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21.07.2009
After our first week in Ireland we left the Ring of Kerry and went south to Glengarriff. We decided on the direct way because it was raining again, the clouds were hanging low and we would not have profited from the nicer landscape on the road via Ladragh and Healy Pass. So we had a pass over Caha Mountains ahead of us with 16 kms going steeply up and 9kms of descent afterwards
Once you are off the Ring of Kerry you become aware that there is much less traffic on the roads. There are more cows and sheep surprising you suddenly and only the occasional car or bus passing you. After three short tunnels cut into the sheer rock we had finally come to the highest point. The pass is at the same time the county line between County Kerry and County Cork. We greeted Cork deeply sunk into Irish Mist and felt relieved that the way was only descending to Glengarriff.
In Glengarriff there are two campgrounds directly next to each other. We went for the smaller one because it was tidier and almost looked like a small park. This campground was to become our base camp for our day trips over the next couple of days.
Glengarriff is well-known due to its extremely mild climate. You can find palmtrees and other tropical plants growing here. Ferns and rhododendrum get enormously big and form real forests. The surroundings invite for a walk. We had a good look around and decided to use the nice weather (we had blue skies and sunshine!!) for a visit of the botanical garden.
The garden is on a small island called Garinish Island. There are motorboats running regularly between the mainland and the island. It used to be the private grounds of a politician and was planted by him in the 1900s. Nowadays the island is publicly owned and is opened for a small fee for visitors.
It is amazing how many different trees, even tropical trees, grow on the island. Especially the height and size of the plants is huge. Most of the plants are twice their normal size, apparently caused by the climate. On the way back from the botanical garden the boats often pass "Seal's Island" which is an island where a lot of seals live. The animals have got used to the boats and are very nosey. They want to play with the tourists or look for some food. With a little luck, you are even able to spy some young seals.
Glengarriff's harbour is filled with sailboats - yachts arriving from Cork City and returning there as well. North of Glengarriff, the climate gets much colder because the Gulf Stream does not reach that far. Thus, the beaches and coves in the south are far more frequented than the ones in the west and north of Ireland.
After our visit of Glengarriff and its closer surroundings, we let the bikes rest for a day and took the bus to Bantry. It is a small town situated in Bantry Bay. Already the trip with the bus is an experience of its own. The rural road shows a very nice landscape and it is fascinating to see the bus stop whenever somebody wants to get on or off - not necessarily at a bus stop.
Bantry is a historical town. The French Armada was fought back at this location and everybody is reminded of that deed by monuments, museums, names of restaurants or pubs at every corner of the street. In the town centre there is a big anchor of one of the sunken ships. Children play on it and everyone wants his picture taken with the anchor.
Another highlight of Bantry is Bantry House. It is the old mansion of the Lord of Bantry. Until today, the estate has been privately owned by the Bantry family who still live in one of the house's wings. Some of the rooms can be booked by tourists as B&B (very expensive, but also very high-quality), most of the others are open to the public for a visit. The house is furnished exquisitely with an ancient library, carpets on the walls and a very imposing dining room. Around the house, there is a beautiful Italian Garden where a fountain invites you to have a rest or the tea shop offers you delicious Irish tea and cake.
After two days almost without bike, we were keen on using our bikes again. The road took us from Glengarriff to the west, on the Ring of Beara. We soon turned left to the ocean instead of staying on the main coastal road. We went around thousands of bends, fought many small hills, always trying to keep the bike on the small track. We can only warmly recommend such tours off the beaten track, since you can experience a completely different Ireland from the one on the bigger roads.
Here, you do not meet anybody for hours (of course, a few kilometres take longer by bike...). And if there happens to be a person standing at the side of the path, he will greet you and probably will want to exchange news with you.
Finally, we reached the oceanside where we met some fearless children who went for a swim at approx. 14 degrees Celsius for the water and 18 degrees Celsius for the air. Their parents were watching more or less concerned and meanwhile talked to us about holidays, sights worth visiting, etc.
We went on into direction of Adrigole. We had decided that we absolutely wanted to find the "Standing Stones" marked on our map. Standing Stones are remnants from the Kelts: tall stones standing upright and hence looking somewhat bizarre. There are many such stones in Ireland, however the Irish do not necessarily regard them as being worth saving.
Thus, it is not unlikely that the Irish Tourist Board puts Standing Stones in a map, whereas these stones get in the way of some cows and are either taken away or at least laid down but the farmer. This must have happened to our Standing Stones as well, because after having searched every single meadow within 1 sq kilometre we still could not find any. (The photo on the left was made in Glenbeigh, where we saw Standing Stones that were not marked on the map.)
We turned around and cycled back. On the way we watched a cow chewing happily on a pair of trousers. Back in Glengarriff we looked for a pub with live music and spent the evening with Guinness and Salt&Vinegar Crisps.
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