Day 4: Iveragh Peninsula

- Saturday, June 6, 2009

Ok, so I wasn't able to update everyday. Once we get the wireless internet working in this apartment, daily updates should be on the way.

June 3, 2009 - Ring of Kerry

The town of Killarney itself boasts some spectacular scenery and monuments, but we decided to tour the famous Ring of Kerry, a circle of beautiful towns and spots on the Iveragh Peninsula. The Ring of Kerry circles the Macgillycuddy's Reeks (a mountain range which contains Ireland's highest mountain, Carrantuohill) and they were visible from almost every point on the tour.

We booked seats on a coach bus that completed the entire ring in 7 hours, with various stops for photos and a quick stop for lunch. The tour departed from Killarney and we passed many villages and towns, including those of Killorglin, Cahersiveen, Portmagee, Waterville, Caherdaniel, Sneem and Kenmare.

Our first stop was nearby Killarney at Aghadoe (Acha Da Eo) Ruins. While we didn't stop to see the ruins of the castle and church, we did stop for this lovely view over the lakes and mountains.

The tour also stopped at the southern edge of Dingle Bay (Bá an Daingin). While this photo is not my personal favorite, it does show the size of the bay, which extends far to the north and east of the picture. I will say that no photo (except a panoramic shot) would do justice to the view we had. With my limited photographic skills, I unfortunately could not get a great picture of this bay.

We stopped at Scarriff Inn, close by the village of Caherdaniel (Cathair Dónall), for lunch. We were able to see this from the restaurant window. The Atlantic Ocean was visible (a small portion in the far distance can be seen in the top right corner) from this stop.

We also stopped at the village Sneem (An tSnaidhm) for a quick snack break. I could not get a good picture of the town, but it was filled with brightly colored buildings and neat little shops. I also bought the best vanilla ice cream I have ever tasted there.

One of our last stops on the tour was at Ladies View, a scenic lookout from Killarney National Park over the lakes and mountains. Ladies View received its name from a rather amusing incident: Queen Victoria visited County Kerry in 1861 and instead of traveling up to see this view herself, she sent her ladies-in-waiting to see it for her. This is but a small portion of the entire view as it extends far to the east.

The last leg of the tour went through Killarney National Park. Since we did not stop at any point in the forest except for the Ladies View, I do not have any pictures to share. The trees are absolutely beautiful - tall, lush, and covered in moss. The forest is compromised of mostly oak trees but it also contains the largest cluster of yew trees in Ireland. I missed many picture opportunities, but I'm glad that I at least was able to see a small portion of the park. It is definitely back on my lists of places to see.

The tour concluded the day and we walked around Killarney a bit before heading to sleep.

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