Last Updated on March 22, 2023 by PowersToTravel
Several days spent on the Dingle Peninsula and Ring of Kerry, followed by a quick visit to Blarney Castle.
We watched others kiss the stone, but we had no interest. There was a man there who disinfected the stone from time to time.
But back to Kerry. I had read that the Kerry Cliffs, outside Portmagee on the Ring of Kerry, were more beautiful and amazing than the Cliffs of Moher. Was it just because the blue sky arrived in time for our visit to the Kerry Cliffs, or was it because the crowds were significantly less and no pre-booking was required, or are the cliffs more spectacular? I’ll let you be the judge of the last.
We had stayed at Portmagee due to its home to the Skellig Michael boat trips. I had booked our trip six months in advance, not wanting to miss out, and I had stressed for months about the very steep climb on very uneven stairs – that’s more than 600 steps. But I had insisted to Greg that the effort was worth it. Sadly, several days before our planned trip we got a phone call from the boat company that there had been a landslide on the island and all landing boat trips were suspended until further notice!
The weather was not cooperating either, so by the time our supposed Skellig Michael day arrived, we were once again under heavy overcast and spitting rain. (“Good thing,” I swear I heard Greg whisper that morning.)
So, we just meandered our way around the Ring of Kerry, me wishing Greg could have seen it in the sunshine as I had done fifteen years earlier. We did stop at Staigue Ring Fort, near Sneem. We had seen several on our trip so far and I was afraid that we would be disappointed when we finally reached the end of the single-track road up the valley. But no, I feel that Staigue was the best fort of them all – very round, very high, climbable with fantastic views up the valley to the see. Greg climbed up and said the winds at the top of the fort were quite strong, and he was happy to be back on the ground when my “photo-shoot” was complete.
Ha! So many bloggers and social influencers are dancing through their websites with gorgeous dresses, make-up and strange poses. Our version of a photo-shoot is always Greg with his arms outstretched, as if to say “All mine!”
We arrived in Killarney at our very posh hotel, “The Avenue”, where we tucked ourselves in.
Surprisingly, the next day dawned without a cloud in the sky. What a gorgeous day. We spent every moment of it taking horse carriage rides to the Killarney National Park, eating out in sidewalk cafes and generally feeling like we were finally on vacation!
Then we were off to the historic seacoast town of Cobh, the final port of call of the Titanic, and closest town to the sinking of the Lusitania. There is a lot of maritime history there, plus Spike Island, home to a fort which also served as a prison up until recent years. So much to see. And we didn’t want to miss the Midleton Distillery, where Powers Whiskey is made!
