Melissa5

Please help me plan our Ireland summer 2006 family trip. We will have about 15 nights in Ireland.

Hubby is a biologist and interested in both The Burren and the Killarney national park.

I will definitely include the burren.

But as far as I can see, to get to the Killarney National park we will have to go through areas with major tourist crowds and tourist buses.

Is it worth it? (for hubby there isn't that much to interest a biologist in Ireland compared to Costa Rica for example.)

Ireland is my choice because my grandmother emigrated from Ireland. But I want hubby to be happy too.

We like to avoid crowded tourist areas. I love small towns. My young adult daughters are interested in the pubs of course and meeting other young people.

ADvice on the Killarney National park is appreciated! Where would we stay to be conveniently located for a morning hike of the Killarney national park? Would we stay in Kenmare or is that too far?

Thanks!

allisonm

Last fall we stayed in Carriglea Farmhouse. This lovely old home is almost directly across the street from the entrance to the Park and about a mile or two out of the hustle and bustle of Killarney. The rooms are huge, John Beazley was a gracious host. In the early morning, from our bedroom window, we watched a herd of red deer in the park.

www.carrigleahouse.com

Melissa5

allisonm, thanks for your reply! I'll look at the Carriglea Farmhouse, location sounds perfect.

Did you get a chance to do any hiking or a nature walk in the Killarney National Park? If so, what was it like? Did you enjoy it?

My hubby the biologist has a specialized interest in finding some kind of rare plant in the Killarney national park. Spotting rare plants or animals which are native to a region delights him. He takes photos and feels like he found a treasure.

Our trips are more fun for us now that we are almost 50 because we have learned to combine our interests.

What was your favorite experience in the area near the Killarney National Park? Thanks so much for your reply.

bucky

We took two walks in the Killarney National Park last week on our trip. I hesitate to call them hikes since they were paved.

The first was in an area near the Muckross House. It was very pretty. We saw other people, but it was not crowded by any means. Probably saw less than four other hikers and a couple bikes.

The second was the Gap of Dunloe. That is a big tourist attraction, but we found once the horse drawn carts had taken off, we were almost alone on the 7 mile walk. Saw a handful of other walkers and a few bikes. There are no cars allowed, although a few did pass us by, probably farmers who live in the GAp. It was incredibly beautiful.

There are hardly any trees in the Gap, lots of rocks, streams, lush greenery, sheep. Not sure what a biologist would make of it, but we found it a great way to spend the day and also different than any other scenery we had experienced before. You end the walk by going on a boat ride through the Killarney Lakes, which was also beautiful and interesting. Ours was the only boat we saw (smallish, motorized boat), although there were 3 or 4 that left ahead of ours.

We stayed in Kenmare, which is a cute small town and we liked it much better than Killarney. However, I think a place like Allison mentions sounds great and much more convenient to the Park. (It took us about 45 minutes to drive from Kenmare and you get tired of going back and forth, as the driving is not easy.) If I could do it again, I would stay maybe one or two nights near the Park and then move to Kenmare to explore the Beara Peninsula, which we missed due to lack of time.

Alec

Don't worry about the crowds at Killarney National Park. It's only in the town of Killarney and very popular spots like Muckloss House and Gap of Dunloe that see large crowds - but in comparison to similar places in England, France and Italy, the crowding is a lot less. Once you get off the beaten track, you are very much on your own. We did a lot of hikes and mountain walks in the National Park in August and we saw far fewer people than, say in the English Lake District or in the Alps. Only dedicated walkers and hikers hit the paths while the majority stay on paved roads and coach routes.

uptowngirl2418

Yes, Killarney National Park is definitely worth the visit. We were just there at the end of June. I had also read about the crowds and was concerned before the trip. We took the Gap of Dunloe Tour and signed up for it 10 minutes before we left. No crowds at all. It was absoulutely beautiful and a day we will never forget. I guess everyone else was on the Ring of Kerry??

LDK

Bucky,

I read that you hiked the Gap and stayed in Kenmare. My husband and I will be staying in Kenmare in Sept. and plan to drive to Kate's cottage and hike the gap and then take a boat ride. The question is how to get back to the car at Kate's cottage. Can you please tell me where you parked your car and how you got back to your car? Thank you! Lauren

Melissa5

Thanks for the info everyone!

I am quite confused as to where is this ancient forest, where there are still native trees left, in the Killarney National park?

