Trip report part 3 Killarney
Jun 24th, 2009, 04:16 AM
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Trip report part 3 Killarney
Well, I'm back again after leaving Killarney. The only Internet Cafe I could find there wanted 2 Euro for 30 minutes. No, thanks.
Sunday June 21
Left Cork on the 8.30 bus. Actually, it did not leave until 8.45. The shops in the station were closed, so I couldn't buy anything to drink. The sign on the bus said Tralee. It was almost full.
Got to Killarney at ca 10.20. The bus station is at one end of a shopping centre. I bought a map and started walking to the hostel. It felt like an eternity, because I was carrying a heavy backpack. Later I went back the same way in ten minutes. I also noticed the smell of horse shit.
I was a few hours early, but was allowed to check in anyway. I was supposed to be staying in Limecourt, but was given a room in Gena House because they were expecting a busload of schoolchildren in Limecourt that day. Apparently the two places have the same owner. They are also right beside each other. I had booked a single room, ensuite. A bit more expensive than a dormroom bed, but it was worth it. The room wasn't very large, but it was nice and clean. Was able to pay with my VISA debit card.
I had no idea how to get around in Killarney, so I walked around for a while. Must have looked lost and confused. Got an offer of a ride in a horse-driven jaunting car. Well, that's rather touristy, but then I am a tourist. So, okay. How much? 40 Euro for about an hour long trip through parts of the National Park, out to Ross Castle and back. Okay. I hadn't planned on that sort of big expense, but there was a bit of space in the budget. I do wonder if that price is per person or per wagonload. Maybe I should have waited and tried to find another single tourist to go with.
The driver was named Bill. He was quite nice and fun. He talked a lot and named many of the trees and flowers we saw. There were a few deers running across the road once, too.
Bill stopped a number of times to let me take pictures. At one of those stops the horse touched an electric fence and threw a nasty fit. Poor horse. It must have hurt a lot. And it wasn't very comfortable being tossed around in the wagon, either. Well, Bill got the horse back under control and we continued.
At Ross Castle we stopped for about 15 minutes so I could walk around and take pictures. Saw a pair of swans and two baby swans (cygnets) and some other birds swimming around beside the bridge to the Castle. Then I went back on the cart again.
Got back to the starting point and paid. Walked around a bit. There was some live music on a stage. I stayed to listen for a while. Very nice. Finally went back to Gena House. Then I decided it was a bit too early to sleep, so I took a short walk through a part of the National Park. Then I went back to listen to the live music until I was too tired.
Sunday June 21
Left Cork on the 8.30 bus. Actually, it did not leave until 8.45. The shops in the station were closed, so I couldn't buy anything to drink. The sign on the bus said Tralee. It was almost full.
Got to Killarney at ca 10.20. The bus station is at one end of a shopping centre. I bought a map and started walking to the hostel. It felt like an eternity, because I was carrying a heavy backpack. Later I went back the same way in ten minutes. I also noticed the smell of horse shit.
I was a few hours early, but was allowed to check in anyway. I was supposed to be staying in Limecourt, but was given a room in Gena House because they were expecting a busload of schoolchildren in Limecourt that day. Apparently the two places have the same owner. They are also right beside each other. I had booked a single room, ensuite. A bit more expensive than a dormroom bed, but it was worth it. The room wasn't very large, but it was nice and clean. Was able to pay with my VISA debit card.
I had no idea how to get around in Killarney, so I walked around for a while. Must have looked lost and confused. Got an offer of a ride in a horse-driven jaunting car. Well, that's rather touristy, but then I am a tourist. So, okay. How much? 40 Euro for about an hour long trip through parts of the National Park, out to Ross Castle and back. Okay. I hadn't planned on that sort of big expense, but there was a bit of space in the budget. I do wonder if that price is per person or per wagonload. Maybe I should have waited and tried to find another single tourist to go with.
The driver was named Bill. He was quite nice and fun. He talked a lot and named many of the trees and flowers we saw. There were a few deers running across the road once, too.
Bill stopped a number of times to let me take pictures. At one of those stops the horse touched an electric fence and threw a nasty fit. Poor horse. It must have hurt a lot. And it wasn't very comfortable being tossed around in the wagon, either. Well, Bill got the horse back under control and we continued.
At Ross Castle we stopped for about 15 minutes so I could walk around and take pictures. Saw a pair of swans and two baby swans (cygnets) and some other birds swimming around beside the bridge to the Castle. Then I went back on the cart again.
