Category: Ireland/Scotland, Fall 2022

We are staying in Kenmare versus Kilarney as we are not fans of big cities, and Kenmare is definitely not a big city!  Quite nice actually.  We are staying at the Sheen Falls Lodge, which is an excellent hotel right on Kenmare Bay.  The hotel is situated directly adjacent to Sheen Falls.  I’d suggest it was more of a “rapids” than a “falls”.  Maybe these folks haven’t been to Yosemite?

The primary attraction in this region is the Ring of Kerry, a 179km circular route around the Iveragh Peninsula.  The below shot is from “Molls Gap”

You are met with incredible views at pretty much every turn of the road.  You enter Killarney National Park shortly before arriving at the Ladies View.

There is a sign posted advising why it’s called that.

Queen Victoria’s visit in 1861 features prominently in numerous locations on the Ring.

We’ve kept our eyes open on this trip and have yet to see any Leprechaun’s, but we still have a few weeks to go!

The Torc Waterfall is just a short stroll off the main road.

A “must see” site is Muckross House, a historical house set amidst the Killarney Lakes.

The house has been preserved to show how it looked back in 1932, when it was gifted to the Irish People.

Queen Victoria visited here in 1861, and no expense was spared in fixing the place up for her visit.  Finally a reason to use the “good china”!  Did anybody else have a mother that saved the “good china” in case the Queen visited?

The below photos were the Queen’s quarters for her visit.  They have set the rooms up to duplicate how it would have looked during her visit.

A lot of the place reminded us of Downton Abbey.  If you’ve not watched Downton Abbey, you really should, and that’s coming from a guy who mostly hates Period Pieces.

The view from the back of the house is exceptional.  I wouldn’t want to mow that lawn though!

The Muckross Abbey is a short distance away.  This was a Franciscan friary built in 1448.

It’s in remarkable condition for it’s age.  You can explore up on the second floor in many portions of the Abbey.  This ancient yew tree is growing out of the center of the Abbey, and is said to be as old as the building.

A tile display indicates the age of portions of the Abbey.

Another 10 minutes along the road brings you to Ross Castle, built in 1520.  They offer guided tours of the castle but there is only so much you can do in one day.  It’s still worth a stop just for a walk around, and there is a free museum inside.

The castle is built right on the edge of Lough Leane.

We took a short-cut on our way back to the hotel via the Gap of Dunloe.  The below photo is from the north side of Black Lake, and the “Gap” is directly ahead, due south.

The road is extremely narrow, but they at least have little cut-outs along the way so cars can pass.  It still makes for a rather stressful drive.

Here is a shot of the w-i-d-e portion of the road.  Not kidding!

The topography on the south side of the Gap is entirely different than the north.

Interesting to note that in 2005, private horse-drawn carriages called Jaunting Cars prevented tourists from driving the road, and there is currently a sign on the southern entrance advising tourists that the road is for locals only.

Despite the sign, the road is open to the public.  While the drive may stress you out, it’s well worth it for the views alone!  In my defense, I was driving the road for “Access to Accommodation”.

Up next, more Ring of Kerry!

 

 

On our drive to Bantry we ran into a wee bit of traffic.  Damn cows!  You may need to click on the photo to see them better.  Yes, the road below is two way, and that’s a wide one!

The contrast between Kinsale and Bantry was remarkable.  Bantry is not a tourist destination, at least not as a city.  A lot of places in town were either out of business or on the verge of being out of business.  Fortunately we stayed 5 minutes away from the town center at the Seafort Luxury Hideaway, which was excellent!

Our first full day was a repeat of the perfect weather we had in Kinsale, so we ventured out to Mizzen Head, a nearby peninsula, with some incredible views.

The Mizzen Bridge was originally built in 1909, and was replaced with a replica bridge that opened in 2011.

The views from the other side of the bridge are incredible!

Likely not the best site for somebody with a fear of heights.

There are several viewing platforms and each has a unique perspective.

Looking out into the open ocean.  We were so lucky with weather!

We then visited Barley Cove beach.  The first time we’ve seen surfers in Ireland…and a lot of footsteps!

We drove through Schull (pronounced “skull”) as our host in Bantry advised us about a murder mystery on Netflix regarding a case based here.  We figured we’d visit, get a beer, and watch it when we get home.  Cute little town!

This church in Bantry was all lit up, and I had to get a shot after dinner.  I love the flipped over shopping cart out front…feels like we are back home already!

One of the “must do’s” in Bantry is Garinish Island.

There are two ferry services from the village of Glengarriff to the Island.  I would suggest using the “Blue Pool” ferry versus the “Harbour Queen”, as the “Blue Pool” ran every half hour versus the competition that only ran on the hour (despite their signs that said every half hour…grrr!).  The Blue Pool was also apparently “on time”, versus the other.  Double grrr!  You only have so much time here….don’t let a company waste some of it for you!

You get to see some seals on the way to the island.  Lazy seals!

The obviously wealthy John Bryce bought the island from the War Office in 1910 and built extensive gardens.  The below is inspired by Italian gardens…maybe on Lake Como?

The Bryce family took inspirations from other gardens, including the Greeks.

The flowers are gorgeous!  The gardens benefit from a mild humid micro-climate in this harbor.

These are a line of Dahlia’s.  I had no idea what Dahlia’s were….now I know!  Isn’t that the most contemplative look a flower has ever seen?

There is a restored Martello Tower from the Napoleonic Wars.  These towers were small defensive forts built with a large canon on top to defend against the potential of French invasion, which never happened.  This is the view from the top.

Our last trip in Bantry was to head up to Healy Pass, which turned out to be one of the most dangerous drives we’ve ever done.  One lane most of the way, with small cutouts here and there, and sheep everywhere.  It was a total white knuckle ride!!  The below photo is looking back down the road we just drove up (click on the photo to see the road better….it was scary!!).

The Healy Pass was built in 1847 during the Potato Famine to help prevent starvation.  This became the main road between the Kerry side and the Cork side of the Beara Peninsula, allowing the transfer of food (I have no idea which way the food transferred, more research needed!)

On the way up the pass we ran into a bit of a traffic jam.

This is the view to the west from the top of the Healy Pass.  That’s the ocean in the far distance.

On the way up to the Healy Pass an old man walking in the road waved us down.  We though he needed help so we stopped, but he just wanted to chat.  He asked questions for at least 10 minutes, particularly questions about how we met and how long we had been married, how many kids, on and on.  When we got back to our hotel the owner said “oh, old one tooth?  Yes, everybody knows him.”  Bantry is a small place!

Our next stop is Kenmare, where we are staying for 4 days.  This is on the route of the “Ring of Kerry”, likely the biggest highlight of any trip to Ireland.