Ring of Kerry

Today we only had one activity planned and that is to do the Ring of Kerry which is a 179km circular drive around the Iveragh Peninsula.  It is one of Ireland’s most popular drive that includes historical sites, picturesque villages, rugged coastlines and rolling green hills.  If you drive it non-stop, it will take approximately 2-1/2 hours.  They say to do the drive justice, you should go at a leisurely pace.  We will do something in between.

We left Killarney just before 10:00am and did not get back until 8:00pm.  There were many highlights but I will just talk about a few of them.

let the driving begin

The first one being Kerry Cliffs which stand 1000 feet above the Atlantic Ocean.  It is a short walk to get up to the cliffs and you may even see the resident donkeys or alpacas on your way.  I almost prefer Kerry Cliffs to Cliffs of Moher.  I think it might be because there were far fewer people.

Kerry Cliffs
Kerry Cliffs
Kerry Cliffs resident donkey
Kerry Cliffs resident alpacas

As we were leaving Kerry Cliffs, we stopped and spoke with the man who was working there.  We asked him how bad was the road ahead because all that we could see was that it went straight up.  He said it would be a shame to not go up it because the view is stunning.  We came to learn that Coomanaspig Pass which is at the top is one of the highest points in Ireland that can be accessed by car.

Coomanaspig Pass

Our next stop was St. Finan’s Bay where across the street was Skelligs Chocolate Factory and Cafe.  After that, we had a late lunch in the village of Waterville where Charlie Chaplin and his family vacationed for over ten years starting in 1959.

St. Finan’s Bay
we can find chocolate anywhere
Waterville
tribute to Charlie Chaplin

On our way to Kenmare, we encountered many different kinds of scenery from ocean views to rolling hills.

 

We checked out the shops In Kenmare and stopped at a couple of viewpoints before returning to Killarney.

Kenmare
Kenmare
Molls Gap
Ladies’ View
ending to a great day

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