Got back to the starting point and paid. Walked around a bit. There was some live music on a stage. I stayed to listen for a while. Very nice. Finally went back to Gena House. Then I decided it was a bit too early to sleep, so I took a short walk through a part of the National Park. Then I went back to listen to the live music until I was too tired.
Jun 24th, 2009, 04:42 AM
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Monday June 22
Don't ask me what there was for breakfast at Gena House. As I've mentioned earlier, I don't eat much breakfast. I wasn't feeling hungry so I didn't want any.
Walked to the Deros Office. I'd realized yesterday,while walking around, that it wasn't neccessary to go all the way up to the bus station and then down again. It's much faster to go around the horse carts instead.
I paid for the tickets to both daytours I had prebooked. The Dingle tour for that day and the Ring of Kerry tour for the next day. Had to wait a while for the right bus. It actually said Kerry Coaches on the front window, not Deros.
The driver's name was John and he was from England. He was nice, but did not make a lot of small talk. We did a quick stop at a hotel to pick up a group of people. Then we left Killarney.
We went through a lot of really small towns and villages. Fossa, Miltown, Castlemaine, Bolteens, then Killoughlin where the driver talked about the Puck Fair and the Puck Goat. Then there was Inchtown, Minard, Lispole and then a toilet break in Dingle. Saw a statue of Fungi the Dolphin, but unfortunately not the real thing. We were only supposed to be there for ten minutes, but it took another five minutes to get everyone back on the bus. This was complicated by the fact that the driver hadn't done a proper count before, so we waited a few minutes for a nonexistant person.
Went onto the Slea Head Drive. It's one-way for coaches, because the road gets a bit narrow. Passed Ventry Bay. Saw some famine cottages and beehive huts, although we did not have time to go inside.
There were a number of very quick photo stops, where we go hurried off and on the bus. Then we got to the lunch stop at the Blasket Heritage Centre. We only had 45 minutes there, so it really wasn't enough time to both eat and look at the Heritage Centre. And the line for the cafeteria was rather long. I heard a cafeteria worker say it would take fifteen minutes for a meal to get ready, so I bought a piece of applepie instead of real food. Not a proper lunch, but hey, apples are fruit so they're supposed to be healthy. Right? And there's milk in the cream, so that must be healthy too.
It turned out that some of the other passengers had not heard that part about it taking so long to get real food, so they had gotten theirs really late. The rest of us had to wait for them. If I had know about that, I would have used that time to go inside the Centre. Finally left at 14.45.
Went past Sibyl's Head, Clogher Head, Smerwick, Ballyferriter and Gallarus. Then we got back to Dingle for another long stop. 40 minutes.
Went past Aunascaul, Glen of the Airy People, Brandon Bay, Tralee Bay and Camp. Went through Tralee. The driver mentioned Rose of Tralee, which is both a festival and a song.
Came back to Killarney.
Don't ask me what there was for breakfast at Gena House. As I've mentioned earlier, I don't eat much breakfast. I wasn't feeling hungry so I didn't want any.
Walked to the Deros Office. I'd realized yesterday,while walking around, that it wasn't neccessary to go all the way up to the bus station and then down again. It's much faster to go around the horse carts instead.
I paid for the tickets to both daytours I had prebooked. The Dingle tour for that day and the Ring of Kerry tour for the next day. Had to wait a while for the right bus. It actually said Kerry Coaches on the front window, not Deros.
The driver's name was John and he was from England. He was nice, but did not make a lot of small talk. We did a quick stop at a hotel to pick up a group of people. Then we left Killarney.
We went through a lot of really small towns and villages. Fossa, Miltown, Castlemaine, Bolteens, then Killoughlin where the driver talked about the Puck Fair and the Puck Goat. Then there was Inchtown, Minard, Lispole and then a toilet break in Dingle. Saw a statue of Fungi the Dolphin, but unfortunately not the real thing. We were only supposed to be there for ten minutes, but it took another five minutes to get everyone back on the bus. This was complicated by the fact that the driver hadn't done a proper count before, so we waited a few minutes for a nonexistant person.
Went onto the Slea Head Drive. It's one-way for coaches, because the road gets a bit narrow. Passed Ventry Bay. Saw some famine cottages and beehive huts, although we did not have time to go inside.
There were a number of very quick photo stops, where we go hurried off and on the bus. Then we got to the lunch stop at the Blasket Heritage Centre. We only had 45 minutes there, so it really wasn't enough time to both eat and look at the Heritage Centre. And the line for the cafeteria was rather long. I heard a cafeteria worker say it would take fifteen minutes for a meal to get ready, so I bought a piece of applepie instead of real food. Not a proper lunch, but hey, apples are fruit so they're supposed to be healthy. Right? And there's milk in the cream, so that must be healthy too.