If anyone knows what I am talking about, I am trying to figure out, if we stay a couple days near the entrance to the Killarney national park, will we be able to reach this ancient forest by a day-walk? Or is this something you have to go on a major mountain-climbing expedition to find?

This kind of detailed info about nature in Ireland is very difficult to find!

Hubby the biologist is interested in native flora and fauna. Of course in Ireland there isn't that much of that left. but what is left, he wants me to try to include it.

I have a book about "Wild Ireland" but it's not too specific on how to find certain things.

I also plugged in the words "Killarney National park" into the yahoo search box and came up with the homepage for Killarney National park, but again, while it mentions ancient forest with native trees, it doesn't explain how to find it!!!

I am going for the music/culture/people scenery etc. My daughters are coming for the pubs and meeting Irish guys!

allisonm

Melissa, we too followed the paved walkways around the park. We opted not to take the pony ride, but the people who did seemed to enjoy it. The Irish drivers are great story tellers! We ate our picnic lunch in a small gazebo on the grounds, then walked to the top of Torc Falls, which was a nice hike. Once at the top we followed a road that we thought would bring us back to the park but didn't, so we ended up walking a couple extra miles in a fine Irish rain. I have a trip report (never fully written) here somewhere.

We made it to the Gap but very late in the day, so here we did take the pony ride into the Gap. Had it been earlier in the day, we would have loved to walk but we just didn't have the time. (We had driven from Kenmare that morning.)

Plan on everything taking longer than you expect! We like to travel in the off-season, and one benefit is less crowds at attractions and on the roads.

bucky

Lauren,

We drove to Kate Kearney's cottage and parked there. Then we walked the 7 miles to Lord Brandon's cottage. There, we purchased food and asked about the boat tickets. The lady who ran the food counter arranged for us to go on a boat and also arranged for a small bus to meet us at the end of the boat ride, at Ross castle. She charged 25 euro each for the boat and the bus from Ross castle back to Kate Kearney's. The bus had other people on it as well, who he dropped off at various spots.

Not sure how much the tours cost, but if you do a tour, I think you park in Killarney town and they take you by bus to Kate Kearney's and then bring you back at the end.

As uptown girl said, it is a day we will never forget (everyone's favorite on the trip, and we had many great days). And it was not crowded at all in late June.

LDK

Bucky,

We would prefer not to do a tour and to do it on our own but my concern was getting back to the car. If the woman at the food counter at Lord Brandon's cottage normally arranges things like this than maybe we will just take our chances that she will be doing this when we are there in Sept. Do you agree? Thanks.

Melissa5

I found a web-site for Killarney National Park www.wherekillarney.com which describes several trails. Is there anybody who is familiar with some of these trails? I would enjoy hearing about your favorite trail.

I'm not sure which trail enables you to see the 2000-year-old yew trees, but my biologist husband is very interested in seeing these ancient trees.

The web-site was recommended by John Beazley of the Carriglea House, a B&B near the Killarney National park. I think we may stay there next summer, good location for walks through the park. Has anybody stayed there? www.carrigleahouse.com

It was very kind of John Beazley to pass on the information to me about the Killarney National Park!

I wish I could just skip the Ring of Kerry because the summer crowds sound unpleasant, but hubby is very keen on walking through the Killarney National park, and it will be pretty I'm sure, and peaceful in the park, I hope.

NewYorkTraveler

Melissa5, I visited Killarney for the first time last month. I was hoping to take the half-day tour of the town offered by Deros Tours but it wasn't offered that day. The tourist center recommended Richard Clancey's guided walk (www.killarneyguidedwalks.com) and were they ever right. I was grateful to Richard for even conducting the tour because I was the only one to show up. He's lived his entire life in Killarney and is a fountain of information. He knows the flora and fauna (we just missed seeing an Irish Red Deer) like only an expert would and the scenery was spectacular. We must have walked 4 -5 miles, but I enjoyed myself so much I wasn't tired. (He said he modifies the walk based on the physical limitations of the participants.)

As you can tell, I had a great time. Good luck.

Melissa5

NewYorkTraveller, thanks for the info on the guided walk you enjoyed of Killarney National Park. I will look at the web-site with my husband.

Do you recall any particular names of trails which were your special favorites? I'm glad you found the scenery to be spectacular, since I can be sure I will be there too based on my husband's determined interest!

flanneruk

Those yews.

You're probably thinking about the stand at Muckross Friary. Even the guide telling the tallest tales last time I was there only claimed the stand was as old as the Friary (which was founded in the 15th century).

