Terrafirma Travels

We left the Inch campsite in the predicted haze of rain and low cloud. We drove back to Dingle, for food shopping and a venture into the two charity shops. That produced a fine silk shirt for L, and a grotty leather belt, which Nic cunningly used to secure a rigid in-fill for our bed, so it doesn't thrash about in the back. We had a coffee and flapjack stop at a disappointing cafe, and Lesley bought a beautiful woven scarf from Elisabeth Mulcahy's weavers' shop. Onwards, for yet another twisty circular drive, this time to Slea Head. There would have been spectacular views, if the cloud had lifted. We parked up at the Blasket Centre, an amazing building celebrating the nearby Blasket islands, inhabited by tough Irish-speaking fisher families, until 1953.  Some of the inhabitants wrote books, in Irish, about the culture and people of Great Blasket, that made the islands famous. One writer who visited, described the purity and poetry of their Gaelic dialect.  Many of the young...

The pizza last night from the Watch House was excellent, not too big so all crusts were eaten. Boston's Bar, the only pub in town, was a 5 min stroll. A pint and a half of Guinness was consumed. The bar was busy until the gaelic football match finished. There was talk of music later but it didn't seem certain and again we were tired so we didn't stay. The weather cleared, blue sky and distant hills were seen, and it was a lovely evening. The assessment of the Valentia campsite was not so sunny; the showers were fierce with no controls and no seat, and the WiFi was flakey then broken. This morning the cloud was back down with a vengeance, can hardly see beyond the campsite. We exited Valentia via the small ferry and continued along the Ring which frankly isn't that scenic on the sea side; maybe the hills/mountains are good but we can't see them. We diverted to Killarney to find a pharmacy open on a Sunday, to get insect repellent- we are starting to get bitten. Killa...

Started late from Valentia campsite, driving the narrow twisty roads to Glanleam house and gardens, seat of the Knights of Kerry, only to find a large off-putting notice at the gate saying CLOSED. Do NOT enter. Given it is advertised as one of Valentia's highlights, this was a bit annoying. A local told us it's been closed for years. After a seven-point turn in the narrow drive, we headed for the Heritage Centre, a small museum with a room dedicated to the groundbreaking (or sea-breaking?) Atlantic Telegraph Cables which were installed around Valentia in the 19th century. They truly were the world-wide-web of their day. We saw a rather fulsome painting depicting how the US and Europe were united by the telegraph cable. Locals were employed by the cable companies, and even preserved jugs and chamber pots bearing the company name. We decided to leave the island to follow the Ring of Skellig drive. Unfortunately the low cloud came down so close, we could see only a few dozen yards...

Colder this morning and very 'soft' ie fine rain. The permanent sign on the toilet door suggests it rains a lot here! Off by 0900, pretty easy driving round to the next peninsula, the big one - the Ring of Kerry. Diesel at Kenmare. Coffee & scone at Sneem, swapped drivers. No doubt there would have been some great views, but the cloud was almost down to sea level. Had to put the fog lights on for a while. So that's half the Ring done in cloud. No matter, it can't beat the wow of the Beara. Arrived Valentia campsite at 1200 just as the owner was off for lunch. She very kindly booked us in early so L could get onto zoom at 1400, and v kindly charged us €10 for the privilege. WiFi flakey on pitch only 50m from building, so L did mtg in Games room. N explored Knightstown, so called because the Knights of Kerry made the island their home from mid 18th C. They were instrumental in the first transatlantic cables coming ashore here in mid 19th C.  We came by bridge from Por...

Today was all about Dursey Island, a speck at the end of the beautiful Beara Pensinsula which sticks out from Ireland"s Atlantic edge. Nic remembered a trip 60 years ago when he and his father Ken went to an Irish island in a dangerous hand-cranked cable car. Dursey has Ireland's only cable car, run on electricity. So we needed to know if this was the one. We drove the fiercely twisty roads to Dursey, waited in the queue (only 6 adults per trip) and were eventually carried in a tiny wooden cabin,  across the boiling tidal rips in the channel below. L noticed the bottle of holy water hanging from the ceiling, next to the CCTV camera and a VHF radio for emergencies. Some people live or farm sheep there, but not in winter. There are a few paths up and down the few miles' length of the island, and we walked them for a couple of hours, happily without rain. We took the mountain route on the way back. By now it was clear this was not the mythical cable car of Nic's youth. Th...

Up at 7, away by 9. Sexton is old fashioned, including cash only to keep the 80yo owners happy, but perfectly fine. Skibereen for provisions and elevenses, very lovely town, terrible roads. V helpful Tourist Office man cos the Wild Atlantic Way is quite hard to follow on the little maps we had. Got better ones, and advice on scenic route to Mizen Head. Mizen is our first peninsula and it's certainly scenic. The roads are generally good and not too narrow. Had to wait for a film crew to clear the road. Some of the beaches we passed were beautiful and empty, but no time for swimming today. Suddenly realised that lighthouse on a rock off the coast is the Fastnet. Spectacular walk from Visitor Centre to Mizen Head Signal Station where a lot of the exhibits were about the Fastnet, and the others about Marconi and the first radio signals. Departed 1400 heading for Dursey at the end of the Beara peninsula, skipping the Sheep's Head peninsula cos we can't do them all. Googlemaps sa...