May 1st

Happy May!!!

We set off on this sunny day to start the Ring of Kerry, a very scenic drive around the Iveragh Peninsula. It’s a must see for many folks travelling to Ireland for a holiday and a cherished spot for Irish people themselves.

We did the route counterclockwise as to avoid having to face tour buses on the winding and steep road and followed them instead. One can drive the Ring of Kerry in 3.5 hours without stopping but we planned to take our time over a few days.

We stopped in the town of Caherviseen at the start of The Ring of Kerry. We had a look around and wandered down to the water. We sat on a bench and ate apples. We met a fellow there named Dermot who is from the town and he told us about Valencia Island and how we should go there because it had the best views. He said it was a short ferry ride away.

We heeded Dermot’s advice and walked back to the van and headed to the ferry terminal to get the boat to Valencia Island. It was a 10 minute drive. We just missed the boat so had a 20 minute or so wait.

Once we had a snack and a drink at the pub, we headed up to Geokaun Mountain to see the views that Dermot from Caherviseen recommended. It was a lovely drive across the island to the entrance of walk. We parked and walked to the top.

The views from the top of Geokaun out to the Atlantic.

The two islands in the mist are The Skelligs. The island on the right is Skellig Michael and the one on the left is Little Skellig. Skellig Michael has had a monastery on it since the 6th-8th century.

Later, we got back in the van and left Valencia Island. We drove over the bridge, at the other end of the island from the ferry, back to the Inveragh Pensinsula. We had a one hour drive to Caherdaniel where we were staying for a couple of nights.

May 2nd

We had an easy day. Guy painted and I wrote. Midday, we went for a walk to a nearby beach. Guy had a couple of swims while I read. It’s too cold for me yet. Then we got a pizza from the pizza pop up at the campsite. It was a very restful day.

May 3d

In the morning, we packed up after breakfast to finish the second half of the Ring of Kerry.

After an hour drive, we stopped in Kenmare to see the town and the Stone Circles there dating back to the 3000 years ago to the Bronze Age. Apparently this is the largest ring of stones in South West Ireland. (https://www.kenmarestonecircle.com/)

Then we got back in the van and continued on The Ring of Kerry. The landscapes were so interesting.

We stopped at Torc Waterfall and walked a 1.5 hour loop through the trails nearby.

Then we went on to Ross Castle near Killarney.

Now finished the infamous Ring of Kerry drive, we headed to the Dingle Peninsula for a couple of nights.

We stayed at Campail Teach an Aragail in Gallarus on the North side of the peninsula. Our site had stunning views.

May 4th

In the morning, we got up and went to the Gallurus Oratory, a 1000 year old chapel just a 10 minute walk from our campsite. It the best preserved and one of the oldest churches in Ireland. And the view from in is just incredible with Smerwick Harbor and the Atlantic out in front and the mountains behind.

Afterwards, we walked to the beach via the local castle , Castle Gallarus (Caislean Ghallrois). It is being renovated so we couldn’t go in. It’s just a little castle, actually a tower house. It was built in the 15th century by the Knight of Kerry. (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gallarus_Castle).

We took a footpath down to the beach and then walked the beaches of Smerwick Harbour in both directions for the rest of the afternoon having a break at a pub and later, a late lunch in the van.

May 5th

We got up early and drove the two hours inland to Limerick.

There was a festival on in Limerick called Riverfest. We checked it out for a bit then wandered the streets over to King John’s Castle. On the way, we saw some interesting murals on the side of buildings.

Next stop was St. Mary’s Cathedral, founded in 1168. The cathedral like Limerick had a rocky history including the Cromwell invasion where Limerick was captured. St. Mary’s Cathedral was damaged and abused through that period around 1651. (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Mary%27s_Cathedral,_Limerick).

The Cathedral was closed on the holiday Monday we were there so we just wandered around the grounds and graveyard and took lots of photos.

After seeing the sights in Limerick we drove to Adare, a little village on the outskirts of the city where our campsite was. On the way, we fit in 18 holes of golf at the local pitch and putt golf course. It was so much fun. I got the highest score again!

Our campsite was out in the country and so peaceful. We had a great sleep.