The Kerry Coast: Day 16 – Ireland 2014
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24 April 2014
Billy woke up in a great mood, feeling better already from his meds. We scarfed down breakfast and then jumped in the car to see the Skellig Islands. If we couldn’t visit them in person, you can bet we were still going to stare at them for ages from the cliffside.
The only slight downside of the view is that we had to pay for it. I don’t remember how much it was, but we stopped off at a little cafe that said it had the best views, only you had to pay the fee to walk up their path. In all, it was money well spent. There were also replica beehive shelters to see! We stayed for quite a while, taking it in. For me, it was another connection to the Sevenwaters series (I talk more about it here). One of the characters lives among the cliffs and has a similar view of the Skelling Islands. I love being able to put myself in the physical location of a fictional character. The story really comes to life!
A Million Pictures Of Our Incredible View. The Color Of The Water Is BREATHTAKING!
Dingle
After soaking in the views, we drove down the Kerry coast and out to Dingle to see what the town had to offer. It’s a great little seaside town that was tons of fun to poke around in. We hit up all of the shops and I ended up buying a lovely silver Claddagh ring with Connemara marble set in the middle. We had a great chat with the shop owner. After finding out we were from Texas, he excitedly told us there was another Texan in town who moved there and opened a barbeque place. We didn’t have the chance to try it, but that would have been fun to do!
Before we left town, we hit up the local ice cream parlor, Murphys. DELICIOUS. If you’re in town, definitely stop and grab a bite. The Dingle storefront is their original parlor and it is full of charm and scrumptious desserts!
Conor Pass
On our way out of town, we took a road that led us to Conor Pass. While we’d read about it somewhere and knew it was a great drive, we didn’t know what we were in for and we have one major regret. When you get to the top of the pass, there is a pull-off viewpoint. We had decided not to stop because it was on the other side of the road and we figured it wouldn’t be that impressive.
IT IS. STOP YOUR CAR AND GET OUT.
We were gobsmacked at the beauty of the view and instantly realized our mistake. Unfortunately, the road doesn’t allow you much chance to go back because it quickly goes down to one lane. We took it in as much as possible and then ended up pulling over at a small waterfall. If you can add Conor Pass to your driving itinerary, you won’t regret it! Unless you forget to pull over. Then you’ll be sad about it for years to come.
Castlegregory
Our day of traversing the Kerry coast brought us to Castlegregory. We found a B&B for the night (as we were still supposed to be camping but didn’t want to risk it). I am kicking myself so badly for not writing down the names of all of the places we stayed because I would so love to give this sweet woman some business. (After looking online at B&Bs in Castlegregory, I’m 99.9% sure that Castle House is where we stayed.) The place was run by the nicest woman I have ever met. Upon arrival, she had us propped in front of the peat fire with tea in hand before we could even say thank you for the offer. She made sure we were absolutely comfortable and cared for, giving Billy extra care after hearing he was on the mend.
Our room was lovely and comfortable, exactly what we needed after our first full day back exploring! We spent the evening washing clothes in the tub and drying them over the radiator, followed by relaxing in front of the tv. With Billy feeling more like himself, our days were sure to only get better!
Cheers,
Lydia and Billy.
