Ring of Kerry

Cork and the Ring of Kerry

It was time to leave Dublin. After my experience with the Irish Rail Booking system (system is probably not the right word), I decided to take the bus to Cork.

On the bus I sat next to a couple of Irish women in their late 30’s. I have never heard two people talk so much for so long. They barely stopped for breath. In some respects it was a relief that their ascents were so strong, that I didn’t understand what they were saying half the time.

Cork a bit down

I had a quick look around Cork. I may be a bit quick to judge, but I was too impressed. I headed off to Blarney in light rain.

Blarney

As I arrived in Blarney it was pouring with rain. I found a pub opposite the village green and had a meal.

When the rain cleared, I headed the 5 klms or so to the Camping Ground above the town. There is pub not far from the Camping Ground and wandered of there for a pint. When I gave the Barman Eur 5.50 for a Eur 4.25 pint of Guinness he asked me what change I should give him –memories of Tasmania.

Blarney Castle

In the morning the rain finally cleared. I rode into town and went to Blarney Castle – famous for the kissing stone.

Like a good tourist I kissed the stone. There are two people involved in assisting visitors kiss the stone. What a job that is!!!!

It was late when I finally headed to Macaroon, planning to get to Killarney. As it turned out, I fell some klms short and stayed in a hotel called the Abbey. I turned out to be quite good as there was a ‘music night’, with locals playing and singing Irish and other folk music. They were very good.

Into Killarney

It was a short ride into Killarney where I headed to the White Bridge Camping Ground. As I finished setting up I had a long chat with a family from Northern Ireland who were my neighbors . The bloke has a brother who has emigrated to Australia and is keen for him and his family to do likewise. The bloke was keen to get my opinion on just about every aspect of living in Australia. I thought he would never stop asking questions.

I finally managed to leave and headed into town on foot.

Killarney is a real tourist town.

I popped into a pub for a quick pint. There was big Gaelic Football match on. The locals seemed to be enthralled. Knowing a bit about Aussie Rules, which is a bit similar, didn’t make following the game any easier.

I got into a conversation with a bloke from Boston who told me that he was playing in a ‘Father and Son’ golf tournament. The tournament is played on courses around the Ring of Kerry. It is big thing with people like Ian Botham and son playing.

Kenmare

I left Killarney through the National Park. There are great views of the lake on long climb. This is followed by a long ‘down’ into Kenmare.

It was pouring with rain when I arrived into the town. Due to the rain I had a very long dinner in a restaurant/bar before heading out to a farm camping site that I had noticed on the web. I was really basic but good value (EUR 5).

Caherdaniel

Next stop was Catherdaniel. This place has a really good sandy beach. The camp site overlooks the bay. My neighbors were a young Dutch couple who were on a hiking holiday. They had walked from Killarney through the mountains.

I was impressed on several fronts.

Waterville

The road to Waterville is seriously spectacular. Check out the photos.

Waterville is famous for its golf courses. It was being used for the Father and Son tournament noted above. Waterville itself is a bit a disappointment.

Portmagee

I headed on to Portmagee which is a small town on the mainland opposite Valentia Island.

I checked into the Portmagee Hostel. It turned out to be really good. I decided to stay for a while. The Manager is a girl from Lithuania. Over the next couple of days I learned that she was in this small town as a result of meeting and marrying an Irish bloke. She indicated that she was a bit over living in such a small place.

The main attractions of the place are Skelligs Rock and Island which are about 15 klms offshore. The rock is bird sanctuary. The island was a monastery. A couple of weeks before I arrived, the Island was being used for the filming of the next Star Wars movie. This meant that no tourists could visit the Island. This resulted in huge backbog of people wanting to take the trip that includes stopping on the island.

I had to be satisfied with a boat trip that simply went around the rock and island. That turned out to be pretty good.

I spent the next day in Portmagee.

On to Mannix Point

I finally moved on to Valentia Island and then back onto the mainland by a small ferry. I hadn’t travelled far when I stopped again at Mannix Point. This is a beautiful spot.

Strange Fair

I didn’t travel to far when I arrived in Killorglin. There was Fair going on. It is called the Puck Fair. The Puck is a goat. The Fair is a big thing for the town with lots of visitors descending on the place.

I camped about 4 klms from the town and walked in to check things out. There were a lot of seriously drunk people about when I arrived back in town. I am not sure I would put the Puck Fair on your ‘must do’ list.

Back to Killarney

I headed back to Killarney. The last part of the ride was on a trail near the lake.

Bus to Waterford

I took the bus to Waterford via Cork. The countryside looked good. I would be worth riding through.

I had a rather ordinary ride out to a Hostel out of the town.

Long ride to Rosslare

Next day I rode to Rosslare. The route took me along the coast. It was a nice ride except for a number of passing showers that were pretty heavy. It was difficult to work out how long they would last. A couple of times I continued riding on to find the shower passed really quickly.

I hate getting wet unnecessarily.

I had a bit of ride around Rosslare before heading out to St Michaels Beach. I stayed in the camping ground which is really good.

Next to the camping ground is mobile home holiday park. It was the closest place to get a meal.

The contrast between that people that inhabited the camping ground and those in the mobile home park was profound.

Let’s say that it is probably better that the mobile park people are in one place.

Ride to ferry

In the morning I had a quick dash to the harbour to catch the ferry to Fishguard.

Flickr Links

Blarney

https://flic.kr/s/aHsk1rquRW

Ring of Kerry

https://flic.kr/s/aHsjZPi9zZ