Day Twenty – Friday, 1 June 2012

Killarney

Accommodation – Shraheen Bed and Breakfast

Weather – overcast, misty leading to a sunny afternoon

Temperature – up to 20 degrees

As we are staying two nights in Killarney it was lovely not to rush around and pack.  Breakfast was the usual high standard we have encountered along the way however Ireland does turn up with some different choices.  This morning David had his porridge served with Bailey’s Irish Cream and the ‘bread’ was walnut or banana and brown soda bread.  Brown soda bread is very common and it really is like a cake more than a bread as it contains no yeast.  This bread is served with savoury meals.

It was then off to circle the Ring of Kerry.  The weather was dry however there was very low cloud and mist hindering views.  This scenic circle is very popular and I’d prepared myself for some hairy driving experiences but I needn’t have worried as the road is well marked and has obviously been upgraded as cars can pass easily.  The maximum speed is 100kph however you would have a pretty scary ride as there are many twists and turns over steep areas.

We stopped and started along the way when we could get a good view of the landscape without the cloud cover.  Our first break was at Waterville a tiny (pop. 500) seaside village made famous because Charlie Chaplin spent many years holidaying with his family here.  A statue in honour of him stands on the sea side of the main road and a Charlie Chaplin International Film Festival is being held in August.

With Charlie Chaplin at Waterville on the Ring of Kerry.  He spent many happy holidays and his family still maintain close connections with this seaside town.

As the weather was becoming sunnier we decided to head back a couple of kilometres and drive around the Ring of Skellig which is more remote and with a narrower road.  High above overlooking the Skellig Islands we found a wonderful coffee shop just out of Bellinskelligs where I succumbed to a rhubarb pie and a Bailey’s coffee (had to try it but it is very rich!).  David had vegetable soup and brown soda bread.  We then took a walk to the rear cliffs which stand high above turbulent seas thrashing on the rocks.  It is apparently the best known cliffs in Kerry.  The view was hindered once again by the mist/fog/cloud which came rolling in from the ocean.

High above Bellinskelligs....coffee and a view!


Along the way we saw huge pile of what we thought was mud. We eventually realised we were seeing 'bog' which Ireland apparently has the most of in Europe. It is a cheap fuel which needs to be collected in spring, dried out and stored before it gets wet. The family is then ready for a warm winter inside.

A field of bog - it seems to be harvested like turf.

Enjoying the sun!

The cliffs behind the cafe.  It cost 4 euro each to access but that included 20% off at the cafe and a video outlining the early Christian settlement on the Skellig Islands.

With views like this you can see why the Ring of Kerry and Ring of Skellig are so popular.

We continued to tootle along and made our way back to Killarney.  It was fortunate we had a dry day and the views were quite reasonable – it would be very disappointing to visit this part of the world and miss the beauty of the area with terrible weather.