Friday 12 April 2024

It’s our last day in Castleconnell today, so there is cleaning and washing to do before we depart for Killarney, Co. Kerry. Flashy is up and has lit the fire while he can hear Lady P upstairs with the dog, doing her exercises to, what they say, is an excellent video series by an Australian personal trainer. It reminds Flashy of the aerobics videos made by Jane Fonda back in the 1980’s. Who can forget the vision of Jane Fonda in gym gear?

A relatively easy drive to Killarney then past it into the countryside to a shop, pub and some houses that is the Gap of Dunloe, where we have a cute little BnB for four days. The Gap of Dunloe is a narrow mountain pass forged between the MacGillycuddy Peeks and Purple Mountain by glacial flows. The river running through the gap is the river Loe from where the Gap gets its name. The Gap begins at Kate Kearney's Cottage, which is the pub just 5 minutes walk from our BnB. The road, narrow in many places, winds through the pass and descends into The Black Valley passing five lakes and is a massive part of the tourist draw card that is the Ring of Kerry.

After arriving, we check out the pub. The place is old but quite large and full of people, young and old, many in fine dresses and heels - but that’s the girls. Over the regulatory Guinness and GnT, we discover that there are two separate groups, one of which has just come from a Confirmation. Now you know you are in Catholic Ireland.

Our BnB is a modern conversion of a fairly new house. We are in what was the garage, which has a kitchen, bathroom and large lounge/dining down stairs and a bedroom upstairs. While attached to the house, it is at one end and quite private. We are surrounded by farm land and the massive hills of the range loom over the back. It is very picturesque and you can imagine what it must be like in the summer- Yuck!

We are two mins from this bridge

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