The+RING+of+KERRY

=The RING of KERRY - The DINGLE PENINSULAR= No visit to County Kerry is complete without a tour of the Ring of Kerry (so we were told). Thankfully we were out of the summer tourist season when buses occasionally create traffic jams on the narrow windy roads – we saw a few but had no real problems driving (being now “experts” at diving into tiny lay-bys to let oncoming traffic by). Due to the number of buses etc in summertime it is advised that everyone travels the route anti-clockwise – we decided to do it that way to be safe (to be sure, to be sure). The Ring is eye-popping! Steep cliffs dropping into the sea, ancient stone circle forts, ruined castles and dramatic mountainous passes make it a memorable drive. The first section takes travellers through some very pretty towns and provides some spectacular views. We left the road to visit several ancient sites the first being Ballycarberry Castle that was built in the 15thC. Cahergall Stone Fort (500 - 400AD) has been reconstructed to provide an idea of what it would have looked like. Stone Forts were thought to be the homes of important people, who obviously required some protection or security. Staigue Fort, further along the trail, is one of the largest and finest in Ireland and is in pretty good condition – probably because there is no way buses could access it! The wall was up to 6 metre high and 4 metres thick enclosing an area 30m in diameter. The inside would have been full of houses, out-buildings etc as well as two small chambers contained within the walls. All very fascinating! As we had travelled part of the route the day before (from Kenmare to Killarney) we decided to head over the Macgillicuddy’s Reeks (mountain range) that are in the centre of the peninsula. It was an excellent choice – a narrow (very in places) road wended its way through rugged hills, green pastures and finally over the top through Ballaghbeama Gap with its tall, steep and rocky hills. Hardy mountain sheep grazed everywhere even high up on very steep cliff faces and were the only traffic we encountered. Luckily we didn’t see another car until we had negotiated the mountains – there were very few places to pass anyone! =The DINGLE PENINSULAR=
 * [[image:IMG_0977.jpg]] || [[image:IMG_0969.jpg]] ||
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 * [[image:IMG_0952.jpg caption="Ballycarberry Castle"]] || [[image:IMG_0944.jpg caption="Although crumbling we went inside"]] ||
 * [[image:IMG_0949.jpg caption="Where's my spear?"]] || [[image:IMG_0961.jpg caption="Gail on the walls of Cahergall Stone Fort"]] ||
 * [[image:IMG_0964.jpg caption="Cahergall Stone Fort"]] || [[image:IMG_1006.jpg caption="Entry to chamber inside the walls of Staigue Fort"]] ||
 * [[image:IMG_1003.jpg caption="Entrance to Staigue Fort"]] || [[image:IMG_1010.jpg caption="Contented sheep graze outside"]] ||
 * [[image:IMG_1021.jpg caption="The road over Macgillicuddy’s Reeks"]] || [[image:IMG_1030.jpg caption="the mist added to the experience!"]] ||
 * [[image:IMG_1026.jpg caption="Ballaghbeama Gap"]] || [[image:IMG_1027.jpg align="center" caption="Sheep grazing high up on the steep slope"]] ||