Travels: Ring of Kerry to Cliffs of Moher and Beyond

Overall, we have been pretty lucky with our weather. In Scotland when the weather turned cold (tops of 8 degrees) we still avoided the rain affecting anything we did. So I suppose we can't complain a great deal when our day doing the Ring of Kerry was atrocious. The day before had been lovely, but overnight the rain came in. But we set out nevertheless.

So much of the beautiful scenery was clouded in mist. The rain continued through the morning but did stop for a great deal of the afternoon. The morning was interesting when Jim misread a sign and to get back on track we ended up on the narrowest of tracks going up the side of a cliff. This one didn't have any pull over areas, and we were so glad not to meet anyone else wanting to come down.

This isn't a black and white photo, that's how grey it was

The views are there somewhere

As per the B and B suggestion we went to Valencia Island. There is supposed to be a beautiful cliff view but by the time we drove to that part of the island, we were in fog, so no views for us. We did take a very rough side track to St. Brendan's well. This is right out in the absolute middle of nowhere, so desolate with the wind howling around us. But a small shrine had been made around the well and there were a number of rows of seating.

The well of St. Brendan

We continued back to the mainland and stopped at what was advertised as the best cliff views in the Skellig. Probably also the most expensive. The wind was blowing so fiercely it was a struggle to walk up the hill against it. The viewing point is on a very high point, but we certainly couldn't see over to the islands that the view is famed for.

Skellig Islands are out there somewhere. I'm glad the wind was blowing towards me

Our next stop was an ancient stone fort in amazing condition considering it is 2500 years old. It had great views of the water from its high vantage point. We then continued on to the point where we entered the Ring of Kerry the day before. We had been warned at breakfast that there were road works and the road from this point on was completely closed. Lucky we had already seen that section. But Brigid gave us an alternative way back, and this was totally breathtaking. We came out at the Head Of Dunloe, looking down into the gap, and couldn't believe the vista in front of us. We headed down the track and crisscrossed a number of small lakes. In the end we were so glad about the roadworks. The owner told us that night that in summer they wouldn't suggest this road as it is so busy with walkers, jaunting cars (horse & carts) and tourists. We stopped at Kate Kearney's Cottage and had a lovely dinner, much better priced than in Killarney itself.

Dunloe Gap

The next morning after another superb breakfast we reluctantly left our lovely accommodation. No wonder it is rated 1 out of 131 B and B's in Killarney. Our first stop was a few kilometres back along the road to see the Troc Waterfull. We hadn't stopped there on our way in the first day, but were now treated to quite a spectacle after all the rain.

Torc Waterfall

At Brigid's suggestion we drove via Tralee and got a ferry over the Shannon. This avoided Limerick and its traffic and saved 137 kilometres. The ferry trip was beautiful in its own right, so a bonus. From here we headed to the coast, making our way through all the lovely little villages. We stopped at Brigid's Well. There are so many of these holy wells throughout island, and they come in so many forms. This one had been done very ornately. As we turned around to leave, we were treated to quite a spectacle on the bay behind.

On the ferry

Our little black car lined up at the gate

Three little pubs all in a row

Lahinch golf course. Like nothing we had seen before.

St. Brigid's well

The scene when we turned around. The light was unbelievably bright.

From here it was a short trip until we arrived at the Cliffs of Moher. From a distance we could see the huge carpark with so many cars already there. Then we saw all the buses on the other side. This must be one of the most popular sites in Ireland, and we are way outside the main tourist period.

As we were walking over it started spitting. We looked at the sky and one side was clear and the other decidedly bleak. We decided to look at the centre first in the hope that the rain would have blown away while we were inside. No such hope, it bucketed down. After a little while it eased right off, so we decided to head out while we could. It was spectacular, and within a few minutes of taking some photos, down came the rain again with a vengeance. By the time we had got back to the centre we were soaked. We had coats and an umbrella, but the rain just blew in at us and our trousers were soaked, plus our shoes. Back into the centre again where the rest of the tourists were also trying to take shelter. After a while of seeing nothing but grey outside the door, we decided to give up and go back to the car. We walked out the door and the rain stopped and the sun tried to come out. That is Ireland for you, somewhere more changeable than Melbourne.

The cliffs

And two minutes later

Another view of the cliffs. See the tour boat to get an idea of perspective.

So we managed to walk along the cliffs at last. A new track with rock wall has been put in, but we couldn't believe our eyes when we saw a young couple walking on the otherside that is unguarded. You just have to see this place to understand our consternation, as the cliffs are over 700 feet straight down. And then while we were watching them, he slipped on the muddy path and fell flat on his face. He was one very lucky tourist, as he was quite close to the edge and lucky that he didn't go sidewise. Straight after this he and the girlfriend climbed back on to the safe side. I think he got a bit of a lesson from that. Jim told him we might have been able to make a lot of money from photos of him going over.

The path along the cliffs. This is where the young couple were walking outside the barrier

Late afternoon we got to Doolin and found I had made another great choice with accommodation. This was another great deal that included a two course meal each if you stayed two nights. The only reviews that were better than the B and B were for their restaurant. What a top quality dinner we had, just superb. After dinner, as per the suggestion of Marian the B and B owner, we went to McGann's pub where there was live music. Doolin is cosidered the centre of Irish music and although they started late, the music was great, played with the traditional instruments (although the bagpipes were electric). It was rather a late night by our standards.

Live entertainment

Wednesday we had been considering getting a boat to the Aran Islands and then back along the Cliffs of Moher. Marian suggested that would not be a good idea as we would not enjoy the trip on the Atlantic on a day like this. She gave as an alternative suggestion that involved a round trip of the Burren area and the historic sites and great scenery.

We called in at the Burren Smokehouse and saw how the salmon is done, then on to a perfumery. We had to stop and see the most photographed place in the area, the Poulnabrone Dolmen, an ancient burial place from when men first farmed this area, around 6500 years ago. The Burren is very unique, mostly made up of grey limestone rock, cracked and creviced, making remarkable scenery.

The Burren scenery

We followed the coast around back to Doolin, and after seeing the Atlantic we realised why Marian suggested against a boat trip. We did find out later that all the boats were cancelled.