Kerry Ring part 1

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 Portmagee, but will leave on Sunday via tiny car ferry from here.


The ferry comes sliding (ferry gliding!) into the harbour which is a box of concrete pontoons with no visible means of fixing. N asked a lifeboatman but he couldn't explain. N got talking to a yachtsman who sailed his Colvic 28 over from Appledore; he learned to sail 3 years ago on retiring and has already been to Guernsey, Scilly Isles and Milford Haven. He's heading to Scotland, maybe Norway if he has time! Intrepid must be his middle name.

Had a coffee at The Watch House, which Google said was closed but they've got a shed open this week. Furthermore they are doing takeaway pizza, which might suit us tomorrow. L finished her meeting and we drove down v small, steep, windy roads to the Valentia Lighthouse. A sign said unsuitable for campervans, but we're just a long car really. Lighthouse is now fully automated, yet we could climb all over it, even seeing the current control equipment. They've done a superb job of showing how keepers lived, and the technical history of providing a continuous light. Great views from the top. L recorded some video for poetic purposes.




Back at site we moved pitches to be nearest a large hedge for protection from the fierce wind. We're having a quiet night in.

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