County Kerry and the Skellig Islands - Republic of Ireland

I've spent many holidays touring through Ireland and learning about my family heritage but Josh has never had the pleasure of seeing the Emerald Isle. I couldn't wait to show him the beauty in this fantastic country and thought there is no better place to start than on the West Coast in County Kerry. We touched down in Cork Airport thankful for the crisp air that left us feeling refreshed after the humid, heat of Essex. It was time to find our hire car which would take us through the tight, winding streets of Ireland which just so happened to be a brand new Fiat Punto gleaming in all its perfect glory. It was almost hilarious that this car, fresh out of the showroom, was to traverse the Irish countryside and weave through the cliffs but off we went to start our journey to the quaint town of Killarney. I instantly remembered visiting this colourful town with my family many years ago and it was wonderful to see Josh fall in love with the bright buildings that contrasted so well with the greying skies. We enjoyed the quaint lanes and browsed the shops, including The Shire themed bar, but it was time to begin our roadtrip along the infamous Ring of Kerry.

We started with a visit to the grand Ross Castle which stood tall in front of a magnificent lake surrounded by the pony and traps that Ireland is famous for. We stopped to admire the scene from a distance when Josh said he was disappointed by the well built castle as he wished it was a little more ruined. This was good news as we trekked through the grounds of Muckross House to visit the eerie Abbey which had not fared as well as the Castle to Josh's joy. We both felt so lucky to be able to wander around these fantastic structures that are framed perfectly by the lush, green landscape, even more so when we continued a little further and saw the breathtaking scenery on top of some rocks at Ladies View. We drove along the little lanes admiring the views which really were wonderful from colourful towns like Kenmare to the winding hills by Molls Gap. I think Ireland really took our hearts when the sun started to shine by Derrynane Beach, a picture perfect cove that was well worth the death defying drive to get down there, and our Fiat Punto took the steep cliffs in its stride. We meandered on to our next stop and it was as if I had read Josh's mind as we turned up to Ballinskellig Castle which is quite literally a few stones on the ground. Unfortunately this was apparently too ruined, there is a fine line to perfection with Josh and his castles! Our first day of driving was now over and we settled into our room in Cahersiveen which was complete with a woofing Labrador that was desperate for cuddles.

Our next day was an exciting one as it included Josh's special birthday surprise with the real shock being that I'd managed to keep it a secret for this long, I'm dreadful! We woke up very early, gave the barking dog a quick cuddle and headed back onto the road to a little fishing village called Portmagee. I chose to reveal where we would be heading after a rather big clue in a pub called The Mooring. When we walked through the door a giant image of Mark Hamill pouring a perfect pint of Guinness jumped into view which might have given Josh a hint. We were going to see the beautiful Skellig Islands made famous by the most recent Star Wars Films, particularly The Last Jedi. This includes Skellig Michael which contains the ancient Monastery recognised by many as the set for Luke Skywalker's Jedi training island Ahch-To. We could barely contain our excitement especially as I explained how lucky we were to get a spot on one of the few, small boats that only run between May and September if the violent Irish weather permits. There is a strict limit to the amount of visitors to the island partly due to the dangerous nature of the climb up to the monastery and to help preserve this unique piece of history. After a few seasickness tablets we jumped onto our tiny boat and headed out to sea, with a show from some Common Dolphins who were playing in the bay.

The clouds descended as we got further out to sea but luckily they were passing and all of a sudden the sun beamed down as these mystical islands came into view. We visited Little Skellig first which from a distance appeared to be covered in snow, it was only when we got closer we realised it was thousands of nesting Gannets. Our jaws dropped as we got up close to this craggy rock which seemed to thrust out of the ocean and has become a home to the second largest colony of Gannets in the world. The smell of these bird soon hit us as we made our way downwind on the other side of the island to marvel at the seals bobbing around by the rocks whilst holding our noses. We then made our way over to the real attraction, the green Skellig Michael which was a stark contrast to the white Little Skellig. Another surprise for Josh was about to come tumbling into view as he noticed small black shapes darting around in the air and crash landing onto the island. For a few short months Puffins nest here amongst the stones in rabbit burrows and we couldn't get enough of these little clowns. They are most graceful when diving in the sea catching fish and most comical when they are flapping in the air getting ready to throw themselves back onto land. The best part was seeing Josh's smile as we watched them all around us in this magical place.

It was finally our moment to step onto Skellig Michael, an island we'd only dreamed of being able to see let alone have the chance to explore. The pictures can't even do this mystical place justice but as the blue skies lit up the island it was time to make the climb. It really isn't an exaggeration to say it's a dangerous hike to the top, you are walking on thin ancient stones with rocks one side and a sheer cliff on the other. There are no barriers, remember this is an ancient Monastery not an amusement park, and it's up to you to navigate carefully to the buildings 600m above. It took us about 30 minutes to climb partly because we wanted to keep safe but also due to the hundreds of Puffins mere inches away from us cooing in their burrows or grazing our heads as they tumbled into the grass. When we arrived at the top the views were as spectacular as we'd imagined with Little Skellig framed by the infamous beehive huts. We were able to climb into and explore these huts to our hearts content, getting some truly beautiful photos. We could imagine the trial it would take to have made the pilgrimage to this Monastery and the sense of achievement at making it up here in one piece. After an hour or so as we wandered around amazed that they could have filmed such a massive movie as Star Wars right where we stood, it was time to descend to the boat again. This was actually the scariest part as you had to try and block out the sheer drop in front of you and concentrate on each step. It was only when we stepped back onto the boat that we recognised we were in the area where Rey is overcome by the dark creature in the sea and as we sailed away we said a sad goodbye to the real life porgs.

Once back on land we thought we should take advantage of this gloriously sunny day and do some more sightseeing. We admired the nearby Valencia Island which looked almost untouched in its rustic beauty. Another thing Ireland is famous for are extraordinary cliffs which we were lucky to visit on such a clear day. It was dizzying to look upon the craggy Kerry Cliff face as our eyes almost couldn't comprehend the scene in front of us. Plus whilst we were there we go to see two best friends, a waggy tailed dog and a happy horse, saying hello. It was nice to be back on the road too enjoying the scenery and there not being a cloud in the sky. This made our visit to the symmetrical Cahergall Stone Fort all the better and was even complete with a local farmer asking us in a thick Irish accent if we'd like to hold a lamb. We made a stop at Inch Beach which interestingly is one of the largest beaches we had ever seen but as our bellies were rumbling we continued to our next stop. We were staying in another quaint town called Dingle which is also postcard worthy and even has its own dolphin that lives in the bay called Fungi. We ended the day in a Tapas restaurant with a glass of wine in hand whilst watching the sunset over the bay. 

After staying with another lovely host, we jumped in the car for our final day exploring the South, West Coast of Ireland. This time we were driving the Slea Head route which we were told is truly breathtaking. The roads got tighter but the views got even more beautiful as the rolling hills stretched out in front of us until they touched the gleaming ocean. There were a couple more Star Wars filming locations to admire, including one which had us hike along a tiny path to what looked like the edge of the world. We also had an interesting moment as we stopped to explore some dilapidated beehive huts and were greeted with a guard goat. He certainly loved a fuss but as soon as we stopped he charged us back up the path which made the locals laugh. We continued along our way in absolute bliss with the sun in the sky and the beautiful views before us as we wished we didn't have to leave so soon. After some lunch in Dingle we made the journey over to Cork Airport to drop off our still gleaming Fiat and return home. There is no doubt about it this journey has led us to both fall head over heels for Ireland and we will most definitely be back.