Day Nine: The Ring of Kerry
Today our journey took us in a giant loop, but it was on purpose. There are several peninsulas on the south-eastern coast of Ireland that are great to drive around. Dingle, Beara, and Iveragh (Ring of Kerry); each have their own great sites and cute villages to visit. The Ring of Kerry is one of the more popular ones, and that is what Jennifer and I decided to explore.
Ladies View
Ladies View is a scenic stop along the Ring of Kerry (N71). It is a part of the Killarney National park and its name comes from Queen Victoria's ladies-in-waiting admiration of the view. This was our first stop on our road trip today. We got out and took some pictures. There is a little cafe and gift shop along the road, but it was too early, it opens at 10am. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ladies_View_(Ireland))
Muckross House and Gardens
Our next stop was the Muckross House and Gardens in Killarney. The house is a 19th Century Victorian mansion set on the shores of Muckross Lake in Killarney National Park. There is a tour of the house available but that cost money. Jen and I decided to just walk around the grounds, down to the lake, and then visit their cafe/gift shop for some breakfast, cappuccinos and pastries. It was a cold and rainy day, as you can see from the pictures, but one of the first rainy days since we'd been in Ireland, so not to bad.
Kate Kearney's Cottage
This was the next stop on the Ring of Kerry. It is the beginning of the Gap of Dunloe, a narrow mountain pass and popular tourist attraction. The pass is only big enough for horse drawn carriages, bikes or walking. Kate Kearney's cottage has pony and pony drawn carriages for a tour of the pass. Unfortunately, we didn't have enough time to tour the Gap of Dunloe. If you aren't going to take a tour then I would forgo the stop at Kate Kearney's. It was pretty much a tourist trap.
Rossbeigh Beach
"Rossbeigh is a pristine sandy beach set in an unspoiled rural environment in the South West of Ireland. Rossbeigh Beach is located about 1.6km from the scenic village of Glenbeigh on the Ring of Kerry and directly opposite Inch Beach on the Dingle Peninsula" (http://rossbeigh.com/#!/rossbeigh-beach/).
Another stop along the ring of Kerry, Rossbeigh Beach was beautiful and during the summer is a popular destination for locals. It was a little chilly today for a swim but the view was breathtaking. On a clear day you can see all the way across to the Dingle Peninsula.
After taking some pictures and enjoying the view we got back on the road. A lot of our journey on the Ring of Kerry was just driving and stopping at random spots to enjoy the amazing views and take lot of pictures. Here are a few more along the way from Rossbeigh beach to the town of Cahersiveen.
Cahersiveen
This small town along the Ring of Kerry is where we stopped for lunch. We ate at The Ferth, sharing some beef stew and roast chicken. It was so yummy and comforting, like most of the Irish food we ate.
Cahersiveen is the home of the Daniel O'Connell Memorial Church. Daniel O'Connell "was an Irish political leader in the first half of the 19th century. He campaigned for Catholic Emancipation—including the right for Catholics to sit in the Westminster Parliament, denied for over 100 years—and repeal of the Act of Union which combined Great Britain and Ireland" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_O%27Connell). We lit a candle in remembrance of Grandma Freda and then walked around the village before heading back on the road.
On the road again, here are some more pictures from the next leg of our journey.
Magnificent View
We saw this sign as we were driving along and had to stop. It boasted that down its path was the best view in Ireland. Skeptical, especially after realizing we had to pay to walk down the path, we decided why not and started down the, what ended up being, long path. It was totally worth it though, the money and the long journey (when I say long, I mean long for me who has knee problems, it really wasn't that long of a path).
Skelligs Chocolate
This is the best chocolate ever. Ok maybe it was because we were driving through the Irish country and on a dream vacation but this chocolate was really really good. If you do the Ring of Kerry don't miss this place. They give free tastings and they don't skimp on the pieces of chocolate to taste. Here's a brief discription from their web site.
"[Skelligs Chocolate is] NOT a massive chocolate factory like some of the huge commercial chocolate makers you may have seen on tv. We are a family run business with an open plan production where you can see the chocolates being made, ask questions and taste the freshly made treats, but we do have a fantastic new mural based on the Willy Wonka factory" (http://skelligschocolate.com/acatalog/About_Us.html).
After tasting a lot of chocolate and then buying even more, we got back on the road. We were almost done with our loop that would take us back to Kenmare again for the night. Here are some last pictures from our day of driving.
When we got back to the village of Kenmare we dropped our stuff off in our room and then walked down to the main street to explore some of the local shops. Kenamre is known for its lace making and you can visit the Kenmare Lace and Design Center, a museum and craft shop located above the Tourist Information Center. Unfortunately it was closed by the time we got back to Kenmare, however, there is lace in all the shops that you can purchase. There are also many woven items, like scarves, its hard to decide what to buy, but I had to be careful both with the budget and the limited space we had to carry new items. The shops along the main street were so colorful, it was a very nice town to stay in and a very good starting/ending point when doing the Ring of Kerry.
That night for dinner we did the budget friendly option of pizza at one of the local restaurants on the main street. We got it to go and took it back to our room. We worked on our blog and talked to my mom on Skype before bed. The day was great, full of amazing views and picturesque places that you will never see anywhere else. Ireland is an amazing country, the people are friendly, the food is comforting, and the countryside is green and beautiful.
