Today, we woke up with intentions to drive from Bantry Bay towards Kenmare, stopping to take a hike or bike ride somewhere beautiful along the way. We were so jazzed on the biking possibilities in the area after yesterday's drive to Sheep's Head Lighthouse where we drove along the most pristine biking roads you could imagine- world class! Yesterday was a bit painful to not be on a bike on such lightly traveled back roads. So a bike ride or hike was on our list of to-do's for the day.
After breakfast, we packed our bags and said goodbye to our lovely penthouse hotel room in Bantry and hopped in the car. The weather had significantly changed from sunny and clear to gray and drizzly. We decided to start driving a loop around the edge of the Beara Peninsula (just north of Bantry Bay), and stop where we felt inspired. We had a beautiful drive out to the tip of the Peninsula, stopping at a number of spots. We came across the most gorgeous kelp filled cove replete with funky old wooden boats, great for photographs and bird watching. A bit later, we came upon a large protected inlet near Adrigole with a shop advertising canoe, kayak and boat rental shop. Gavin quickly pulled the car over and got out to investigate hiring a boat for a bit of a float, only to find out that the shop was closed for the season. Arg! We drove on...
We arrived at Castletown-Bearhaven, a medium size fishing town, with a great smell of fish in the main plaza and a busy harbor. We got out to grab food for a picnic lunch and passed a woman on horseback with a guitar in a case slung over her shoulder and a pack horse trailing behind. We heard a local call, "hallo!" and ask where she might be going. "I'm going a wandering!", the woman on horseback replied. Adventure, all around us. We walked on, entering a gourmet deli and stocked up on delicious cheeses, nuts, fruit, wine, crackers and olives, then drove up the road to another 3000 year old circle of standing stones (the Derreenataggart Stone Circle) we had heard about in the area. When we arrived, we saw hundreds of pieces of string, ribbon, beads, etc tied to a tree near the standing stones. We decided to add out own items to the tree for luck, then approached the stones. The stones occupy the top of a small rise on a hill, are surrounded by good pasture land and have views to the mountains at the center of the peninsula and out to the sea. It's amazing to think how long people have been living near and visiting these stone circles, and how long people must have lived in the area before attaining a level of social organization to built such a lasting monument... And what a thought to imagine that these stone monuments have been here for so long with out a fence or guard of any sort and no one has spray painted them or defaced them in any way! We enjoyed feeling very small and enjoyed our moment in time, then closed our eyes and tried to feel a difference in the energy of the standing stones. We both found a favorite stone, then said goodbye and jumped back in the car to continue our drive out to the tip of the peninsula and to find a hike.
As our drive continued, the road got smaller and smaller and the views better and better. Soon, we were passing through steep pastureland looking down on crashing surf, past cows, sheep and horses unperturbed by the continuing rain. When we reached to tip of the peninsula, we were rewarded by the view across the small gap of water separating the Beara Peninsula from nearby Dursey Islands. The peninsula and the island are connected by an old funicular which travels slowly along cables about 100 ft above the seething sea. Apparently the cable car is used primarily to transport livestock to and from the island, which is uninhabited, save for sheep. As we arrived, we were lucky enough to get to see the cable car in action, slowly crawling back along the old wires, returning from a trip to the island.
There was a parking lot near the cable car, amazing ocean views, lots of sheep and rain, and a hiking trail that led around the tip of the peninsula. We walked out onto the trail and had some great explorations, then returned to the car to avoid becoming overly soaked and shivery, hoping we'd be able to hike more in another spot when the rain let up a bit. So, we hopped back in the car and headed towards Kenmare, following the smallest roads we could find on the northern side of the peninsula. What another spectacular drive! But, how it pained us to be sitting in the car watching this AMAZING scenery go by without getting to smell, touch, feel, sweat in it! We wished we had bikes! We wished we were hiking it! But, we were driving it and now it was nearly dark. We both felt a bit let down to not get to have more exercise in such a phenomenal setting, but accepted that this is the hard truth when traveling - you just can't do it all. It was one of the few times on the trip we regretted not planning ahead.
We arrived at Castletown-Bearhaven, a medium size fishing town, with a great smell of fish in the main plaza and a busy harbor. We got out to grab food for a picnic lunch and passed a woman on horseback with a guitar in a case slung over her shoulder and a pack horse trailing behind. We heard a local call, "hallo!" and ask where she might be going. "I'm going a wandering!", the woman on horseback replied. Adventure, all around us. We walked on, entering a gourmet deli and stocked up on delicious cheeses, nuts, fruit, wine, crackers and olives, then drove up the road to another 3000 year old circle of standing stones (the Derreenataggart Stone Circle) we had heard about in the area. When we arrived, we saw hundreds of pieces of string, ribbon, beads, etc tied to a tree near the standing stones. We decided to add out own items to the tree for luck, then approached the stones. The stones occupy the top of a small rise on a hill, are surrounded by good pasture land and have views to the mountains at the center of the peninsula and out to the sea. It's amazing to think how long people have been living near and visiting these stone circles, and how long people must have lived in the area before attaining a level of social organization to built such a lasting monument... And what a thought to imagine that these stone monuments have been here for so long with out a fence or guard of any sort and no one has spray painted them or defaced them in any way! We enjoyed feeling very small and enjoyed our moment in time, then closed our eyes and tried to feel a difference in the energy of the standing stones. We both found a favorite stone, then said goodbye and jumped back in the car to continue our drive out to the tip of the peninsula and to find a hike.
As our drive continued, the road got smaller and smaller and the views better and better. Soon, we were passing through steep pastureland looking down on crashing surf, past cows, sheep and horses unperturbed by the continuing rain. When we reached to tip of the peninsula, we were rewarded by the view across the small gap of water separating the Beara Peninsula from nearby Dursey Islands. The peninsula and the island are connected by an old funicular which travels slowly along cables about 100 ft above the seething sea. Apparently the cable car is used primarily to transport livestock to and from the island, which is uninhabited, save for sheep. As we arrived, we were lucky enough to get to see the cable car in action, slowly crawling back along the old wires, returning from a trip to the island.
There was a parking lot near the cable car, amazing ocean views, lots of sheep and rain, and a hiking trail that led around the tip of the peninsula. We walked out onto the trail and had some great explorations, then returned to the car to avoid becoming overly soaked and shivery, hoping we'd be able to hike more in another spot when the rain let up a bit. So, we hopped back in the car and headed towards Kenmare, following the smallest roads we could find on the northern side of the peninsula. What another spectacular drive! But, how it pained us to be sitting in the car watching this AMAZING scenery go by without getting to smell, touch, feel, sweat in it! We wished we had bikes! We wished we were hiking it! But, we were driving it and now it was nearly dark. We both felt a bit let down to not get to have more exercise in such a phenomenal setting, but accepted that this is the hard truth when traveling - you just can't do it all. It was one of the few times on the trip we regretted not planning ahead.
When we arrived at Kenmare, we found a sweet little Bed and Breakfast on the main drag in town to call home for the night. We carried our bags in, unloaded, signed up for breakfast and walked into town to find dinner. After searching for a quant location that inspired us, we decided on the restaurant underneath our B&B. We were seated in a private booth and received wonderful service and shared a lovely meal- one of the best of the trip! The wine was great, the chef presented us with an amuse-bouche, we had yummy fresh fish and sushi and completed the meal with a dessert. It was divine.
After eating like royalty, we headed back upstairs to our humble B&B room and retired for the evening. We were looking forward to our hike in the are the next day, determined to prioritize exercise above all else.
No comments:
Post a Comment