Slea Head Drive

After being somewhat unimpressed with the Ring of Kerry (at least as compared to the Ring of Beara) we left our cold, windy, rainy B&B and headed  off on the north leg of the ring.  Shortly after we left the B&B, near Portmagee (the place we were heading when we had our lovely drive through the clouds and rain) we came to a place where you could walk out to the edge, and found some of the beauty we had been looking for.

Then we got back into the car and headed to Dingle, another colorful village.

There in Dingle, I found my restaurant.  We didn't actually eat there, even though I'm sure they would have given me a discount.

Out from Dingle there's a drive called the Slea Head drive that passes by some interesting places, and has some more beautiful scenery.  We came across this stone building that is now just a restaurant!  I'd love to know how they build these things.

Then there were the beehive huts.  These were built and used by a farming family.  Inside they are quite cozy and a welcome relief from the cold winds.

We've mentioned before the lovely road system over here, but I particularly liked this one.  It's on a hairpin curve (or bend as they call them over here) and there's a stream that runs directly across the road.

There were so many places to pull out and take pictures.  None of them can really show the majesty of the views.  And the gale force winds almost (I said almost!) add to the beauty.

As there are lots of rocks over here, they use them for everything.  Besides the stone building and beehives, you see them used as fences between fields everywhere.

We're in Dingle for a couple of days, so tomorrow we'll head out to the Great Blasket (got to be great, right?  It's in the name.)                     

Ring of Scary

Dan and I arrived in Kenmare after a great time experiencing the beautiful  Beara Peninsula.      Though it's much more touristy than the Beara peninsula, we were looking forward to the next day when we would drive the Ring of Kerry, the peninsula just north of Beara.  Our plans were to spend the night at the tip of the peninsula at an area known as the Ballinskelligs, hoping to visit the remote island of Skellig Michael by boat the next morning.

 

Skellig Michael is a steep, rocky island  about 15 kilometers west of where we were staying.  Built in the year 588, Skellig Michael was an important center for Irish Christian monks for over 600 years and has remained very well preserved because of its location.   In addition to seeing the monastery, we were looking forward to seeing Atlantic puffins and gannets since this island is also a nature reserve for many sea birds.   I remember reading about this in one of the guide books while we were still in Phoenix and we had high expectations for an exceptional experience.

Beginning in Kenmare, the evening before our adventures in the Ring of Kerry and the Ballinskelligs, we stayed at a delightful B & B called Abbey Court.    Kenmare, known as the jewel of the Ring of Kerry, is a picturesque town with a reputation of being the gourmet capital of Ireland.   With over 30 restaurants and being the center point of both the Ring of Beara and the Ring of Kerry, Kenmare would have been a perfect place to stay for two or three days.   Now we know.   We had a fine dinner at a restaurant within walking distance of our B & B.  

 

Kenmare, gourmet capital of Ireland and also very cute town

 

Being in no hurry to begin the next leg of our trip the next morning, we enjoyed our usual Irish breakfast and then  stopped to take some pictures of an abandoned abbey just next to our B & B.    A feature of Ireland I find fascinating is the number of old parts of castles, churches, abbeys, etc. that are just lying in ruin by the side of the road.  There are frequently no plaques or information cards about them and there are no attempts to preserve let alone restore these places.   Though these ruins are pretty much ho-hum to the Irish, I love to explore them and imagine what once might have been.

 

Window looking out of the abbey

 

A tree growing out of the top of this tower

Outside the abbey-Hmm, I wonder who's buried here.

 

It's been jacket weather for the last two weeks-cold and rainy.

 

After exploring the abbey for a bit, we were on our way to the Ring of Kerry.   Though beautiful, the scenery didn't have quite the magnificence of Beara.  Besides, the weather seemed to be getting colder and windier by the minute, which may have colored our view somewhat.  Tour busses crowded the small roads bringing visitors from all over.   We stopped at a bathroom where I waited in line with about twenty women all speaking an unfamiliar language.  

 

 

 

 

Clouds blanketed the mountains and the temperature dropped as we turned off the road to the Ballinskelligs.    

 

Making our way to the Beach Cove B & B, off the beaten path of the Ballinskellig area, we found only one place to stop for lunch.   Having the worst food of our whole trip in Ireland, getting lost a few times, and finding the weather getting rainy and colder still should have been signs that things were not going to go as well as expected.

By the time we reached the B & B, we seemed to be in a real storm.  Our host for that night informed us that there would be no trip to Skellig Michael and in fact they hadn't sailed for over a week because the water was too rough.   Besides the disappointment of that information, we found our room to be extremely cold. 

Dan and I were bundled up with layers and asked our tank top clad hostess about heat for the room.   She looked at me like I had two heads and replied, Do you mean during the day?   Apparently, heat was not an option either during that day or that night.  

The storm seemed to be getting more intense so we decided to stay put in our room bundled in all our clothes and blankets as well.  Outside, the temperature was high 40s F or low 50s.   The wind howled loudly through our window like something I've only heard in movies where the inhabitants come to no good end and the rain beat against the window for the rest of our stay until the next morning.

By around 6 or so, we were both getting hungry, but neither of us was particularly thrilled by the idea of venturing out into the storm.   Our hostess assured us that a little town called Portmagee was only a ten minute drive from the B & B and we would be fine.  Just turn right outside the B & B, right again, and then up the hill.   Since the only other option was having crumbled cookies from Dan's backpack for dinner, we decided to give it a shot.  

