So, how to recap the second portion of our trip in Ireland ... Well, we started the day off at the Garnish House with a nice, traditional Irish breakfast. We also walked to the English Market, a big indoor marketplace, and got some goodies for lunch.
At the Market!
What our drive looks like
Heading out we resolved to explore the ring of Kerry and let the journey be the adventure. We didn't have a whole lot of specific places we wanted to see. Our goal was simply to enjoy the trip and the beauty of County Kerry. Along the way we stopped in several beautiful little towns. However, the highlight of the trip was the country side. While Dublin had its own beauty, mostly of the architectural nature, the coastline along the ring of Kerry far surpassed that. Several highlights:
- We stumbled onto a wonderful little road that lead to a fishing berth (empty for the day we presume since some of the gear stored there was pretty fresh). It was at the head of a really neat little inlet. It was the first place we stopped and a great way to start the day.
- Staiggue Fort - I'm sure I'm spelling that wrong, but I'm not going to take the time to look it up! It was a stone fort, dry fit, that has lasted for close to a thousand years. It was fun to explore (no entrance fee, no docents telling you where to go or preventing you from walking off the edge of a 15 foot wall)! We even purchased some pastries from two enterprising teenagers with a table in the parking area. It was adventurous to get in as the last two miles of roads were single lane (but two way) with tall hedges on both sides which nearly brushed the mirrors on both sides.
- Several beaches on the Atlantic end of the peninsula. They were picturesque and largely free of people. At one, we walked out, crossing a small river letting out into the ocean, and then explored the ruin of a castle. So fun.
We've been drinking lots of coffee and tea here in Ireland!
The last 10 or 15 miles of the journey (we stayed 2/3 of the way through the ring of kerry in Portmagee), was visually stunning. We were on another tiny road which wound back and forth through what, to my mind, is typical Irish countryside. Only to our left was a spectacular ocean vista, often from several hundred feet. It was a blast, though hard to keep my eyes on the road.
On top of the fort ruin!
Yes, two lane!
- Just before we got to Portmagee, we saw signs advertising the Cliffs of Kerry. We were all tired, but figured we could muster through. We parked and walked ten minutes out to some totally awesome views. Words cannot describe the impressive cliffs we saw. It was crazy because back of the cliffs was just farming, sheep, cattle, whatever. But then there was just a rip in the lush, green farmland and 800 feet down was the ocean. It was well worth the stop.
In Portmagee we stayed at a lovely bed and breakfast (Cairrag Liath House, Francis was the proprietor ... highly recommended). Dinner was in a pub in the village and we hit the sack exhausted.
View from our place!
The next day we were up early, had a breakfast with Francis, and headed over to the Portmagee pier to meet up with Mikey Joe O' Connell (I cannot make up a name like that!), our boatman to take us out to Skellig Michael. We were blessed to be able to go as 3 out of the last 5 days they had been unable to make the trip.
It was around an hour trip through seas that were (to my un-trained eye) on the order of 10 foot waves. We were on a small fishing type boat, probably a 30 footer. It was for sure the biggest waves I've ever been in. But it was also a ton of fun to go up and down the waves and just experience the power of the ocean. Crazy. Just before landing we paused near Skellig Michael's sister island which is hugely populated by sea birds. Their name escapes me, but they nest here in the summer and travel to South Africa for the winter. I've never seen that many birds in one place!
All that white is birds!
When we landed, we began our "hike" to the top of the island to visit the abandoned monastery. Hike is a light term because it was really as much as anything, a climb. We took stairs that the monks had put in place over 1400 years ago. It was intense. When we got to the top we enjoyed an interesting talk by a guide. Side note, the location is remote enough that the guides (there were three of them) stay on the island for two weeks at a time). It was interesting to hear about how this small community of men at lived in this rugged location, mostly self-sufficient. But more impressive was the rugged beauty of the island. We also found the "Star Wars" location (the last scene from the latest Star Wars movie was filmed on Skellig Michael), which was fun.
