Ireland Road Trip Part 6 Cahersiveen.

The morning was cloudy but dry as we set off with suggestions of where to visit from our host at the B&B, and it turned out to be a day of beaches and ruined castles.

The first place was Ballinskelligs Castle, more commonly known as McCarthy Mór Castle and is in fact a Tower House. It was built by McCarthy Mór in the 16th century to protect the bay from pirates and also to charge a tariff on incoming trade ships.

White Strand Beach. There was a lot of seaweed washed up by hurricane Ophelia but usually the sands there are pristine.

Ballinskelligs Abbey, an Augustinian Priory founded in the 12th century.

We saw these old buildings as we drove away but I have no idea what they are. I have tried various searches including with photos but no luck. If anyone has any ideas please let me know.

Derrymore Bay. By now it was raining again, but these two men out fishing weren't going to let that put them off.

Next day was cloudy but the rain had stopped so we set off to see more of the area.
Wherever we drove in Ireland we passed lots of shrines and grottoes on the side of the road.

Another ruined castle! This was Ballycarbery Castle. A fence had recently been put up because it was in a very poor and dangerous state. Such a pity that so many castles have fallen into neglect.
This castle was also built by the McCarthy clan who built Ballinskelligs Castle.

The river running to the sea is brown from the peat.

We were told about the stone ring forts of Cahersiveen so decided to visit them as they were close to Ballycarbery Castle.. This is Cahergal fort which has been restored and thought to have been built in the 7th.century.

We walked up the track to it hoping to have a good look around, but the gate was locked. Probably because it was the end of the season.
So then it was back to the bed and breakfast to get ready to go into the town for an evening meal, then next morning on to our next two night stop.
While we were in the restaurant chatting with the locals we were told there was another storm on the way! Not a hurricane this time but a force 12 storm.
No wonder they call the Ring of Kerry the "Wild Atlantic Way"

Ireland Road Trip Part 5 Valentia Island.

In the morning after leaving Camp we headed on towards Cahersiveen our next stop for two nights. On the way we saw a sign to Valentia Island and decided to take a trip across the bridge. There is also a ferry but that is only in operation during the summer months. Valentia Island is one of Ireland's most westerly points and lies off the Iveragh peninsula adjacent to the Ring of Kerry. It was also the eastern terminus of the first commercially viable transatlantic telegraph cable.

The old slate quarry.

Grotto at the quarry. I don't know what the white pentagon is. It wasn't visible to either of us when I took the photo!

Slate everywhere!

Even the rocks on the beach were the same colour as the slate.

After a walk along the rocky beach we drove back over the bridge into Portmagee,

Memorial to those who lost their lives in the local waters.

The gulls seemed to know there was more bad weather on the way and were flocking close to shore. (Sorry Tabbies!)

And so we continued on to check in to our home for the next two nights.

Ireland Road Trip Part 4 Camp Junction, Dingle Peninsula.

After the hurricane of the day before we made an early start for the Dingle peninsula as we now would only have one day there instead of two.
The scenery was beautiful from the sea to the mountains and moorland, so we stopped several times to admire the views and take short walks.

We got to Camp Junction where we would be staying but as the weather was so nice we decided to drive around the peninsula first.
We saw a sign to Derrymore Beach and decided to take a longer stop there.

Driftwood washed in by the storm.

Such lovely views. Who would have thought that a hurricane had hit Ireland the day before!

We went inland across the dingle peninsula so we could go through the Connor Pass (An Chonair)

This road brought us back to Camp Junction and the bed and breakfast where we were staying.

The view from our window.

Not far to the pub for a Guinness!

View from the B&B car park.

It really was a pity that we only had one night here as it was such a lovely spot.

It was time to head on to  Cahersiveen.