Somehow or other we missed a sign and found ourselves on a one lane road with zero visibility.  The rain and high winds were only a small part of the problem as the cloud  we were driving through allowed us to  see about one foot in front of the car.   And there was no place to turn around.   I remember thinking that it was a good thing I had made out my will before leaving on this trip and wishing I had opted for crumbled cookies.

Finally, up the hill we found a place to turn around and I found a town on the map  after seeing a sign that was pointing in a different direction.   We made it to Caherseven for dinner and back safely after a couple of hours thanks to Dan's great driving.   Given the rain and severe winds, it was not our best night's sleep.   However, by morning, the sun came out and it was a beautiful day.

No photos were taken from the time we left lunch until the next morning when we took a few before going to Portmagee where we would watch a video about Skellig Michael at the visitor's center.   We also learned that the storm the night before was "a bit of a gale" from various people in the area.   It would have been a fabulous place to visit had the weather been right.

 

  The view from Beach Cove the next morning

Our next adventure:  The Dingle Peninsula

Ring of Beara - Indescribable Beauty

Susan and I spent the day driving around the Ring of Beara, the less well known cousin of the Ring of Kerry.  The scenery was indescribably beautiful, with the type of panoramic scenery that a camera just can't capture.  While driving there, we stumbled across yet another castle by the side of the road, Carriganass Castle, built in 1541 by Clan Chieftain Dermot O'Sullivan Beare.-Dan

Just one of the many ruined castles that dot the countryside. 

Susan:

In the southwest corner of Ireland, five long peninsulas reach out into the icy Atlantic ocean like fingers on an outstretched hand.   In exploring three of the peninsulas in this part of this country, Dan and I were not only able to experience the exquisite beauty of this magnificent region, but were also fortunate enough to discover those areas where Irish is spoken natively.  

We journeyed from our B & B at Macroom on an overcast day, expecting rain, but hoping for sun as we drove along the rolling countryside.  The rain won out as we arrived in Glengariff, the southernmost town on the Beara peninsula (the middle finger of the peninsula hand).   Our expectations weren't high for good weather as we hugged  the coastline with rain sprinkling down on Bantry Bay and the picturesque towns on the south side of the Ring of Beara.    But, the Irish gods smiled on us by the time we reached Castletownbeare, a quaint little fishing village  not far from the tip.  The sky shone bright blue with nary a dark cloud.

The parking lot brought us right up to a marina with fishing boats quietly resting on one side and the main street of the  almost deserted town on the other.  As we got out of our car we wondered, Where is everyone?   Very few people could be seen as we walked up the hill of the main street.  Stores, cafes, and restaurants all had closed signs posted and having left our B & B rather early, we were looking  for lunch possibilities.

After roaming down the main street all the way to the top in search of anything that was open, and then passing by a church on the way back,  we realized that it was Sunday morning and only 11:30.   Ooops.  The Irish take their Sunday mornings seriously.

Just outside of Castletownbearhaven

Being the keeper of the map as Dan drives, I suggested we press onward to Allihies, a town on the tip of the peninsula, where I had visited four years ago.  Along the way, the coastal scenery with its high cliffs cutting off and dropping suddenly into crystal sapphire water persuaded us to get out of the car and take some photos.   Lunch would have to wait.

 

 

Tip of the Beara Peninsula.

From the roadside, we could see the colorful town of Allihies in the distance, where we hoped at least one of their pubs would welcome us with open arms.  After all, even a tiny town such as this would have at least two pubs and it would be afternoon by the time we arrived.

 

Allihies from the roadside, hoping for a pub

 

O'Neill's Bar & Restaurant didn't disappoint us, though we were their only customers until about 12:30.    I had the usual, fish and chips, which is one of the best things about Ireland.  Dan had the chicken panini.

 

Dan's always happy to find lunch.

 

Allihies Sunday afternoon

While driving along toward Allihies, we saw a road that led to Dursey Head at the very tip of the Ring of Beara.  Dan remembered reading in a guide book about a cable car that takes people from Dursey Head to an Island across on the other side.   What the heck? We backtracked back to the road that led to Dursey Head.

This curious cow on the way to Dursey Head must have wondered what I was doing taking her photo.

The sheep just don't have respect for motorists in Ireland.

Apparently, they're pretty spoiled as the locals let them do pretty much whatever they want.

 

Dursey Head, was quite pretty, though a little windy and chilly.   Dan and I opted out of the cable car after seeing it first hand.   Though probably safe, neither of us was dying to get to the island on the other side, particularly after seeing the cable car up close.

 

 

 

Looks to me like a converted dumpster.  We opted out of this adventure.  I asked the ticket guy what was on the other side and he just shrugged. 

 

Everything in Ireland is written both in English and Irish. I'm impressed that they are trying to revive the old language.    We decided to complete the Beara Peninsula and save Moscow for another trip.   Leaving Dursey Head, we looked back one last time.

 

Last look at Dursey Head

 

The roads of this journey kept us alert as we met up with RVs and busses along stretches that are barely wide enough for a family of goats.  And I'm always wanting to stop for photos.   Dan allows me pretty much camera freedom, stopping along the way whenever possible.

 

On the way to Eyeries

After rounding the tip of the Ring of Beara, we found our way to the north side of the peninsula and the colorful town of Eyeries.  (note:  Janice, here are some color ideas for you.)   One of the memories I'll always have of Ireland is the magnificent colorful towns as well as the beautiful colors of the people. (more about this later-it has to do with redheads). 

 

  

After feasting our eyes on the glorious colors of Eyeries, we decided it was time to move on toward Kenmare, on the northern end of the Beara Peninsula, where we would be spending the night.   Kenmare is also the beginning point of the Ring of Kerry peninsula, just north of the Ring of Beara.     It had been a magnificent day!