Sat July 16, 2016

Planning the Ring of Kerry drive is a game of strategy. The road is a circle around some of Ireland's most visited sites. Straight through takes about 3.5 hours but most people take all day. You can go clockwise or counterclockwise. The massive tour buses go counter clockwise and start around half past 8. If you go the other way you avoid dealing with the crowds. But instead you have to deal with passing these enormous tin cans on precariously narrow and winding roads - and they have the right of way so if you don't fit you have to back up. However if you leave early enough from the start  (8:30) you can make it to an additional ring called the Skellig ring by 11:30 that they won't fit on and you never deal with a bus.  That was our plan. Known for dramatic views and quaint towns sprinkled with historic sites we were eagerly anticipating the loop. The weather was Irish - raining with low clouds and did not bode well. We hit the road at 9:10 already behind with a clockwise plan - against the buses and on the cliff side of the crazy narrow roads. We could see practically nothing as we made our way to the first site. 

Our first stop was a ring fort. These forts are found around Ireland and vary in age of last use from 2000 years ago to the 1600s. We got out of the car, dodging mounds of mud to climb a short hill to the site but a kid in a car at the gate asked for a few Euros to enter and given the weather and the fact that we were behind we declined and continued on our way. Instead of great views of the adjoining peninsula we saw clouds. Clouds that we were driving in. Clouds. We were making good time as we drove carefully through the clouds and were hopeful the weather would turn. Soon. Although we had not yet seen a tour bus there were frequent places in the road where there is no way two cars could pass at the same time. Some people just barrel through and expect you to move over. The problem is that the side of the road is often an old stone fence. Immovable. Several time we inched up to each other, folded our mirrors in and crept past. Other times I stopped completely in a small expansion to let them pass. Close calls several times. Think of it as two way traffic at 60 mph in your driveway. Because of the weather we did not make too many stops in the first half of the ring and made it to the Skellig ring before the buses. The Skellig ring is named for an island off the coast, Skellig Michael, where a group of monks founded a monastery by the year 800 and was inhabited by monks yntil about 1200. It is only reachable by boat and is a focal point jutting up out of the sea with impossible angles. On a clear day, the Skellig ring affords many beautiful views out to sea and the island but with the heavy fog, clouds and rain we were seeing this part of Ireland like the natives do most days which is to say, through a veil of clouds. Our guide book frequently said something like ""enjoy brilliant views for the next kilometers", requiring great imaginative abilities. We passed the town of Waterville where Charlie Chaplin lived for many years. We did not see him either. Given our luck with the weather we decided to take a touristy stop at the Skellig Chocolate Factory. Who could resist? Back in the car, we passed a sign reading "best view in Kerry" and drove on, not wanting to invest the 4 euros to see clouds. We passed the quaint town of Portmagee, famous for being one end of the first transatlantic cable, and crossed a bridge into Valentina Island, a tiny island that boasts the finding of some if the earliest tetrapod footprints in the world. While there we began to see glimpses of the Skellig Islands and back tracked to see "the best view in Kerry". The path to the cliff was monitored by a man in a bticket booth. his mannerisms were a bit creepy but he assured us "people have said thet can see everything" followed by a bit of what we interpreted as an evil laugh. On the way to the cliffs we saw replicas of stone behive huts, primitive dwellings in the shape of, you guessed it, bee hives. Further down the path we could make out the outlines of the Skeliig Islands - Skellig Michael and Little Skellig. In a few minutes we were greeted with amazing views and agreed they were probably the best around and were glad to have made the investment. We continued back to over the bridge to Valentia. In a short while the road ended, the only way to the other side was by car ferry. We waited about 5 minutes and drove on to the ferry. Within minutes we were crossing the bay and driving off on the other side. We came to a site where two ancient stone ring forts were located - Cahergal and  Leacanabuaile. They are within walking distance of each other, on two neighboring hills surrounded by farms. These forts were fascinating. They provided us with a glimpse into how the ancient people who lived here protected their land, animals and themselves from looting and plunder. Built between 500 BCE and 300 without mortar. The structures we saw were complete rings 25 feet high, 12 feet thick with stone outlines of a few houses on the interior.  There are many examples of ring forts dotting Ireland and so far we have passed one and explored two. Now its on to On to Dingle and the oddly named Alpine. House.  The town of Dingle is notable for its active fishing port where they smoke their salmon fresh off the boat and the restaurants base their menus in the days catch. We caught a bite after waiting awhile in one of these dock side restaurants, the fish fresh as any. We were treated to a rousing Irish band after dinner where we were not in on any of the local references.  

Afterwards we walked back to our hotel, past the GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) field and settled in for the night hoping for better weather in the morning.