Travels in Killarney
So i have just returned from a short break in the south of Ireland and i must say it was fantastic.
i had 5 days to pass and even though very little of it was planned it turned out to be a rather hectic break.
firstly on Wednesday my father and i arrived in Killarney Co Kerry and booked into our hotel the Randles court hotel which was actually very nice. for the first night we did very little and settled into the area which is a beautiful town that although being shamelessly
tourist oriented is still a typical Irish township
on Thursday we began the day venturing around the town and quickly prepared ourselves for a days fishing on the river Loane just outside Killarney. Now we may not have hauled in any prizewinners but both my father and i thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. the weather held out and for the first time in months i could just stand in the middle of a calm river and cast my line without a worry in the world.
On Friday we had no plan for the day, my dad proposed we go for a drive and visit some of the local scenery. this was appealing yet i had too much energy to just sit back and stare through the car windows. so i had a flash of genius. Off we went into the town where i was able to rent a bike for a mere €12.50 for the day. From there i began my saga by cycling out to Torc waterfall which is a beautiful example of Kerry's scenic surroundings
from here i cheated a bit and we drove up to the very highest part of our journey Ladies view is famous for its cafe situated at the top of the Black valley, once the jeep had navigated the steep climb from the waterfall to here i jumped back in the saddle and resumed my journey. My aim being to cycle from here to Killarney through the ominous Gap of Dunloe.
I have to remark yet again on the scenery, i have been holidaying here since i
can remember but this time i was really able to appreciate the sheer scale of my surroundings.
initially i was very perky and was ready for whatever the road had to throw at me
as seen here i was only vaguely aware of the saga i had roped myself into. after 20 miles and several hundred metres of ascent and descent i had deep respect for any tourists i saw on bikes who were either beginning or finishing the same route as i had taken. What is so special about the gap of Dunloe is its relative emptiness. despite the multitudes of tourists and horse and carts, each person has their own individual journey which is never encroached upon by loud traffic or noisy crowds. this decision i must say was one of the best i have made in quite a while. and the sunburn combined with the cramps just help to remind me how i should be doing this much more often.
So after my adventures on Friday one would assume that i was beyond any further escapades.. and one would be wrong. for Saturday was to be the most demanding day not only of this week but easily the hardest day I've had in months. For you see on Saturday we were to climb Ireland's highest mountain. Carrountoohil. Now at 3409ft it may be considered small in some circles but it is in no way a small hill. its most infamous feature being the aptly named Devils ladder. this is the most direct yet most hazardous route to the top of the mountain.
The reason we were climbing the mountain was because my sister and a friend of hers are travelling to Nairobi soon to teach English, and this was part of their fundraising efforts. The group consisted of my father and i, my sister, her boyfriend, along with the other girl who is travelling who brought her sister and parents along for the ride!
none of the group were in any way experienced mountaineers yet we all pulled our weight and successfully made it to the summit
Both the ascent and descent took a sum total of 6 hours so once we Finally made it back to the hotel there was much back patting and exhausted exhilaration. however after well deserved showers and trips to the sauna we were all ready for a hearty meal in Killarney. The restaurant was a quick choice and surprisingly served a fantastic dinner. all were pleased with their meals and i offer my thanks to both of the Treyvauds brothers for a thoroughly enjoyable evening.
From here we decided to investigate the local nightlife. We ventured into one or two pubs before the senior contingent opted to call it a night, i myself was almost tempted yet certain people's insatiable thirst for dancing and "the craic" convinced me to tag along. possibly the most fun was our venture into the fun fair where we had just enough time to jump onto one hydraulic behemoth before the fair abruptly shut its gates... could it have been due to the late hour? or the unmistakable screaming from some of our party? From here we decided to go back to the accommodation and have a few quiet drinks before retiring to a well earned pillow.
the final day of our trip was smiled upon by a beaming sun which drew us to the beautiful Rossbeigh strand. here we swam walked talked and golfed?
a fitting end to a thoroughly enjoyable weekend
please excuse my posture in the photograph. as for some reason i look as if some brigand has commandeered my ice cream and i seem thoroughly opposed to the current state of affairs.
and there ends my account of what may seem to be a rather simple break away, i hope you enjoyed reading this almost a fraction as much as i did doing it.
until the next time
tourist oriented is still a typical Irish townshipon Thursday we began the day venturing around the town and quickly prepared ourselves for a days fishing on the river Loane just outside Killarney. Now we may not have hauled in any prizewinners but both my father and i thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. the weather held out and for the first time in months i could just stand in the middle of a calm river and cast my line without a worry in the world.
