The Ring of Kerry II

I’m dissatisfied with the way the Ring of Kerry posts are turning out. My photos don’t properly convey the experience. Why? Because when you travel the Ring, you experience the constantly changing scenery, the crazy twists and turns of the road, the people along the way, their villages and crofts. Capturing that with a camera is a tall order. There are limited places to pull over, and the drive makes for a long day, even with occasional stops.

I’ll press on and show you a bit of what we experienced between Staigue Fort and Knightstown. But to really understand why the Ring of Kerry attracts so many, you’ll have to visit.

The bumps offshore are the Skellig Islands. Monks spent about 500 years there carving 800 steps from the rock and doing whatever else besides praying monks do. Then, in the Twelfth Century, they left. You can take an excursion and climb the steps yourself if you’re so inclined.

Ballinskellings beach might offer an irresistible chance for a quick dip on a warmer day. It gave us a view of an old, ruined abbey.

The Skellig Ring eventually takes you to the pretty seaside village of Portmagee. We stopped for lunch and a walk along the shops. The bridge leads to Valencia Island.

After lunch and a pint of non-alcoholic Guinness, we traveled the eight mile length of Valencia Island to Knightstown. We had the option to take a short ferry ride and re-join the Ring of Kerry bound for Killarney. We did not. We returned over the bridge to Portmagee, completed the Skellig Ring, and retraced our path to Kenmare.

This may seem like a bad move, but David, our Irish host, advised that the stretch of the Ring of Kerry to Killarney was not the best part, and would be slow and crowded. He also said that we would see different views traveling back to Kenmare than we did leaving it. This route gave us a chance to stop briefly at Derrynane House. More on that next time.

Here’s a look around Knightstown, including the ferry to the mainland.