May 26th - Dingle to Kilarney

The guys had only had the bikes in Dingle for one day. The had to return them and rent new ones in Killarny for the rest of the trip. So we had a car day and ended up being glorious weather. Unfortunately, it didn't start that way. We drove over the Connor Pass in total fog, losing all view. Then missed the road we were going to take east and did a bit of backtracking but in the process got to see more of the Dingle Peninsula. Finally getting to the N86, we headed for Killarney.


At this point, I should take a moment and explain the road system. First, Ireland like England drive on the left or 'other side of the road'. It isn't that bad if you remember that just as in the States, the driver faces the oncoming traffic. Also, most people drive manual transmissions and they are a lot cheaper to rent. Fortunately, both Mike and I can drive a manual. Then there are the roads. Nxx is a national road. A few are 4 lane divided highways with exits but most, like the N86 are 2 lanes and almost as wide as our 2 lane road but with no shoulders. The speed limit on the divided highways are 120 km/hr

Ladies View

while on the 2 lane they are 100 km/hr. or 62 miles an hour. I can rarely get up to that speed because the lack of shoulders freaks me a bit. Then there are the regional roads, Rxxx which are often similar to the national 2 lane roads but narrower, just barely wide enough for 2 cars to pass. I just can't do the speed limit of 100 km/hr, usually I am closer to 65. Then there are the Lxxxx or local roads. These are generally wide 1 lane roads where passing is always interesting and the speed limits are generally 80 km/hr except going through towns when they drop to 50. Finally there are the roads with no number. They tend to barely fit a car and often include hills and/or lots of vegetation along the side. Most tourists never drive these roads but when you are following a bike route, you find yourself in some interesting places. I have gotten very good at finding spots to pull over.

Mike lining up the perfect picture of Ladies View

We had a beautiful drive to Killarney but discovered once we got there, it isn't a fun place to drive. The wide roads are choked with busses and the in city ones are narrow and one way. There are also a lot of horse drawn buggies. We checked in at the bed and breakfast then went to get the bikes. We will be leaving from Killarney doing a wide circle of stops and finishing in Killarney. Once they got the bikes, it was off to explore the Killarney National Park.

Scott and Mike look at the view

There were places where we could not go with a car, you needed to walk, bike or buggy and there were a lot of buggies to choose from. We decided to skip these so we could see as much as possible. We drove out to the Ladies View and then headed back via scenic stops and hiking or walking trails. Ladies View is a panoramic view of the National Park. Queen Victoria's ladies-in-waiting visited here during the royal visit in 1861 and it was named for them. It really was an incredible view.

As we went to leave, our own leprechaun had to get his picture taken at a special spot.

 From there we just explored many of the trails that Scott's eagle eyes found. The guys definitely enjoyed it more than me but I got some great pictures although I am looking forward to seeing Mike's since he is the far superior photographer.

The following are a selection of pictures from the day finishing with the Torc waterfall. We ran out of time to see some of the other sites but will hopefully get to see them when we return to Killarney at the end of our trip.

We finished the day at the Killarney Brew House. Opened only a week and a half, Mike and Scott were very impressed with their beer, even I had one. It is also on the itinerary for our return to Killarney.

Torc Waterfall