On Friday we had no plan for the day, my dad proposed we go for a drive and visit some of the local scenery. this was appealing yet i had too much energy to just sit back and stare through the car windows. so i had a flash of genius. Off we went into the town where i was able to rent a bike for a mere €12.50 for the day. From there i began my saga by cycling out to Torc waterfall which is a beautiful example of Kerry's scenic surroundings
from here i cheated a bit and we drove up to the very highest part of our journey Ladies view is famous for its cafe situated at the top of the Black valley, once the jeep had navigated the steep climb from the waterfall to here i jumped back in the saddle and resumed my journey. My aim being to cycle from here to Killarney through the ominous Gap of Dunloe.
I have to remark yet again on the scenery, i have been holidaying here since i
can remember but this time i was really able to appreciate the sheer scale of my surroundings.initially i was very perky and was ready for whatever the road had to throw at me
as seen here i was only vaguely aware of the saga i had roped myself into. after 20 miles and several hundred metres of ascent and descent i had deep respect for any tourists i saw on bikes who were either beginning or finishing the same route as i had taken. What is so special about the gap of Dunloe is its relative emptiness. despite the multitudes of tourists and horse and carts, each person has their own individual journey which is never encroached upon by loud traffic or noisy crowds. this decision i must say was one of the best i have made in quite a while. and the sunburn combined with the cramps just help to remind me how i should be doing this much more often.
So after my adventures on Friday one would assume that i was beyond any further escapades.. and one would be wrong. for Saturday was to be the most demanding day not only of this week but easily the hardest day I've had in months. For you see on Saturday we were to climb Ireland's highest mountain. Carrountoohil. Now at 3409ft it may be considered small in some circles but it is in no way a small hill. its most infamous feature being the aptly named Devils ladder. this is the most direct yet most hazardous route to the top of the mountain.
The reason we were climbing the mountain was because my sister and a friend of hers are travelling to Nairobi soon to teach English, and this was part of their fundraising efforts. The group consisted of my father and i, my sister, her boyfriend, along with the other girl who is travelling who brought her sister and parents along for the ride!
none of the group were in any way experienced mountaineers yet we all pulled our weight and successfully made it to the summit
Both the ascent and descent took a sum total of 6 hours so once we Finally made it back to the hotel there was much back patting and exhausted exhilaration. however after well deserved showers and trips to the sauna we were all ready for a hearty meal in Killarney. The restaurant was a quick choice and surprisingly served a fantastic dinner. all were pleased with their meals and i offer my thanks to both of the Treyvauds brothers for a thoroughly enjoyable evening.
From here we decided to investigate the local nightlife. We ventured into one or two pubs before the senior contingent opted to call it a night, i myself was almost tempted yet certain people's insatiable thirst for dancing and "the craic" convinced me to tag along. possibly the most fun was our venture into the fun fair where we had just enough time to jump onto one hydraulic behemoth before the fair abruptly shut its gates... could it have been due to the late hour? or the unmistakable screaming from some of our party? From here we decided to go back to the accommodation and have a few quiet drinks before retiring to a well earned pillow.
the final day of our trip was smiled upon by a beaming sun which drew us to the beautiful Rossbeigh strand. here we swam walked talked and golfed?
a fitting end to a thoroughly enjoyable weekend
please excuse my posture in the photograph. as for some reason i look as if some brigand has commandeered my ice cream and i seem thoroughly opposed to the current state of affairs.
and there ends my account of what may seem to be a rather simple break away, i hope you enjoyed reading this almost a fraction as much as i did doing it.
until the next time