See how tiny the boats are! We were a LONG way up.
The journey back was uneventful. We grabbed our car and headed through the remainder of the ring of Kerry to Killarney. There we stayed at a bed and breakfast which was also a riding stable. Tim and Emma enjoyed getting to know the horses, and Tim pretended to be a sheep herding dog! We had dinner in a pub which had entertainment ... a band and live Irish dancers. Very fun! After dinner, we went to see the Torc Waterfall which was neat. We also drove through the grounds (now a national park) of the Muckross House. A cool manor house that the Irish government is restoring.
The next day was breakfast, and then we headed to the Ross Castle. We explored a bit there, and then met our guide, Laura, who started us on our journey through the Gap of Dunloe. We were taxied to the head of the valley, where we got in a Jaunting Car (horse and carriage). Our guide was Mary. Bob (the horse) took us through the Gap of Dunloe and past its five lakes. Again, words cannot describe this lovely location. It's highly recommended! Mary and Bob dropped us off at the edge of a lake were we purchased lunch (stay tuned for more on this) and relaxed for an hour. Then we boarded a small boat and journeyed through three interconnected lakes back to Ross Castle. It was remote beauty, no population, no signs of development. Very cool (and a little cold).
We landed, and jumped into the car and headed up to stay at Ballyseede Castle, yes castle (and that's Bally-seedy for those of you pronouncing at home). Ballyseede is a manor style castle that's been refurbished into a boutique hotel. Much of the castle is thus rooms, however many of the "public" rooms have been retained as well. While there, we decided to splurge for a 5 course meal. That was a really fun experience that I think Emma enjoyed most of all. However, Cyndie began to feel a little bit of stomach problems, so retired for bed before dessert. We hit the sack, but Cyndie did not sleep well because of the stomach distress.
We left around 10 the next day for Limerick, where we stopped briefly to see King John's Castle (Cyndie napped in the car). It was supposed to be a living history type place where they have in character actors playing the roles of many of the different people (e.g. mason, baker, soldier, etc) of the time. However, the weather wasn't great (don't know if that was why there weren't many actors of not), and lots of the displays weren't in great shape, so we cut our visit short.
We drove on to Dublin, returned our car, and flew to Liverpool. During this time, both Cyndie and I were not feeling well. We both slept a bit on the plane (only 30 minutes for the flight) which was very helpful for both of us. It was hilarious because the plane was kind of like a party bus in that there was a large group of people, who had been drinking in the airport, who continued the party on the plane. I think they were going to Liverpool for the weekend (kind of like a Vegas trip in the States). Funny. We got our rental car and headed in to Liverpool for the night. We checked into the hotel (our home for two nights in a row, which we're very excited about) and hit the sack (stay tuned for more on this as well).
Our time in Ireland ended; so very sad!
Must sees in Ireland:
- Ring of Kerry (including Skellig Michael if you can get out there)
- Blarney Castle and Grounds
- Gap of Dunloe.
Lessons Learned today:
- Even though they drive on the left side over here, they still seem to walk on the right side of the sidewalk.
- Rain is a daily experience (though typically not all day).
- There are not a lot of public trash cans (rubish bins) in Ireland.
- We're far enough north that it stays light very late. Which means we're probably not getting enough sleep!
- You have to dress for the weather ... Francis, the B&B owner in Portmagee, was kind enough to lend Emma and I waterproof jackets for our journey to Skellig Michael. Without those, we would probably have been in trouble.
- Sinks in Ireland have separate hot and cold spigots and you have to turn the handle 4 or 5 times around to get anything!
- Jaunting cars (horse and two wheeled carriage) are a lot of fun, but not totally comfortable. It's similar to riding a horse in that the gait of the horse dictates a lot about how smooth the ride is.
- Wear warmer clothes than you think you need!
Looking forward to tomorrow:
- England!