It turned out that some of the other passengers had not heard that part about it taking so long to get real food, so they had gotten theirs really late. The rest of us had to wait for them. If I had know about that, I would have used that time to go inside the Centre. Finally left at 14.45.
Went past Sibyl's Head, Clogher Head, Smerwick, Ballyferriter and Gallarus. Then we got back to Dingle for another long stop. 40 minutes.
Went past Aunascaul, Glen of the Airy People, Brandon Bay, Tralee Bay and Camp. Went through Tralee. The driver mentioned Rose of Tralee, which is both a festival and a song.
Came back to Killarney.
Jun 24th, 2009, 04:52 AM
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Tuesday June 23
Skipped breakfast and went to the Deros Office for the Ring of Kerry tour. The bus was almost entirely full. I did not hear the driver's name. He had an accent that was sometimes a bit difficult for me to understand. And he talked a lot more and faster than yesterday's driver.
I'd gotten a brochure from Deros with the route map on it. It also has a route map for the Dingle tour, but that one is not entirely correct.
We did a lot of short photo stops.
The first longer stop was at the Kerry Bog Village Museum for ca 30 minutes. Entry to the museum part is 5 Euro. I went in and looked around a little. It's some old houses, a couple of horses and an Irish Wolfhound.
The next long stop was a lunch break at Scariff Inn. Good food. Maybe a bit expensive, but it is a tourist place.
We actually saw some people bathing in the water at a place called Silver Beach. Owww. Sure, it was over 20 degrees Celsius in the air, but the water must have been much colder.
The final long stop was ca 30 minutes in Sneem Village. They have a monument that no one seems to know what it's supposed to be. Expensive, abstract art.
Got back to Killarney for the last night there.
Skipped breakfast and went to the Deros Office for the Ring of Kerry tour. The bus was almost entirely full. I did not hear the driver's name. He had an accent that was sometimes a bit difficult for me to understand. And he talked a lot more and faster than yesterday's driver.
I'd gotten a brochure from Deros with the route map on it. It also has a route map for the Dingle tour, but that one is not entirely correct.
We did a lot of short photo stops.
The first longer stop was at the Kerry Bog Village Museum for ca 30 minutes. Entry to the museum part is 5 Euro. I went in and looked around a little. It's some old houses, a couple of horses and an Irish Wolfhound.
The next long stop was a lunch break at Scariff Inn. Good food. Maybe a bit expensive, but it is a tourist place.
We actually saw some people bathing in the water at a place called Silver Beach. Owww. Sure, it was over 20 degrees Celsius in the air, but the water must have been much colder.
The final long stop was ca 30 minutes in Sneem Village. They have a monument that no one seems to know what it's supposed to be. Expensive, abstract art.
Got back to Killarney for the last night there.
Jun 24th, 2009, 07:13 AM
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Anyegr, I am enjoying following all the parts of your trip report. I am so sorry that you did not get enough time to really visit all the wonderful things on the Dingle peninsula. Oh, well.
I was interested in John with the horse in Killarney. When my sister, her husband and I were in Killarney, we took a ride with John and his horse Bob. (Afterwards we couldn't remember if it was John and his horse Bob, or Bob and his horse John.) Anyway, maybe there is a chance that we rode with the same driver. Our man was quite talkative, told funny, interesting stories and we felt gave us good value for our money. However, it was pouring that day and the drivers were standing around looking for passengers.
It sounds like a well planned trip and that you are making good use of time and money.
I was interested in John with the horse in Killarney. When my sister, her husband and I were in Killarney, we took a ride with John and his horse Bob. (Afterwards we couldn't remember if it was John and his horse Bob, or Bob and his horse John.) Anyway, maybe there is a chance that we rode with the same driver. Our man was quite talkative, told funny, interesting stories and we felt gave us good value for our money. However, it was pouring that day and the drivers were standing around looking for passengers.
It sounds like a well planned trip and that you are making good use of time and money.
Jun 25th, 2009, 12:06 AM
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irishface: Sorry, I think you misread somewhere. John was the name of the bussdriver, not the cartdriver. Bill was the one with the cart and I think the horse was named Paddy or possibly Patty.
Jul 12th, 2009, 09:01 AM
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Hey what a pity you missed the killarney ghost tour,great new evening trip featuring stories about faerys, ringforts, ghosts, local history and legends.A great way to see and hear the history of some of killarneys famous landmarks like muckross abbey and ross castle while getting the hair on the back of your neck stood on end.
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