Ireland: Kenmare & the Ring of Kerry

We arrived at Sheen Falls Lodge in Kenmare in the early evening after our day of driving from Dublin. It was very windy and rainy the last bit of the drive, and after we checked in at the hotel's front desk, we had to run all our luggage into the cottages where we were staying. The wind and rain were really whipping and it was good to get inside and dry. We ordered pizza from a local place and enjoyed the evening in with the family.

The next morning, Paul's dad, Chris, and Colleen headed out to drive the Ring of Kerry while the rest of us decided to have a relaxing day at the hotel and not push Charlotte to spend another day in the car right away. I got a massage and went swimming in the indoor pool with Paul & Charlotte, while the other ladies got massages and went horseback riding. The hotel was gorgeous and that night Chris watched Charlotte while the rest of us had a nice dinner in the restaurant in the lodge. 

The next morning, Paul and I got ready to do the Ring of Kerry drive with Charlotte, but then Paul's mom volunteered to watch C for the day. So great!! We spent almost 8 hours to complete the loop around the Kerry peninsula, which we did in the opposite direction of how the tour buses do (per Rick Steves' recommendation). We managed to avoid passing buses almost the entire way, which is good because the road is quite narrow and precarious in spots. There are lots of pull-offs at picturesque spots along the way -- perfect for enjoying the day and taking photos.

We stopped at one of the ancient round forts on the Ring of Kerry. It was fascinating to see how it was built without any mortar and has stood for hundreds of years. I was even able to climb up the built-in steps to the top.

We then continued our drive around the Ring, stopping to see the gorgeous views of the rocky countryside, beaches, rolling fields, and the "Skelligs" -- remote rock islands off the coast, which were the long-ago homes of early monasteries.

Skellig Michael, where some of the most recent Star Wars movie was filmed.

My favorite part of the whole drive was at the Cliffs of Kerry, where we paid to park and walk out to what is billed as the most beautiful views in Kerry. I believe they are. We walked along to the two major lookout points and relished the view of the churning water in so many shades of blue. We could hear the waves crashing and see them crashing over the rocks. The jagged layers of rock were also fascinating to see.

After leaving the Cliffs of Kerry, we continued the drive along the less scenic side of the peninsula. After passing through Killarney, we followed the GPS to a road that was closed to all but horse-drawn carriages and had to turn around. We finally made our way through Killarney National Park on the way back to Kenmare.