Your comments read as if you're misunderstanding the term "ancient forest". It doesn't mean it has ancient trees. It (or rather the more accurate term "ancient woodland&quot simply means the area concerned has been continuously wooded since the original wildwood. Except in the remotest parts of the British Isles (and Killarney isn't one of them), that will mean it has been coppiced, logged, cleared in parts or subject to the many forms of managed cultivation that go on in woodland. The trees themselves will be no older than, or different from, the trees in managed parkland.

Therer's a fair amount about Killarney's trees at http://www.ria.ie/publications/journ...DF/97101BI.pdf

shelly27

We drove from Greenhouse Mount (excellent b&b!) in Dingle through the Ring of Kerry and Killarney National Park and circled back. It took all day-but definately worth it! Most of my pictures from our two week trip were taken here-it is a very very beautiful area!

Melissa5

SHELLEY27: so you did the Ring of Kerry and Killarney National Park as a day-trip from Dingle, and returned to Dingle to your hotel?

It is difficult to get info on exactly what is possible in 1 day. Driving distances don't help without knowing driving times under real-life conditions.

That's why I appreciate your reply as one who has experienced it!

So, if we wanted to drive from Dingle to Killarney National Park, it would be a beautiful drive, and doable in 1 day? And then we could spend a night or two near Killarney National Park if my biologist husband wants to get in there and hike?

FLANNERUK: Hmmmm...it sounds like I will need to look further into exactly what is meant by the "ancient forest" in Killarney National Park. I need to find out before I finalize our itinerary, because if it's not what would interest my biologist husband, then I would prefer to go to an area that is less crowded in Ireland's summers.

Budman

Melissa, when I want to college, I had a choice between "rocks" or "frogs," and I chose Geology. I hope your husband is not too disappointed. Ireland is a Geological "heaven."

Melissa5

Budman, you're funny. I think it will be hard for my husband to be disappointed in Ireland because as a biologist he's not expecting much! Honestly I think he will be surprised to find a tree still standing!

When you picked rocks in college, he picked frogs.

Not a tree or a snake left in Ireland?! That was his initial fear anyway, so that's why I have been trying so hard to find him some trees... Our trips now combine our interests.

And I can't just find him any tree. No, it has to be a NATIVE tree, it can't be introduced by man, or it doesn't count for him!!! Most people on-line don't actually understand what I am talking about. He actually shed real tears when I showed him some poetry by an award-winning poet about how we killed off all those big wild herds of buffalo long ago...

flanneruk

"Ancient forest" in the British Isles is an oxymoron, and is a term used only as tourism-promoting guff by the historically ignorant. So there may be limited value in finding out what some Irish tourist board thinks it's trying to say.

A forest in these islands, strictly speaking, is a non-urbanised area outside an enclosed park. It may or may not be heavily wooded (Sherwood Forest, for example, has never been particularly dense in trees): forests, typically, have a compicated mixture of woodland, clearings and rough country. It's a concept created by the Normans to describe those places subject to forest law (an extremely complex set of rules allocating specific, and highly specialised, exploitation rights to lots of different people. The point of the concept of "forest" is that lots of people are scurrying round it, logging and coppicing, feeding their pigs, hunting and poaching, and introducing more productive species of plant and animal. You can't have an ancient forest beause the concept of forest was introduced in relatively recent times.

So landscape historians talk of ancient woodlands (which is what there are scattered around the Killarney National Park). As I said above, these aren't virgin woodlands (something almost non-existent here), and they'll have been subject to all sorts of human intervention over the past 2,000 years - as well as considerable species introduction by other means, such as migrating birds. The .pdf file I referred you to has a full list of the tree species in the park, and you and your husband need to decide whether any of them are worth visiting.

But to be honest, if your husband is interested in unusual flora and fauna while in Ireland, he'd do better searching out the bird and marine life I referred you to in a separate thread. If he wants to see unique species, apart from a few plants in the Burren, fly via Heathrow and Kew. There simply, a far as I'm aware, aren't many unique native plants or animals in Ireland.

But frankly, I'd just relax and walk round the countryside. The rhododendrons and the huge fuchsia bushes, for example, might not have been introduced by passing birds. But they still look terrific. And the ways species get on with their lives in Ireland have their own distinctivenesses. Any decent biologist wouod spot them as soon as he got onto a footpath. And the more time he spends on footpaths, the more he'll see.

You absolutely do not need to overplan.