also make the ferry and Knightstown playground easy.theirishroadtrip+1
Tralee / Camp / Castlegregory side: stay the last 2 nights near Camp or east of Tralee so your family day in Camp is easy and you can reach Banna Strand or Camp Beach without extra driving.ballyroe+1

Kid-friendly add-ons

A few extra child-friendly stops that fit your route well are:

Knockreer Children’s Playground in Killarney National Park, which is useful for a reset between bigger sights.thevictoriakillarney
Jaunting cart in Killarney, because kids usually remember that more than a museum visit.familytravel411
Star Outdoors Kenmare, which has multiple activities in one place and works well if you need a half-day with more variety.staroutdoors+1
Banna Strand, because the space, sand dunes, and sunsets make it easy to burn off energy.tripadvisor+1
Valentia playground in Knightstown, which is a very good “let them play while adults relax” stop.geokaun+1

Heritage and value days

Your heritage-site idea is good, and the first Wednesday of the month does include Kerry sites such as Ross Castle and Derrynane House among the free-entry sites on the OPW Heritage Ireland list. Since your trip dates are Monday 10 August to Sunday 16 August, that free Wednesday would be the following month, not this trip, so it won’t apply to these dates. Heritage Week deals may still be worth checking closer to the time, but the free first-Wednesday offer is the more predictable saving.oi+1

Best fit for your family

If I were planning this for a single dad with two kids, I would prioritise:

Killarney National Park, Ross Castle, Muckross, and the lake cycle.
One big Dingle day or one big Valentia/Skellig Coast day, not both at full intensity unless everyone is coping well.
Camp day as a no-pressure family visit day.
Banna Strand or Camp Beach for football and sunset. That gives you a proper Kerry holiday without overloading the kids.

So i live alone in an apartment, man of routine, my gas bills have always been kept low, over the winter I have had my gas boiler heating on 1 hour in morning, 1 hour in evening, consistantly, cause its on a timer. Maybe if I was chilly or I worked from home 1 day if have it on for a couple hours extra but im fairly strict on keeping bill down. I use gas hob for cooking 3 times a week.

My bills have been between €70 and €130 depending on the weather over winter say for the last 2 years.

Then March bill seems to have been quadrupled for no reason, I did nothing different, actually should have been less as the weather was warmer from January onwards.

I rang them to query why its 4 times the amount it is usually and they said it "was the meter evening itself out on average" whatever thay means???

Anyone had this scenario?

u/curious_madra

Hi all, Im the Single dad guy that asked for advice on the Ring of kerry with kids, thanks for all your advice. I used Chat GPT for support using all your input (only for help with structure of the week) Could someone have a scan down it and see if anything is ridiculous??