Ladies ViewLadies View is a scenic stop along the Ring of Kerry (N71). It is a part of the Killarney National park and its name comes from Queen Victoria's ladies-in-waiting admiration of the view. This was our first stop on our road trip today. We got out and took some pictures. There is a little cafe and gift shop along the road, but it was too early, it opens at 10am. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ladies_View_(Ireland))
Muckross House and GardensOur next stop was the Muckross House and Gardens in Killarney. The house is a 19th Century Victorian mansion set on the shores of Muckross Lake in Killarney National Park. There is a tour of the house available but that cost money. Jen and I decided to just walk around the grounds, down to the lake, and then visit their cafe/gift shop for some breakfast, cappuccinos and pastries. It was a cold and rainy day, as you can see from the pictures, but one of the first rainy days since we'd been in Ireland, so not to bad.
Kate Kearney's Cottage
This was the next stop on the Ring of Kerry. It is the beginning of the Gap of Dunloe, a narrow mountain pass and popular tourist attraction. The pass is only big enough for horse drawn carriages, bikes or walking. Kate Kearney's cottage has pony and pony drawn carriages for a tour of the pass. Unfortunately, we didn't have enough time to tour the Gap of Dunloe. If you aren't going to take a tour then I would forgo the stop at Kate Kearney's. It was pretty much a tourist trap.
Kerry Bog Village
The next stop was pretty much a tourist trap too, but we tried to make the most of it. In my research before our trip I came across what sounded like a must see. The Kerry Bog Village is a replica of a 18th century bog village. It is set up with tools and household items they would have had back then. It was a little disapointing. I think there were four bog houses that had different manikins in in them portraying what went on in that house. Jen decided that we were going to waste the 10 euros we spent to get into the village and she went around to each house and posed with the weird manikins and along side the props in the house. There is a restaurant and gift shop next door, that I bought some mittens at and I think we bought an umbrella at, and then we were back on the road.
Jen had bought a pair of mittens previously in one of the towns we were in because she (being from Australia) was cold. I ended up buying some today because it was our first cold rainy day. Both our mittens came in handy on our journey.
Rossbeigh Beach"Rossbeigh is a pristine sandy beach set in an unspoiled rural environment in the South West of Ireland. Rossbeigh Beach is located about 1.6km from the scenic village of Glenbeigh on the Ring of Kerry and directly opposite Inch Beach on the Dingle Peninsula" (http://rossbeigh.com/#!/rossbeigh-beach/).
Another stop along the ring of Kerry, Rossbeigh Beach was beautiful and during the summer is a popular destination for locals. It was a little chilly today for a swim but the view was breathtaking. On a clear day you can see all the way across to the Dingle Peninsula.
After taking some pictures and enjoying the view we got back on the road. A lot of our journey on the Ring of Kerry was just driving and stopping at random spots to enjoy the amazing views and take lot of pictures. Here are a few more along the way from Rossbeigh beach to the town of Cahersiveen.
Cahersiveen
This small town along the Ring of Kerry is where we stopped for lunch. We ate at The Ferth, sharing some beef stew and roast chicken. It was so yummy and comforting, like most of the Irish food we ate.
Cahersiveen is the home of the Daniel O'Connell Memorial Church. Daniel O'Connell "was an Irish political leader in the first half of the 19th century. He campaigned for Catholic Emancipation—including the right for Catholics to sit in the Westminster Parliament, denied for over 100 years—and repeal of the Act of Union which combined Great Britain and Ireland" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_O%27Connell). We lit a candle in remembrance of Grandma Freda and then walked around the village before heading back on the road.
On the road again, here are some more pictures from the next leg of our journey.
Magnificent ViewWe saw this sign as we were driving along and had to stop. It boasted that down its path was the best view in Ireland. Skeptical, especially after realizing we had to pay to walk down the path, we decided why not and started down the, what ended up being, long path. It was totally worth it though, the money and the long journey (when I say long, I mean long for me who has knee problems, it really wasn't that long of a path).
We left the Magnificent View we made our way to the Skellig Chocolate Factory. Here's a couple more pictures from the drive.
Skelligs ChocolateThis is the best chocolate ever. Ok maybe it was because we were driving through the Irish country and on a dream vacation but this chocolate was really really good. If you do the Ring of Kerry don't miss this place. They give free tastings and they don't skimp on the pieces of chocolate to taste. Here's a brief discription from their web site."[Skelligs Chocolate is] NOT a massive chocolate factory like some of the huge commercial chocolate makers you may have seen on tv. We are a family run business with an open plan production where you can see the chocolates being made, ask questions and taste the freshly made treats, but we do have a fantastic new mural based on the Willy Wonka factory" (http://skelligschocolate.com/acatalog/About_Us.html).
When we got back to the village of Kenmare we dropped our stuff off in our room and then walked down to the main street to explore some of the local shops. Kenamre is known for its lace making and you can visit the Kenmare Lace and Design Center, a museum and craft shop located above the Tourist Information Center. Unfortunately it was closed by the time we got back to Kenmare, however, there is lace in all the shops that you can purchase. There are also many woven items, like scarves, its hard to decide what to buy, but I had to be careful both with the budget and the limited space we had to carry new items. The shops along the main street were so colorful, it was a very nice town to stay in and a very good starting/ending point when doing the Ring of Kerry.
That night for dinner we did the budget friendly option of pizza at one of the local restaurants on the main street. We got it to go and took it back to our room. We worked on our blog and talked to my mom on Skype before bed. The day was great, full of amazing views and picturesque places that you will never see anywhere else. Ireland is an amazing country, the people are friendly, the food is comforting, and the countryside is green and beautiful.
Comments
Post a Comment